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Hybrid food shopping: Transforming the food retail landscape
A recent survey by FMI Food Industry Association explored attitudes and behaviors of the hybrid shoppers – those who grocery shop both in-store and online.
Findings suggested that expanded hybrid shopping “presents retailers with a variety of exciting opportunities to better engage with consumers by improving and streamlining the overall shopping experience.”
You can read this summary by open access here.
The trouble with ‘quiet advocacy’ about climate change
“While journalists in small, rural communities are known to actively advocate on issues of the common good, there has been little investigation of local media advocacy on climate change in rural Australia.” So reported a research team in a 2022 issue of Media, Culture and Society. Interviews with journalists at selected rural and regional newspapers revealed reluctance to engage in overt advocacy practices and thought leadership on climate change in their communities. Findings also shed light on reasons and prompted suggestions.
You can read the abstract and learn how to gain full-text access here.
How to inoculate communities against extremism
“Amid rising political tensions, one strategy can inoculate communities against anti-government ideologies,” reporter Sarah Trent indicated in a recent issue of High Country News. She described a case example involving public land management in an eastern Oregon county. Inclusive collaboration was the key to overcoming initial distrust between conservation and agriculture communities in Harney County.
“Every opportunity we have to bring people together across our divisions, to understand one another, to work together, to see and cultivate community – those are important, and they’re especially important right now.”
You can read the article here.
New approaches to the rural grocery store
We recently added several U.S. case examples which author Emily Rappleye described in a 2021 article from Rural Business. They came from Rial Carver, program manager for the Rural Grocery Initiative and Kansas Healthy Food Initiative.
“The good news is a grocery store closure doesn’t have to be the end of the story” in the wellbeing of rural communities.
You can read the article here.
Constraints facing farm women in adapting to climate change
The International Journal of Economic Plants included a research article that identified three major constraints facing farm women of northern India in adapting to climate change. Researchers A. Pandey and P. Arya interviewed a random sample of 280 farm women in eight villages of the Bikaner district of Rajasthan.
Findings revealed three types of major constraints:
1. Inadequate knowledge of climate change, adaptation measures and access to weather forecasting technology
2. Lack of training programs about this challenge
3. Lack of knowledge about government policies/programs and poor extension services related to climate change
You can read the article here.
Communicator events approaching soon
Here are plans you may find helpful, with contact information you can use for details. We welcome suggestions or revisions for this calendar.
February 5-6, 2023
National Agricultural Communications Symposium (NACS) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Information: https://piecenter.com/nacs-2
April 19-23, 2023
32nd Annual Conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) in Boise, Idaho. Information: https://conference.sej.org
April 25-27, 2023
Annual meeting of the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) in Portland, Maine. Information: https://www.toca.org/toca-annual-meeting
April 26-28, 2023
“Next2Now: Tap into the Future Today.” Conference of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) in St. Louis, Missouri.
Information: https://www.nama.org/2023-agri-marketing-conference.html
April 26-29, 2023
Conference of the International Agricultural and Extension Education Association (IAEE) in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Information: https://aiaee.org/2023conference
June 4-6, 2023
“Putting the Spotlight on Communications.” 2023 Institute of the Cooperative Communicators Association (CCA) in Portland, Maine.
Information: https://www.communicators.coop/professional-development/cca-institute/
June 11-13, 2023
Conference of the Association for Communication Excellence (ACE) in Ashville, North Carolina. Information: https://aceweb.org/2023conference
June 13-15, 2023
Annual meeting of the Agricultural Relations Council (ARC) in Des Moines, Iowa. Information: https://agrelationscouncil.org
Five year-end tips for living
We close this issue of ACDC News with some Old Farmer’s Advice:
Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and enjoy the ride.
Best regards and wishes
ACDC is a deep and open resource for you, so please feel free to invite our help as you search for information, local to global. You are welcomed to follow us on Twitter @ACDCUIUC. And please suggest (or send) agricultural communications documents we might add to this unique and valued international collection. We welcome them in hard copy (sent to Ag Comm Documentation Center, 510 ACES Library, 1101 S. Goodwin Avenue, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801) – or in electronic format sent to acdc@library.illinois.edu