The comparison of social networks between organic and conventional hazelnut producers in Samsun

Abstract

This study was carried out to reveal the sources of communication and social network of organic and conventional hazelnut producers in Samsun province. The primary and basic material of the study is the data obtained from the surveys, interviews and observations of the organic and conventional hazelnut producers in Çamlıca, Yüksekyayla villages and Ağcagüney town. Both producer groups were compared in terms of their social networks and communication channels especially on the use of different fertilizers by making suggestions on how to develop it. The results of the research showed that socio-economic status of the organic hazelnut producers was better than conventional producers in terms of land size, income, cooperation capacity, risk management and agricultural supports. Social Network Analysis (SNA) has shown the graphs of communication networks among the producers, their relationships with different public, private and mass media information sources and especially revealed leader farmers whom functioned as source of information transfer (or even blocker) among them. The relationships in organic hazelnut producers' communication network in the village are strong, dense and information sources are varied. On the contrary, the relationships in communication network of conventional hazelnut producers were looser, strong and information sources were uniform. The main source of technical information for both groups of producers was the experienced leader farmers; as for organic producers, the heads of the local organic producers' union was the main information source in terms of commercial, legal and organizational aspects. In other words, both organic and conventional producers rely on knowledge and experience of producers who take on the role of opinion leader within the village. Therefore, innovation and knowledge transfer to farmers can be delivered through these opinion leaders. As a result of the research, it can be said that institutional information sources do not adequately support organic and conventional hazelnut growers. Thus, organic producers developed their local knowledge source based on their on-farm trials and experiences and shared this knowledge within their peer groups. However, this information needs to be supported with scientific findings.

Factors accelerating agricultural innovation and sustainability: The case of paddy farmers

“…The study determined that the family size of the paddy farmers consisted of an average of 4.7 people and did not differ according to the innovativeness groups ( p > 0.05). In previous studies (Aydoğan & Demiryürek, 2018; Demiryürek, 2010; Rogers, 1963), the family size of the farmers in the high innovativeness group was larger than the ones in the low innovativeness group. The research findings in this study differed from the findings of previous studies.…”

“…Abacı and Demiryürek (2019) argued that farmers had heard that an agricultural innovation adopted by other farmers brought success and that their observations of this activity would change their attitude over time. In addition, Aydoğan and Demiryürek (2018) stated that farmers' information sources were generally composed of informal sources and affected each other's attitudes. It could be concluded that the farmers influenced each other on environmental awareness and, consequently, their behavior toward the environment was similar.…”

Impacts of Technical Environment on the Adoption of Organic Fertilizers and Biopesticides Among Farmers: Evidence From Heilongjiang Province, China

“…Information networks can also facilitate the adoption of organic fertilizer and biopesticides by farmers [24,25] . Social networks are important for farmers to obtain information, and whether farmers adopt technologies is often influenced by the behavior of farmers running large-scale farms, cooperative status, social customs and the behavior of village cadres [23,26,27] .…”