Social Networks as Drivers for Technology Adoption: A Study from a Rural Mountain Area in Italy

Innovation processes includes social and communicative elements. The role of innovative technology for the development of farming systems is investigated in literature, but only a few studies deal with the influence of networks on the adoption of technologies by farmers. The aim of this paper is to...

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Main Authors: Rosalia Filippini, Maria Elena Marescotti, Eugenio Demartini, Anna Gaviglio
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-11-01
Series:Sustainability
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/22/9392
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spelling doaj-9dd51260509c4ef9890c6032c6aafa682020-11-25T04:09:57ZengMDPI AGSustainability2071-10502020-11-01129392939210.3390/su12229392Social Networks as Drivers for Technology Adoption: A Study from a Rural Mountain Area in ItalyRosalia Filippini0Maria Elena Marescotti1Eugenio Demartini2Anna Gaviglio3Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety “Carlo Cantoni”, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, ItalyDepartment of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety “Carlo Cantoni”, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, ItalyDepartment of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety “Carlo Cantoni”, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, ItalyDepartment of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety “Carlo Cantoni”, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, ItalyInnovation processes includes social and communicative elements. The role of innovative technology for the development of farming systems is investigated in literature, but only a few studies deal with the influence of networks on the adoption of technologies by farmers. The aim of this paper is to verify if the adoption of smartphones for professional reasons by farmers is influenced by the networks to which farmers belong, the socio-demographic characteristics of the farmers, and their farm’s size. The case study is in the Valtellina valley, a rural mountain area in the north of Italy, where 53 livestock farmers were interviewed. The methodology is based on two steps. First, social network analysis is applied to diagnose the relationships of farmers in terms of connectivity and closeness and to detect the centrality measures of farmers in three different social relationships: production networks, market networks, and information exchange networks. A multiple linear regression model is then applied to test whether centrality measures of the three networks, the farmers’ socio-demographic characters, and the farm’s features drive the adoption of smartphones for professional reasons. Results suggest that the centrality measures in production networks positively drive the adoption of smartphones, while the centrality measures of market and information exchange networks do not have the same effect. At the same time, the farmers’ age negatively affects the use of smartphones for professional reasons, while the size of the herd, and the education and gender of farmers have no significant influence. The study contributes to the debate around the Agricultural Knowledge Innovation System and supports local policies based on the inclusion of farmers in the technological development in rural areas.https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/22/9392social network analysissmartphone adoptionfarmersinterviewsItaly
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Rosalia Filippini
Maria Elena Marescotti
Eugenio Demartini
Anna Gaviglio
spellingShingle Rosalia Filippini
Maria Elena Marescotti
Eugenio Demartini
Anna Gaviglio
Social Networks as Drivers for Technology Adoption: A Study from a Rural Mountain Area in Italy
Sustainability
social network analysis
smartphone adoption
farmers
interviews
Italy
author_facet Rosalia Filippini
Maria Elena Marescotti
Eugenio Demartini
Anna Gaviglio
author_sort Rosalia Filippini
title Social Networks as Drivers for Technology Adoption: A Study from a Rural Mountain Area in Italy
title_short Social Networks as Drivers for Technology Adoption: A Study from a Rural Mountain Area in Italy
title_full Social Networks as Drivers for Technology Adoption: A Study from a Rural Mountain Area in Italy
title_fullStr Social Networks as Drivers for Technology Adoption: A Study from a Rural Mountain Area in Italy
title_full_unstemmed Social Networks as Drivers for Technology Adoption: A Study from a Rural Mountain Area in Italy
title_sort social networks as drivers for technology adoption: a study from a rural mountain area in italy
publisher MDPI AG
series Sustainability
issn 2071-1050
publishDate 2020-11-01
description Innovation processes includes social and communicative elements. The role of innovative technology for the development of farming systems is investigated in literature, but only a few studies deal with the influence of networks on the adoption of technologies by farmers. The aim of this paper is to verify if the adoption of smartphones for professional reasons by farmers is influenced by the networks to which farmers belong, the socio-demographic characteristics of the farmers, and their farm’s size. The case study is in the Valtellina valley, a rural mountain area in the north of Italy, where 53 livestock farmers were interviewed. The methodology is based on two steps. First, social network analysis is applied to diagnose the relationships of farmers in terms of connectivity and closeness and to detect the centrality measures of farmers in three different social relationships: production networks, market networks, and information exchange networks. A multiple linear regression model is then applied to test whether centrality measures of the three networks, the farmers’ socio-demographic characters, and the farm’s features drive the adoption of smartphones for professional reasons. Results suggest that the centrality measures in production networks positively drive the adoption of smartphones, while the centrality measures of market and information exchange networks do not have the same effect. At the same time, the farmers’ age negatively affects the use of smartphones for professional reasons, while the size of the herd, and the education and gender of farmers have no significant influence. The study contributes to the debate around the Agricultural Knowledge Innovation System and supports local policies based on the inclusion of farmers in the technological development in rural areas.
topic social network analysis
smartphone adoption
farmers
interviews
Italy
url https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/22/9392
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