The roles of change agents and opinion leaders in the diffusion of agricultural technologies in Vietnam: a case study of ACIAR–World Vision collaborative adaptive research projects

Diffusion of innovation in agriculture is a complex process. The success of this process is governed by the various factors—technology characteristics, sociocultural factors, participation of stakeholders, and environment—that enable and sustain effective interaction between these stakeholders. Previous studies in technology diffusion in agriculture indicate that not all technologies that have their advantages over others and are compatible to users’ setting and simple and testable are adopted by end-users. When a technology is tested, the trial process also requires effective facilitation of change agents and opinion leaders combined with sufficient timing and financial support before the technology is eventually owned and adopted by the target users. In this chapter, using the theory of diffusion of innovation, we reviewed the success of two projects implemented by World Vision International in Vietnam under an adaptive research program funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. With the presence of a 10-year development program (namely, the Area Development Program), we argued that the likelihood for success in the diffusion of innovation is more likely for adoption when the trial of the introduced technology has sufficient time, financing, and a commitment by all stakeholders.