EXPLAINING THE INNOVATION MODEL AND HOW AGRICULTURE DIFFUSED

1. AGRICULTURE
INNOVATION
DIFFUSION
BY TORSTEN
HAGERSTRAND• SUBMITTED TO: PROF. DHIAN KAUR
• SUBMITTED BY: PRIYANKA KOHLI

2. INTRODUCTION
• HAGERSTRAND WAS THE FIRST GEOGRAPHER TO DEVELOP A MODEL TO DESCRIBE
DIFFUSION OF AN INNOVATION OVER SPACE. HE PUT FORWARD THE IDEA FROM A
HISTORICAL STUDY OF THE TURNERIAN SCHOOL, AND THE GEOGRAPHICAL STUDIES
OF DIFFUSION OF THE BERKELEY SCHOOL.HIS DIFFUSION MODELS OF EARLY 1950S
ARE OUTSTANDING.THEY HAVE FORMED THE BASIS OF MOST GEOGRAPHICAL MODEL
BUILDING EFFORTS SINCE THEN.
• IN 1953, HE SELECTED THE ASBY DISTRICT OF SOUTH –CENTRAL SWEDEN TO STUDY
THE SPATIAL PATTERN OF ACCEPTANCE OF VARIOUS NEW AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
BY THE LOCAL FARMERS , AND SHOWED THE PROBABILITY OF THE ADOPTION OF AN
INNOVATION SPATIALLY FROM A CENTRAL POINT.HE DESIGNED THREE MODELS OF
WHICH ONE OF THE MODELS FITTED THE OBSERVED-DIFFUSION PATTERN OF
INNOVATIONS.

3. FOUR STAGES OF DIFFUSION PROCESS
• PRIMARY STAGE: IT MARKS THE BEGINNING OF THE DIFFUSION PROCESS WITH
A STRONG CONTRAST BETWEEM THE AREAS LYING NEAR THE INNOVATING
CENTRES AND THE FAR-OFF AREAS.
• DIFFUSION STAGE: IT SIGNALS THE START OF THE ACTUAL SPREAD PROCESS
IN WHICH DIFFUSION BEING TRANSMITTED AND A NETWORK OF CENTRES OF
INNOVATION BEING RAISED UP EVEN IN THE REMOTE AREAS, OR IN WHICH THERE
IS A SPREAD OF IDEAS AS A RESULT OF A STRONG CENTRIFUGAL EFFECT WITH
THE CREATION OF SECONDARY INNOVATION CENTRES IN DISTANT AREAS
• CONDENSING STAGE: THE RELATIVE INCREASE IN THE NUMBERS OF
ACCEPTING AN ITEM IS EQUAL IN ALL LOCATIONS, REGARDLESS OF THEIR
DISTANCE FROM THE ORIGINAL INNOVATION CENTRE.
• SATURATION: THE FINAL STAGE IS MARKED BY SLOWING AND EVENTUAL
CESSATION OF THE DIFFUSION PROCESS. THE ITEM BEING DIFFUSED IS ACCEPTED
THROUGHOUT THE REGION OR COUNTRY SO THAT THERE IS VERY LITTLE
REGIONAL VARIATION

4. ASSUMPTIONS
• ONLY THE CARRIER POSSESSED THE INFORMATION (INNOVATION)
AT THE BEGINNING.
• THE PROBABILITY OF THE INNOVATION BEING ACCEPTED VARIED
ON ACCOUNT OF VARIABLE LEVELS OF RESISTENCE TO AN
INNOVATION ON THE PART OF RECEIVERS.
• THE INFORMATION IS RECEIVED ORALLY AT FACE-TO-FACE
(PAIRWISE) MEETINGS BETWEEN THE POTENTIAL ADOPTER AND THE
CARRIER,I.E.THROUGH PERSONAL CONTACT.

5. • THE PROBABILITY OF A POTENTIAL ADOPTER BEING PAIRED WITH A
CARRIER HAD A STRONG INVERSE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE
ADOPTER OF THE INNOVATION.
• THE INFORMATION IS PASSED AT CERTAIN SPECIFIED TIMES AND
INTERVALS, PARTICULARLY BEFORE THE SOWING PERIOD OR AT THE
TIME OF SOWING IN DIFFERENT CROPPING SEASONS.
• AT EACH OF THESE TIMES EVERY CARRIER(KNOWER) PASSES ON AN
INNOVATION TO ANOTHER PERSON(NON- KNOWER).

