The diffusion of innovation theory is defined as the means by which a new idea is spread and adopted by people ( Hayden, 2009). The theory was first, used in the 1950s to understand how farmers in Iowa adopted the use of hybrid corn seeds (Hayden, 2009, p. 93). The society of farmers in Iowa on average took 7 years to switch to hybrid corn although the hybrid seeds increased crop yields and produced hardier, drought-resistant corn (Hayden, 2009). The length of time for adoption shows positive improvements in farming but does not guarantee an immediate change in farming procedure. The four constructs of diffusion of innovation; Innovation, Communication Channels, Time and Social System help explain the farmers slow adaptation to change to using the new innovation of hybrid corn.
Diffusion of Innovation constructs
Innovation is something new. When an idea is new and unfamiliar the product may take longer to adopt. There are 5 steps in the innovation process for making a decision. The first step is Knowledge of the product. The second step is Persuasion. The novelty of hybrid corn seeds may persuade some farmer to try the product, but how the product is introduce to the farmer may have more of an influence. Knowing the product exist is not enough to change ones behavior in adopting a new product.
Communication channels addresses how the hybrid seed information is made aware to the farmers. The knowledge obtains from mass communication channels such as newspapers, television or word of mouth from other farmers, helps farmers form their own perceptive or attitude toward adopting a new idea. The information the farmers gather will compare the overall benefits of adopting a new product. In the persuasion process the farmers will c...
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...d due to the higher yield of production of corn, drought resistant properties, without change farmers might lose profitability; as a result they may change.
Laggards - Glanz (2008, p 98), laggards are consider more conservative and traditional, and are oppose to taking risk. The farmers who are considered laggards would be last to adopt the hybrid seeds, due to suspicious of the product and a social disconnect from the environment of other farmers.
Without the process of the diffusion of innovation the decision of adaption of hybrid corn might not be as well understood. How the information is communicated, the length of time to make the decision and structure of the social system greatly impacts the speed of adoption. The diffusion of Innovation /decision process demonstrates the rational for why the long delay occurred for Iowa farmers to adopt the hybrid seeds.
In the New York Times article “When a Crop Becomes a King”, author Michael Pollan argues there is an overproduction of corn that does more harm than it does good. He writes this in response to a farm bill signed by then President Bush to increase the budget for corn production which caused much controversy. Pollan uses an infuriated and frustrated tone in order to convince American consumers that corn has taken over their environment and economy. Michael Pollan uses rhetorical strategies to challenge conventional views of corn and to argue against additional corn production.
Monsanto Company are a public American multinational agricultural and agrochemical biotechnology corporation who leads in the production of genetically engineered seeds. Founded by John Queeny in 1901, the organization initially produced industrial chemicals such as sulphuric acid and plastics, including polystyrene and synthetic fibres. It was not until 1983, where the company was among the first to genetically modify a plant cell and conduct field trials of genetically modified crops. This scientific breakthrough shifted the company 's corporate focus towards the agricultural industry with the implementation of biotechnology. The company’s primary line of products consist of herbicides and genetically modified seeds.1
One can look back in time and see how things have changed. It might have been because of one thing that set a different course, or a series of small things that might have seemed insignificant at the time. The culture of farming has changed drastically over the years due to new founded ideas relating to the food system. In the article, “How Genetically Modified Crops Have Transformed Rural America”, Adam Riesselman explains the effects of GMOs on farm life. In The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan explains how the production of corn has changed farms. Both these pieces of writing express ideas about GMOs, new technology used on the farm, and the diversity of crops on farms.
