The study sought to: (1) evaluate agriculturalists’ characteristics as adopters of IoT smart agriculture technologies, (2) evaluate traits fostering innovation adoption, (3) evaluate the cycle of IoT smart agriculture adoption, and, lastly, (4) discern attributes and barriers of information communication. Researchers utilized a survey design to develop an instrument composed of eight adoption constructs and one personal characteristic construct and distributed it to agriculturalists at an agricultural exposition in Rio Grande do Sul. Three-hundred-forty-four (n = 344) agriculturalists responded to the data collection instrument. Adopter characteristics of agriculturalists were educated, higher consciousness of social status, larger understanding of technology use, and more likely identified as opinion leaders in communities. Innovation traits advantageous to IoT adoption regarding smart agriculture innovations were: (a) simplistic, (b) easily communicated to a targeted audience, (c) socially accepted, and (d) larger degrees of functionality. Smart agriculture innovation’s elevated levels of observability and compatibility coupled with the innovation’s low complexity were the diffusion elements predicting agriculturalists’ adoption. Agriculturalists’ beliefs in barriers to adopting IoT innovations were excessive complexity and minimal compatibility. Practitioners or change agents should promote IoT smart agriculture technologies to opinion leaders, reduce the innovation’s complexity, and amplify educational opportunities for technologies. The existing sum of IoT smart agriculture adoption literature with stakeholders and actors is descriptive and limited, which constitutes this inquiry as unique.

This study sought to assess the mental health impacts on farmers from across the globe post-natural weather-related disasters. There were two objectives that guided the study: (a) determine themes among the literature discussing post-disaster impacts on farmers’ mental health, (b) identify personal characteristics that influence farmers’ mental health post-disaster. A systematic review revealed 29 (N = 29) publications relevant to the research objectives. Through conducting an extensive systematic review six themes were identified: suicide, preparedness, culture, adaption, sentiment, and financial hardship. There were two personal characteristics presented in the literature: gender and age. It was indicated that farmers' perceptions of climate change affected their response to lessen emotional and physical impacts. The severity of the natural disaster played a role in the action farmers took to restore and prepare damages not only for the land but also regarding their mental health. Implications of this study uncovered an opportunity for extension personnel to create educational resources to combat mental health impacts from natural disasters. Recommendations include further research be conducted to investigate the effect of new or existing mental health resources on a sample of farmers from across the globe.

The multidimensionality of COVID-19’s consequences on food access and food waste behaviors was not immune to one gender versus another. The role of agricultural women leaders in alleviating food security concerns is not widely understood. An egocentric network analysis was conducted to assess the attributes possessed by social network peers and to discover variables that impact women’s food waste behavior. Researchers found that women’s advice networks were composed primarily of family or friends, known for more than five years, communicate weekly, can be described as an opinion leader, and share mutual trust. The density of women’s networks needs to be researched further to determine a strategic plan to expose women leaders to new information and other social networks. Data indicated women’s food waste behavior was influenced by their perceptions of COVID-19 as an opportunity for food waste change, innovation, and reputation enhancement. The need to develop current and future women agricultural leaders to improve food access and food sovereignty within global communities cannot be overstated.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into higher education, yet students have diverse perceptions regarding its role in education. Our study aimed to explore how students view AI as an educational tool. Using a phenomenological approach, we employed an online open‐ended questionnaire with students from Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, specifically in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications. The technology acceptance model guided the study in which we sought to answer three research questions: (1) How do students in agricultural education perceive the ethical and cognitive implications of using AI in their academic work? (2) In what ways do students in agricultural education perceive AI tools, such as ChatGPT, as useful for enhancing their academic performance and creativity? and (3) What are students’ experiences and expectations regarding the integration of AI technologies in college‐level agricultural education classrooms? The findings revealed a range of student perceptions and experiences that provide valuable insights into how to establish ethical guidelines for AI use and to better understand students' educational values and AI preferences. These insights suggest AI's integration in education must be carefully considered. As AI becomes more prevalent in daily life, it is crucial to prepare students for a workforce where AI tools will likely be encountered to ensure they can use these tools responsibly and effectively.

COVID-19, the most recent multi-dimensional global food crisis, challenged leadership and impacted individuals’ personal networks. Two cross-sectional surveys were disseminated to women involved in their state’s women’s leadership committee to understand food waste behaviors. An egocentric network analysis was chosen as the methodology to better understand personal advice network characteristics and examine the impacts of Farm Bureau women’s leadership committee members’ advice networks on their food waste behavior. A multilevel model was conducted to identify factors related to respondents leading their network members toward positive food waste decisions. Independent variables included in the variables at the individual (e.g., each respondent’s race, generation), dyadic (e.g., length respondent has known each member of her network), and network levels (e.g., proportion of the respondent’s network that was female) were included in the model. Women were more likely to report connections with people they led to positive food waste behaviors and food security when: they had higher food waste sum scores, they were part of Generation X, the network member they led to more positive food waste behaviors was a friend, and if there were fewer women in their advice networks.

There is an increasing need for safe drinking water. Yet, public perceptions of drinking water providers are not always positive. Incidents like those in Flint, Michigan, and Jackson, Mississippi, contribute to mistrust and poor perceptions of public water providers. To better understand public perceptions, we conducted an exploratory survey with 1100 respondents using online Qualtrics panels, guided by five research questions. First, we explored public perceptions of drinking water safety. Most respondents used municipal water and generally trusted their source although many reported problems such as odd smells, tastes, or hardness. Second, we examined trust in entities involved in drinking water management. Water utilities were the most trusted, followed by local and state governments. Respondents also believed these groups were responsible for ensuring water safety. Third, we analyzed water problems respondents had experienced, which included odd tastes, smells, and hardness. Fourth, we identified concerns about contamination sources with pesticides, industrial chemicals, pathogens, and heavy metals ranking highest. Fifth, we explored sources of information, finding respondents relied primarily on water providers, social media, and word‐of‐mouth. Our findings emphasize the need for educational programs and transparent communication about drinking water safety, particularly targeting groups with higher distrust (e.g., women, non‐whites, renters).