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Short abstract:

There are two dimensions to examining how STB have become widely distributed. One is that the development of STB is a continuous process of gaining effectiveness, regulatory legitimacy and normative legitimacy. The second is that differentiated human actors form complementary structures of expertise.

Long abstract:

From 2009 to 2023, 1048 Science and Technology Backyards (STBs) have been established nationwide in China, its founders regard it as a grassroots science and technology service platform covering agricultural science and technology innovation, agricultural socialization services and training of agricultural specialists,and has became one of the most energetic and effective organizational models in China today.

Since there is still no special research on the development history of STB and its science dissemination mechanism in the academic community. In this paper, through anthropological survey and cyber ethnography, (1)we explored the actor network of STB from the perspective of ANT.The translation behaviour of multiple actors, such as governments, universities, social organizations and science and technology associations, based on common interests, is the key to the connection of the network of actors.(2)we also elaborated the history of STB that led to the formation of the current actor network. China Agricultural University's techno-social interaction process in the last century laid the organizational foundation of the STB. The change of core actors is the main reason for the rapid expansion of STB in China today.

(3)In the pattern of synergistic participation of multiple actors, the science communication mechanism of STB has formed a situation in which agricultural technological innovation and science communication are mutually integrated, and the construction of multiple links of actors and contextualized science communication scenarios has accelerated the process of technological innovation and diffusion.