“What’s the Point?”: Women’s view of Diffusion and Duality of A Decision Support Tool in the Australian Cotton Industry

In this paper, the findings of a recent study in the Australian cotton industry exploring rural women’s use of an agricultural decision support system, CottonLOGIC, are presented. Analysis is applied through the conceptual framework of structuration theory as a meta-theory. Divisibility and implementation costs from an environmental model of diffusion theory are used for lower level analysis. The findings suggest that rural women intentionally select for implementation specific modules within CottonLOGIC, and that the benefits of the outcome, such as increased computer confidence and an enhanced critical awareness of existing farm management practices, diminish the efforts associated with software implementation.