This guide proposes that to address risk and resilience among farms and the farming population, Extension needs to expand its partnerships and collaborations across disciplinary and program area lines and develop multisystem approaches to private problems and public issues. As we reviewed the literature, we found six theories that we believe meet the “goodness of fit” test and are particularly re levant to our risk and resilience socio-ecological framework. The following theories meet these tests as they are:
Logical
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Consistent with everyday observations
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• Similar to those used in previous successful programs
• Supported by past research in the same or related areas
Change Theor ies
Change theories are fundamental for interventions intended to make changes in individuals, groups, institutions, and public policy. Change theories are essential to educational programming.
Change Theory One. In 1962, Evert Rogers published his pioneering research on the Diffusion of Innovations Theory to explain how, why, and at what speed ideas and technology spread. Rogers focused on the diffusion of information and innovation in agriculture.
Rogers conceptualized his theory as having four factors that influence diffusion in social systems (Rogers, 2003). He viewed the
decision process as having five phases requiring different interventions at each stage, moving from knowledge to persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation. Figure 6 is Rogers’ Model of Five Stages in the Innovation-Decision Process. By understanding these stages, Extension professionals can determine what kind of
messages through which channels of communication will most likely move individuals and groups to act on an innovation.
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