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The role of networks in transforming Australian agriculture

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Abstract

It has been argued that major, purposeful action often resulting in significant changes in structure or function, known as transformational adaptation, is required in some areas of the agricultural sector to adapt to climate change and other driving factors. Yet there is limited understanding of what factors instigate and facilitate this scale of change. From a social science perspective, one key question remains: to what extent do agribusinesses need social capital to plan and implement large-scale, transformational adaptation options, compared with incremental-scale adaptations? Data drawn from Australian primary industries found that those undertaking transformational change had more far-reaching information and knowledge network connections yet less extensive social links to family, friends and colleagues. These findings demonstrate that strong access to knowledge and weak social ties increases the ability to facilitate action that differs from established social norms, hence empowering transformational adaptors to plan and implement novel strategies and options.

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Figure 1: Findings show that incremental adaptors have a greater social support network than transformational adaptors.
Figure 2: Findings show that transformational adaptors have greater information connections than incremental adaptors.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all the research participants and reviewers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Organisation (CSIRO), PO Box 883, Kenmore, 4069, Queensland, Australia

    Anne-Maree Dowd

  2. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Organisation (CSIRO), Private Mail Bag PO, Aitkenvale, 4814, Queensland, Australia

    Nadine Marshall

  3. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Organisation (CSIRO), GPO Box 1538, Hobart, 7001, Tasmania, Australia

    Aysha Fleming

  4. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Organisation (CSIRO), GPO Box 2583, Brisbane, 4001, Queensland, Australia

    Emma Jakku

  5. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Organisation (CSIRO), PO Box 56, Highett, 3190, Victoria, Australia

    Estelle Gaillard

  6. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Organisation (CSIRO), GPO Box 664, Canberra, 2601, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

    Mark Howden

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  1. Anne-Maree Dowd
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Contributions

A-M.D. and M.H. oversaw the project. A-M.D., N.M., A.F., E.J. and E.G. developed the design and collected the data. A-M.D. analysed the data, derived the general conclusion and wrote the paper. N.M., M.H. and A.F. contributed to the writing of the paper and assisted with editing.

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Correspondence to Anne-Maree Dowd.

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Dowd, AM., Marshall, N., Fleming, A. et al. The role of networks in transforming Australian agriculture. Nature Clim Change 4, 558–563 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2275

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