What Do We Know about Farmers’ Social Networks?
Cassandra Beckworth, UW-Stout, NSF LAKES REU
Dr. Nels Paulson, UW-Stout, Faculty Advisor
Diffusion of Knowledge vs. Groupthink
Social Network Analysis
Figure 1: Neighbor Participation in Best Management Practices (BMPs)
and Clustering Coefficient
Social network analysis provides insight into
how individuals are connected to one another,
as well as how they are affected by those
connections (Kadushin, 2012).
Neighbor/Acquaintance Participation in BMPs
Supports Personal
Adoption of BMPs
Hinders Personal
Adoption of BMPs
Low Clustering
Coefficient
Explaining Divided
Farmer Social Networks
High Clustering
Coefficient
Lack of Trust
•
Figure 2: Neighbor Participation in BMPs and Betweenness Centrality
Neighbor/Acquaintance Participation in BMPs
Hinders Personal
Adoption of BMPs
Supports Personal
Adoption of BMPs
Majority of farmers interviewed mentioned that a strong
sense of trust is important when considering who to get
farming information from
“I don't know if I would necessarily call it untrustworthy
information but I think it's really important that a lot of the
information you receive that we ask questions about it and
make sure that it's based on good hard evidence or scientific
evidence.”
Lack of Opportunity
•
Shifts in industry have made it difficult for farmers to connect
with one another
“Farming getting so big where you don’t really have
neighbors much less alone know them”
•
Applying Durkheim’s Theory of Solidarity
• Clustering coefficient represents more mechanical solidarity
• Participants with high clustering coefficient tend to have close knit circles, thus
leading to low social morphology. Ideas or new concepts are not as easily
transferred. High social capital but outside ideas not easily accepted.
• Betweenness centrality represents more organic solidarity
• Participants with high betweenness centrality tend to have more open circles, thus
leading to high social morphology. Ideas or new concepts are more easily transferred.
These social network members benefit more from outside relationships.
Majority of farmers interviewed mentioned disconnect
between small and large farming practices
“There is no one cookie cuttern farm…it makes it difficult to
get information from a source that understands your
practice”
Soil health/management
Have already participated
Betweenness
Centrality Low
Would consider participating
Betweenness
Centrality
Medium
Not likely to participate
Betweenness
Centrality High
Would not participate
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Participant
Owns and Farms
Their Land
Participant
Both Owns and Rents
Participant
Rents and Farms
Another’s Land
Figure 4: BMPs Currently Being Utilized
Owners are more likely to be
currently utilizing BMPs
Less
BMPs
More
BMPs
Figure 5: Consideration of Ecological Impacts on Adopting
BMPs
Owners are more likely to agree that
ecological impacts is an aspect that
supports their adoption of BMPs
Hinders
Adoption
Supports
Adoption
Figure 6: Consideration of Equipment on Adopting BMPs
Commitment to Traditional Practices
•
Ideology that farming practices learned from family are best—
farmers are aware this is stereotype and seem to disagree
“‘Oh my dad was farming forever and his dad before him
and that’s how I learned’…we need to move away from this
thinking”
The Role of Government
Figure 3: Betweenness Centrality and Desire for Soil Health/Management Education
Difference Between Owning and
Renting Farm Land
“Work with them not bastardize them, not cut them down for
what they're doing”
Owners are more likely to agree that
access to equipment is an aspect that
supports their adoption of BMPs
Hinders
Adoption
Supports
Adoption
Figure 7: Opinions about the Influence of
Environmental Law on Personal Freedom
• Majority of farmers interviewed expressed pros and cons of
government involvement
“I think everybody has to work together at a level…(yet) the
government coming in telling people what to do, you're
going to get, I think, a lot of resistance.”
Owners are more likely to strongly agree
that laws to protect the environment limit
choices and personal freedom
Strongly
Disagree
Strongly
Agree