Adoption isn't the final stage of ag innovation. And extension doesn’t just happen when workshops and fact sheets are added to research projects. Both need to be designed in from the beginning and supported for long enough for change to actually stick.

The agriculture system invests heavily in research and development, but getting a new idea from “it works” to widespread, sustained practice is another challenge altogether.

In this episode, Sarah Nolet talks with farmer, researcher, and extension expert Pip Job about what we might be getting wrong about agricultural adoption.

Pip has worked across Landcare, government, drought resilience, and venture-backed agtech startups. Her broad experience has given her a unique perspective on the different systems and incentives that shape how farmers adopt  (and sometimes stop adopting) new practices and technologies.

She argues that extension is about transformation, not transaction. Rather than simply getting information or technology in front of farmers, effective extension needs to understand the motivations, capabilities, risk appetites, and social contexts that influence whether people actually change.

The conversation also explores why agriculture could learn from fields such as behavioral science, implementation science, and human-centered design.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why extension and sales aren't the same thing
• Why “reach” doesn't necessarily equal impact
• What causes farmers to disadopt new practices
• Why extension is often treated as an afterthought to R&D
• What agriculture could learn from health, education, and other sectors
• How funding cycles and reporting requirements can work against genuine behavior change
• Why co-design needs to continue throughout a project, rather than happening once at the beginning.
• What a longer-term investment model for agricultural adoption could look like

Useful Links:

• Hub on the pathway to impact - Southern NSW Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub
• Five Lessons in (Effective) Agtech Adoption
• Why Good Agtech Doesn't Always Get Adopted, with Chad Godsey
• Australasian Pacific Extension Network
• Accelerating Agtech Adoption - Agrifutures
• Getting Agtech Ready - Agtech So What?
• FromDemo Farms to Adoption with Wine Australia
• Book: Change or Die

The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

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