Communicating with Diverse Audiences about Sustainable Farming: Does Rurality Matter?

Autor/inn/en	Gibson, Kristin E.; Lamm, Alexa J.; Lamm, Kevan W.; Warner, Laura A.
Titel	Communicating with Diverse Audiences about Sustainable Farming: Does Rurality Matter?
Quelle	In: Journal of Agricultural Education, 61 (2020) 4, S.156-174 (19 Seiten) PDF als Volltext (1); PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei (2) Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1042-0541
Schlagwörter	Sustainability; Conservation (Environment); Audience Awareness; Agricultural Production; Rural Areas; Misconceptions; Mass Media; Suburbs; Urban Areas; Extension Education; Rural Extension; Environmental Education; Best Practices; Online Surveys; Participant Characteristics; Georgia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Nachhaltigkeit; Conservation; Environment; Konservierung; Bewahung; Umwelt; Agriculture; Production; Landwirtschaft; Produktion; Agrarproduktion; Landwirtschaftliche Produktion; Rural area; Ländlicher Raum; Missverständnis; Massenmedien; Einzugsbereich; Urban area; Stadtregion; Erweitertes Bildungsangebot; Umweltbildung; Umwelterziehung; Umweltpädagogik
Abstract	There has been a dramatic shift in how people engage with agriculture over the past 50 years in the United States, leading to little interaction between consumers and the farm. Despite extension initiatives to communicate with urban consumers about agriculture, the disconnect between consumers and agricultural producers continues to grow. Research has shown consumers rely primarily on the media for information about agriculture resulting in misconceptions about its impact on the environment. Consumers' negative views about agriculture's impact on the environment may lead to support for and implementation of environmental policies that create issues for agricultural producers rather than policies that support both production agriculture and the environment. This study, guided by audience segmentation and framing theory, sought to explore differences in public perspectives regarding agriculture's impact on the natural environment, specifically with rural, urban, and suburban residents. Data were collected from 797 Georgia residents living in rural, urban and suburban areas using an online survey instrument. The results found perspectives on agriculture's impact on the environment were moderately high and bimodal; both positive and negative. Statistically significant differences were found between urban and suburban residents' positive perspectives on agriculture's impact on the environment and between urban, suburban, and rural residents' negative perspectives on agriculture's impact on the environment. The findings imply extension educators need to tailor outreach programs based on the rurality of residents in order to effectively communicate with audiences, particularly when combatting negative framing with urban audiences. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	American Association for Agricultural Education. P.O. Box 7607, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, Raleigh, NC 27695. Web site: http://www.aaaeonline.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01