Regional dynamics of precision agriculture adoption and knowledge transfer: Insights from Georgia extension agents

The Cooperative Extension System plays a vital role in disseminating innovative knowledge from the University to public decision makers. However, there is a lack of studies on the dynamics of knowledge transfer from Extension agents to farmers, especially in the Southeastern U.S. in relation to precision agriculture adoption. This study aims to examine the dynamics of farmers’ engagement with Extension agents in the state of Georgia, particularly concerning the adoption of precision agriculture. This study conducted a survey of Agriculture and Natural Resource Extension agents in Georgia; 84 agents were surveyed. The findings indicated that more than half of the Extension agents reported that they had been approached by farmers about precision agriculture-related Extension services in the past two farming seasons. The statewide average precision agriculture adoption rate was 43.78%, but adoption rates varied by geographic region, with the southern part of Georgia reporting a higher adoption rate than the northern part of the state. The findings offer insight into the information-seeking relationship between change agents and farmers in a precision agriculture context by focusing on the perspective of Extension agents, laying the groundwork for future research to explore the complementary viewpoint from targeted current and potential precision agriculture adopters.