DESCRIPTORS *Adoption (Ideas), *Agricultural Occupations,

The focus of this study was to procure data about adoption behavior of Malaysian smallholders (farmers) that would be useful in the instructional program in extension education at the College of Agriculture, Malaysia. Students interviewed 76 persons in a rural village of two hundred families, all engaged in agriculture. The major sources of income were rubber and pineapple; other activities included fruit-growing and the production of the family food supply (to a limited extent). Principle objectives of the study were to: establish the level of practice adoption among the smallholders; determine factors associated with adoption proneness; and procure data on the diffusion of a specific practice through a village. Those who adopted first tended to be better educated, have larger size holdings, be middle-aged, and participate more in organizations. The pattern of diffusion took time; primary sources o