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Transcript

Hello friends, we have entered into the 8th week of the course on Fundamentals of Agricultural Extension. In this week we will be discussing about various issues associated with adoption and diffusion of innovations. When we look into the agricultural technology and the clients of agricultural technology, that is the farming community and the stakeholders like the input supply agencies, the financial institutions, the service providing agencies. All these stakeholders put together are all emphasizing upon the adoption of innovation. So in its simplest terms we can say that how the farming community acceptsthe technology that are being provided by the research and development institutions. May be under public sector organizations or the private sector organizations. What are the factors that are contributing for acceptance of an innovation. We say that yes this is adoption. And how the technologies are diffused among the members of the social system. So these are the various issues that we will be taking up in the entire week.

Let us start with understanding the concept of, what exactly is the term diffusion means or the concept ‘diffusion’ means. Diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of the social system. This is what is the simplest concept of diffusion that we can have. When we look into this definition, so there are some important elements, which makes the diffusion as the special type of communication. And when we are talking of the concept of innovation, which are being diffused and it has a special character. And because of that it ensures that there is a degree of uncertainty, that there is diffusion of innovations.

Let us try to know that what exactly is uncertainty. It is the degree to which the range of alternatives are perceived with regard to the occurrence of an event. Uncertainty implies the lack of predictability and therefore information. So when we talk of innovation, obviously the uncertainty is associated with that. And how to reduce this uncertainty. Because of the innovations, because we don’t know many things associated with the innovation. So that is how there is uncertainty. And this uncertainty can be reduced only with the help of information. So if we have appropriate information, then uncertainties can be reduced. And ultimately it is getting ready to accept by the society. So in that context the elements of diffusion. So the first element is an innovation. What is this innovation? Innovation means, it is an idea which is pursued as new by the member of a society.

And the second element is the communication channels. Because the innovations are passed down to the society with the help of some channels. What are those?May it be the interpersonal channels or the mass media channels. So that we will be looking at. Then the third element is.Over time is another important element, so of a diffusion. And the fourth one is among the members of the social system, means the social system itself is another element of diffusion. So let us analyze these things one by one. Let us start with the innovation. Innovation as I have already said, it is an idea or a practice, or an object which is perceived as new by an individual or the unit of adoption. So when we get these new ideas. So we have good number of apprehensions with that new idea. How it is going to work and what are the positive aspects of that and what are the negative aspects of that.

So in that context, so let us try to understand these innovation with the help of these characteristics of innovation. So there are five characteristics like relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability and observability. Let’s look at them one by one. Relative advantage means. It is the degree to which the idea is considered as better than the idea it is superseding. So that’s what is the relative advantage. Every individual or a farmer is having a particular practice regarding a particular crop or a technique. But the innovation or the extension agencies are suggesting, one new practice, that is what we call it as an innovation, which is pursued as new by the society. Whether it is having some advantageous characteristics, so that it can replace the existing practice. So that is what is the relative advantage.

Then the second one is the compatibility. Whether the suggested practice is compatible with the values, past experiences, needs and of the potential adopter or not. So that is where the compatibility factor comes into the picture. The third one is the complexity. Complexity means it is the degree to which an innovation is perceived as difficult to understand and use. So this is the only negative factor in case of the attributes of innovation or the characteristics of innovation. If the innovation is complex in nature. So then it is having less acceptance with the society. So this should be reduced to the minimum possible extent. So that the societies can accept more and more amount of innovation.

Then the next characteristic of innovation is trialability. It is the degree to which innovation may be experimented with on a limited basis. It may not hold good for all sorts of innovations. But many innovations we can have this component of trialability. For example if you want to try a new variety of seed, then we can go for on a trial basis. On a small piece of land we can cultivate it and we can see the results. And we can accept it in the subsequent season. But if the innovations like mechanization. Tractor is another innovation that we can think of. How can we adopt it component wise? So it is bit difficult with the innovations like that. So, but invariably trialability is one component of the attributes of innovation.

Then observability. Observability is the degree to which the results of innovations are visible to the endusers or the society. There are certain innovations which can show this observability. But again there are certain innovations which lack observability also. We say that application of fertilizer is going to enhance the yield. Obviously the results are observable. So we can have the trial with one control plot, where we are not applying any fertilizer. On the experimental plot, we can apply the recommended dosages of the fertilizer, and we can show the results. So there are innovations like application of micro-nutrients, which results in enhanced oil content in case of oilseeds. Application of sulphur is going to increase the oil content in the oilseed. But how can we visualize the results of that. It is not visible in the form of yield. So after harvesting the yield when we go for oil expulsion. So then we can authentically say that there is increase in the yield. But farmer may not be having that much amount of time. And he may not go for oil expulsion and evaluation, that whether it is having the higher yield or not. So that is where the lack of observability that we find. And but many of the innovations are having the factor of observability.

So these are the 5 characteristics of the innovation. Now coming to the communication channels. The dominant communication channels that include are, may be the mass media channels or the interpersonal channels. Because the communication channel plays the dominant role. Because it is the medium with which that we are reaching the masses. So if you talk of inter-personal channels, it is more effective channel. But it is very difficult to reach each and every client with a this particular model. So that is why we are using the mass media. It is also most effective to create awareness, knowledge of an innovation. But it may not be contributing for the components like skill. But it can create awareness. It can change attitude to certain extent. But the interpersonal channels are more effective in pursuing the individual to accept the new idea. And it helps in enhancing the skills also.

Then coming to the third element is the time. Time element involved in the diffusion process. Because this is the critical input which makes the concept of diffusion different from the communication. So how early it is in reaching the communities, reaching the masses. It is based on the innovation decision process. That we will be discussing in one of our subsequent classes. Then the innovativeness of an individual. The time element depends upon the individual. So to what extent thathe is ready to accept that. So that is another important factor. And innovations rate of adoption in a system. So if that innovation is so effective. So community is going to accept it in a faster rate. And if it is not that effective, that depends on the innovativeness of an individual. So that is why time becomes very critical component.

Then the last element of diffusion is the social system, which is defined as the set of inter-related units, that are engaged in joint problem solving to accomplish the common goal. So this is what is the complex nature of a social system in which we are all living. So the idea or the innovation to get diffused in a social system, it has its own complexities. We said that it has its own complexities because there are system norms that are in operation. The norms are nothing but the established behavioral patterns of the members of a social system. So a particular social system is going to behave in a particular direction. So that is how we see the changes in the behavioral patterns, as we move from one corner of a country or one corner of a State to another corner. One corner of a district to another corner. One district to another district. We can see the change in the behavior. It is because of the changes in the norms. May be in the eastern part the norms are bit different and in the western part the norms are different and in the northern part the norms are different and in the southern part norms are different, and when we go into the a particular State, again we can observe the differences in the norms that are being accepted by that particular society, that are being followed by that particular society, which makes the acceptance of the innovations a more complex system because of these norms.

Then to conclude we can say that diffusion is a special type of a communication, wherein we are talking only of innovation, we are not talking of various other things. Because of that there is an element of risk, there is an element of uncertainty. And there is an element of time which can create this difference. And the attributes of innovation play a key role in acceptance or in adoption of the innovations. And the social norms determine the process of diffusion, in ultimately ending with the results like maybe acceptance or rejections of a technology. These are some of the issues that are associated with the concept of the diffusion and the innovation. In the next class we will be discussing about the actual process of adoption.

Thank You.