Sustainable horticulture: understanding barriers to the adoption of innovation

Conference Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
McCarthy, Breda;Schurmann, Andrea
Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore barriers to the adoption of sustainable horticultural practices. A total of 12 in-depth interviews were undertaken with growers and key informants. Key barriers are primarily associated with financial and marketing constraints. For some growers, lack of assurance in new sustainable practices and potential for loss of yields is an issue. There are conversion costs and the perception that organic farming systems are labour intensive, difficult and time consuming to implement. Growers face structural barriers to change as they are price takers and lack power in the supply chain. This study makes an empirical contribution to the literature on sustainable food systems by exploring barriers faced by growers in Queensland, Australia, in particular, the characteristics of the innovation itself such as relative advantage (Guerin, 2000; Rogers, 1995).

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ANZMAC 2014: Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference: agents of change

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1447-3275

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7

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Brisbane, QLD, Australia

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Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy

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Brisbane, QLD, Australia

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