Do farmers adopt new management strategies developed by researchers? Do researchers communicate their results effectively?

Abstract

Recent research in relation to herbicide resistance has focused on the science of herbicide resistance. From the knowledge gained, management strategies for herbicide resistance have been developed. Currently, in relation to herbicide management strategies, there is little documented knowledge of the rate
and process by which farmers adopt such strategies.
Few studies relate outcomes to a particular learning or communication process and the capacity of technical information to meet individual farmers’ needs for fine tuning and system management is not known. Understanding what is necessary for successful adoption is important for achieving on-farm management to contain or avoid herbicide resistance problems. This paper reviews existing knowledge on farmers’ processes
when adopting new management strategies. This sets the scene for identifying future research priorities.