6. FIGURE: 1

7. TO SIMULATE THE RECORDED NUMBER OF
ACCEPTERS, HE USED MONTE CARLO
METHODS-COMPUTATION TECHNIQUES
• PRECONDITIONS OF THE MODEL ARE:
1. THE INPUT OF NUMBERS AND SPATIAL LOCATION IN THE MODEL OF ADOPTERS
AND POTENTIAL ADOPTERS WERE THE ACTUAL CONFIGURATIONS IN A
PARTICULAR YEAR.
2. A POTENTIAL ADOPTER WAS ASSUMED TO ACCEPT THE INNOVATION AS SOON
AS HE WAS TOLD BY ANOTHER ADOPTER.
3. EVERY RECEIVER WAS ALLOWED TO CONTACT AND PASS ON INFORMATION TO
ANOTHER PERSON,ADOPTER OR NON-ADOPTER.
4. THE REDUCTION IN INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION, LIKELY TO BE CAUSED
BY PHYSICAL FEATURES ,SUCH AS RIVERS , MOUNTAINS AND FORESTS.

8. • THERE ARE SEVERAL KINDS OF ADOPTERS OF INNOVATIONS,E.G., EARLY
ADOPTERS, EARLY MAJORITY, LATE MAJORITYAND LAGGARDS.
• THIS IS BECAUSE OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OFRESISTANCE EXERCISED BY
POPULATION WHILE ADOPTING AN INNOVATION.
• HAGERSTRAND (1968) HAS OBSERVED THAT IF POPULATION OF ADOPTERS IS
ACCUMULATED AND MAPPED THROUGH TIME THE CURVE WILL BE LOGISTIC OR
S-SHAPED FIGURE

9. FIGURE:2

10. APPPLICATIONS OF HAGERSTRAND
MODEL OF INNOVATION DIFFUSION
• IT WAS APPLIED TO THE DIFFUSION OF TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS.
• THIS THEORY HAS BEEN USED SUCCESSFULLY IN MANY FIELDS INCLUDING
COMMUNICATION, AGRICULTURE, PUBLIC HEALTH, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, SOCIAL
WORK, AND MARKETING. IN PUBLIC HEALTH, DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION THEORY
IS USED TO ACCELERATE THE ADOPTION OF IMPORTANT PUBLIC HEALTH
PROGRAMS THAT TYPICALLY AIM TO CHANGE THE BEHAVIOR OF A SOCIAL
SYSTEM. FOR EXAMPLE, AN INTERVENTION TO ADDRESS A PUBLIC HEALTH
PROBLEM IS DEVELOPED, AND THE INTERVENTION IS PROMOTED TO PEOPLE IN A
SOCIAL SYSTEM WITH THE GOAL OF ADOPTION (BASED ON DIFFUSION OF
INNOVATION THEORY). THE MOST SUCCESSFUL ADOPTION OF A PUBLIC HEALTH
PROGRAM RESULTS FROM UNDERSTANDING THE TARGET POPULATION AND THE
FACTORS INFLUENCING THEIR RATE OF ADOPTION.

11. LIMITATIONS OR CRITICISMS
• THE KEY CRITICISM WAS THAT INNOVATIONS WERE BEING TARGETED TO THE
“INNOVATORS” AND “EARLY ADOPTERS” – THE MORE ‘PROGRESSIVE’ FARMERS,
WITH THE EXPECTATION THAT INNOVATIVE PRACTICES WOULD TRICKLE DOWN
TO THE MAJORITY OF FARMERS.
• APPLICATION OF THE THEORY WAS VIEWED AS A SOURCE OF INEQUITY,
DIVIDING RURAL COMMUNITIES AND NOT BENEFITTING/ASSISTING THOSE IN
MOST NEED.
• TIME IS CONSIDERED IN DISCRETE UNITS.