Abstract
Adoption of agricultural technology such as remote cameras, remote weather stations, bore cameras, and other livestock management systems in the Queensland, Australian beef industry is inconsistent. Marketing of these technologies has previously been aimed solely at men as the decision-makers in rural relationships. Past studies, which are traditionally linked to men’s decision-making, indicate that there are several barriers to technology adoption, such as age, attitude, and education. Barriers may also be attributed to male beef producers’ own perceptions that they do not know how to use technology or that they are not capable of using technology. This perception means technology-based decisions have been falling to rural women who are often identified as invisible farmers and therefore not recognized for their work. By contrast, as technology diffuses into rural settings, it is modifying gender divisions and supporting women as they move from traditional separate roles in decision-making to productive partnerships in farming families. This chapter encourages stakeholders to see women as both decision-makers and community leaders. It highlights the importance of rural women’s use of and role in managing technology and the valuable skills and attributes that rural women bring to decision-making in management and in leadership.
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Notes
- 1.
NBN Co Limited is an Australian government-owned corporation tasked to design, build, and operate Australia’s National Broadband Network as a monopoly wholesale broadband provider.
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Hay, R. (2021). The Impact of Advances and Challenges of Bush Internet Connectivity for Women in Agriculture in Queensland, Australia. In: Hamrita, T. (eds) Women in Precision Agriculture. Women in Engineering and Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49244-1_10
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