George Curry
Research Interests: socio-cultural dynamics of farming systems, agrodiversity and agroforestry; food security; land access and land use change; labour and mobility; indigenous and moral economies; gendered lives; & rural Papua New Guinea
Aligning innovation processes with livelihood and socio-cultural priorities: towards an understanding of the socio-cultural and economic factors that influence innovation adoption in farming households in Papua New Guinea, Africa and Latin America
This pilot research project will investigate how socio-cultural and economic factors influence the adoption of innovations and new technologies in agronomic practices within farming households' livelihood systems in Papua New Guinea (PNG), Africa (Cameroon, Ghana and Guinea) and Latin America (Ecuador). This will be achieved through the production of a set of case studies, drawing largely on existing data, from which a resource tool will be developed to facilitate better integration of socio-cultural, economic, gender and social inclusion issues into policy and development programs targeted to farming households in the developing world. This will assist researchers, development practitioners and agricultural extension officers to assess the fit between proposed technologies and innovations and their socio-cultural context, and so enhance the effectiveness and appropriateness of their interventions.
George Curry is Professor of Geography in the School of Design and Built Environment at Curtin University. He completed his PhD in Geography at the University of New England in 1992. He teaches in the areas of Rural Development, farming systems and socio-economic change and research methods.
Most of George’s research has been in rural Papua New Guinea at the village or community level often involving extended periods of fieldwork. He is a member of the Pacific Livelihoods Group at Curtin which seeks to understand the factors that enhance or constrain the adaptive capacity and resilience of households and communities and their capacity to manage livelihood opportunities and risks. Through action research, the group aims to build the adaptive capacity and resilience of households and communities by strengthening and diversifying the livelihood options of people, particularly women and the asset-poor who are more vulnerable to livelihood insecurity. Currently, George and his team are researching the socio-cultural dynamics of farming systems, including agrodiversity and agroforestry; food security; land access and land use change; labour and mobility; indigenous and moral economies; and gendered lives.