Bridging Gaps: A Study of Trust and Information Flow in New Zealand Agriculture
A qualitative study of 37 New Zealand dairy and sheep/beef farmers finds they increasingly trust informal, digital, and peer-driven information — including AI — over formal institutions, and are struggling with real information overload as a result.
Key findings
- ▸Farmers increasingly rely on informal and digital sources — social media, AI, peers — over formal institutions like government and research bodies, especially younger farmers.
- ▸Trust in information is personal and evolves over time; farmers commonly cross-reference and triangulate multiple sources internally and externally rather than trusting any single one.
- ▸Information overload is a widespread, genuine well-being concern — farmers described feeling "overwhelmed" and struggling to distinguish credible from conflicting sources.
- ▸Farmer-led catchment groups act as effective trusted intermediaries, knowledge-brokering between formal institutions and the farming community while also building social capital.
Abstract
Purpose: To examine how farmers in Aotearoa, New Zealand (NZ), engage with information and whom they trust in the digital age, focusing on strategic land-use decision-making. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative methods involving 37 commercial farmers were used to explore their preferred information sources, trust and the challenge of accessing credible, strategic knowledge. Findings: Farmers increasingly rely on informal and digital sources, like social media and artificial intelligence, particularly younger farmers. Information from formal institutions is often perceived as disconnected or biased. Information overload and the challenge of validating trustworthy information from diverse, conflicting sources were significant concerns. Practical implications: Findings highlight the need for targeted information provision, recognising generational differences. Farmer-led community groups are crucial for knowledge brokering and fostering social capital, supporting sustainable agriculture transitions. Theoretical implications: This study contributes to diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory by situating information-seeking and decision-making within a digital and increasingly AI-enabled context, suggesting that information-related processes are becoming more decentralised and influenced by emerging digital tools. Originality/Value: This study offers novel insights into the evolving information interactions in NZ farmers in the digital age, providing a framework for understanding their information ecosystems and strategic decision-making challenges.
Cite this paper
Victoria C. F. Westbrooke (2026). Bridging Gaps: A Study of Trust and Information Flow in New Zealand Agriculture. Agri Research Journal. https://agriculturejournals.com/papers/bridging-gaps-trust-information-flow-new-zealand-agriculture
Read the story
Farmers Don't Trust the Government's Advice Anymore — They Trust Each Other, and Increasingly, AI
A 37-farmer study across New Zealand finds trust has quietly migrated away from formal institutions toward peers, the internet, and AI — not because the science got worse, but because it never adapted to how farmers actually want to learn.