The Amazon and Amelonado cocoa hybrid crop produces more cocoa seeds, has a lower gestation period, and has more than two harvest seasons (Boaher, Kwasi, Snijiders & Tolmer, 1999, p. 169). While this new practice produces a higher yield it is more expensive and requires farmers to use chemicals and new farming practices(Boaher, Kwasi, Snijiders & Tolmer, 1999, p. 169). Farmers social status is important “… in the adoption decision. Status is defined with respect to variables such as royalty, leadership and membership …high status farmers are expected to adopt hybrid cocoa because of the increased recognition the society will confer on them by maintaining their leadership role” (Boaher, Kwasi, Snijiders & Tolmer, 1999 p. 173). The main problem with adopting this new hybrid crop is the cost, because most cocoa farms are typically family run and small scale they are not able to afford it (Boaher, Kwasi, Snijiders & Tolmer, 1999, p. 169). While small farms can not afford this, big plantations are able to adopt this farming method and increase annual yield which increases the plantations wealth. This allows big plantations and companies to control the market and leaves little room for small scale farms to increase net profit, trapping them into a vicious cycle of
Biello, David. "Genetically Modified Crop on the Loose and Evolving in U.S. Midwest." Scientific American Global RSS. Scientific American, 06 Aug. 2010. Web. 08 May 2014. .
For millennia, corn has been a staple food crop for North America. Its indigenous location was critical to the development of pre-Hispanic life in the New World. However, modern society has elevated Zea mays into a commodity strongly connected to systems of economic control and capitalism. Consequently, corn has played an essential role in colonization, industrialization, and the arrival of genetic modification. The literatures of numerous new world cultures, along with the literatures of modern Western cultures, offer a perspective on corn's current stance in western society. The impact that corn has on the economic systems of the world expose a great deal about the commoditization and globalization of food crops. This paper
Innovations are communicated through channels of communications and may or may not be adopted over time by the social system who will deem a certain innovation as necessary, useful or not (Rogers,
...o. “The Great Agricultural Transition: Crisis, Change, and Social Consequence of the Twentieth Century US Farming”. Annual Review of Sociology 27 (2001): 103-124.
In recent history, farming in America has changed dramatically, and Naylor’s farm is representative of many in the American Corn Belt. Though it began growing a variety of crops and keeping livestock too, Naylor now only plants corn and soybeans. In Naylor’s grandfather’s days, the farm fed the whole family with just enough left over for twelve others. Now, Naylor indirectly feeds an estimated 129 people, but this does not mean his farm is any more successful. In fact, Naylor’s farm cannot financially support his family.
The agricultural revolution of the nineteenth century was caused by many important factors. Before the revolution, people working in the farms were living entirely on what they could produce. Most farmers were extremely hesitant to make any changes in the methods they had been using for farming mainly because, although the payoff would be fairly large, if it didn't work, the mistakes could cost them their lives (Kagen).
...asing locally grown produces as well as locally produced foods. They persuade people effectively through the use of
...o climate change. All of these have caused an impact on the ability to produce crops and grow agriculturally. Climate change has been increasing the number of droughts, floods, health hazards of employees, natural disasters, and sea level elevations. All of these put in danger the crop productivity resulting in famines and food price increments. Climate change affects agriculture in every country differently due to its location. Countries such as Canada and Russia are being affected positively by climate change since it has enabled the country to prosper agriculturally. Other countries cannot handle drastic temperature changes, such as Sudan and Bangladesh, whose agricultural growth has been affected negatively by the climatic changes. Agriculture is fundamental in a country, creating a balance between agriculture and the increasing climatic changes would be ideal.
“Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S.” ERS/USDA Data. Web. 12 May 2012. .
People have depended on agriculture for years as the primary source of getting food. We have developed all kinds of ways to manipulate nature so what we can produce higher yield crops, more nutritious crops, bigger crops, crops that withstand cold, and farming equipment that allows us to manufacture these crops with relative ease. Why then are there five billion people being malnourished and forty thousand children dying each day from hunger? It seems as though world hunger is more a result of the lack of distributing the food properly than the lack of quantity. agriculture has turned into a high profit business and biotech companies like Monsanto are constantly trying to come up with better and more efficient ways of farming. Are they doing this to try to solve the world hunger crisis, or merely to make a profit?
This paper applies a comparative sociology framework with qualitative methodology to the case of GMOs to inform discussions regarding balancing individual freedom and economic freedom in society. The comparative sociology framework of a structural functionalism and conflict theory is applied to the case of GMOs. The purpose of this investigation is to analyze how GMOs affect the balance between economic progress and social stability. The perspectives of both the conflict and structural functionalist theories on GMOs are portrayed. The method being utilized is a qualitative case study using document analysis of internet and other computer searches.