Digitalisation of agricultural advisors and adult educators: an exploratory qualitative study in Austria

Purpose: This study examines expected developments in digital technology use within agricultural counselling and education from advisors’ and adult educators’ perspectives, addressing the research gap on digital development amid and digital transformation.Methodology: A focusgroup discussion with experts from agricultural education and counselling institutions in Austria was analysed using structured content analysis based on the digi.kompP Competence Model.Findings: Digitalisation is fundamentally transforming professional roles: advisors and educators increasingly function as content providers and media producers, switching between in-person and online formats. Target-group differentiation based on educational level and digital affinity is essential. Artificial intelligence serves as a complementary tool rather than a substitute for human counselling. Hybrid formats and blended learning emerge as forward-looking models.Practical implications: The digi.kompP Competence Model, which was applied as an analytical lens, can serve as a practice-oriented framework for diagnostic competences mapping and training-needs identification, supporting the design of target-group-specific educational formats. Counselling organisations with a practice-oriented instrument for assessing digital competencies support national and international strategy implementation and target-group-specific educational design.Theoretical implications: The study provides a transferable analytical approach for cross-country qualitative studies, enabling the mapping of digitally relevant competence areas in educational and counselling institutions.Originality: Context-specific and practice-oriented research of digital competence development in agricultural education and counselling in Austria.