Social Dynamics Shaping the Diffusion of Sustainable Aquaculture Innovations in the Solomon Islands
| Autor: | Rebecca Weeks, Reuben Sulu, Jessica Blythe, Daykin Harohau, Michael Phillips, David J. Mills, A.M. Schwarz |
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| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
tilapia
lcsh:TJ807-830 Geography Planning and Development Population lcsh:Renewable energy sources 010501 environmental sciences Management Monitoring Policy and Law sustainable aquaculture diffusion of innovation small-scale aquaculture Melanesia 01 natural sciences Development economics education lcsh:Environmental sciences 0105 earth and related environmental sciences lcsh:GE1-350 education.field_of_study Food security Renewable Energy Sustainability and the Environment business.industry lcsh:Environmental effects of industries and plants Environmental resource management Opinion leadership 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences Livelihood Social dynamics lcsh:TD194-195 Agriculture Sustainability 040102 fisheries 0401 agriculture forestry and fisheries Rural area business |
| Zdroj: | Sustainability; Volume 9; Issue 1; Pages: 126 Sustainability, Vol 9, Iss 1, p 126 (2017) |
| ISSN: | 2071-1050 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/su9010126 |
| Popis: | Sustainably feeding the world’s growing population represents one of our most significant challenges. Aquaculture is well positioned to make contributions towards this challenge. Yet, the translation of aquaculture production innovations into benefits for rural communities is constrained by a limited understanding of the social dynamics that influence the adoption of new agricultural practices. In this paper, we investigate the factors that shape the spread of small-scale tilapia aquaculture through rural Solomon Islands. Based on diffusion of innovation theory, we focus on three potentially influential factors: (i) socio-economic characteristics of adopters; (ii) the role of opinion leaders; and (iii) characteristics of the innovation. We find that farmers who were wealthier, older, and had more diverse livelihoods were most likely to be adopters. Opinion leaders facilitated the adoption of tilapia aquaculture, but lacked the capacity to provide fundamental knowledge necessary to realize its potential benefits to food security. The paper argues for more explicit attention to the poorest households and makes the case for a deeper engagement with the broader social and institutional contexts that shape the adoption process. Aquaculture interventions that account for these social dynamics are critical for translating production innovations into sustainable benefits to rural communities. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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