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2. AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN SOUTH AFRICA: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) SPILLOVER
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Grobler, Wynand (author) and David, Oladipo Olalekan (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019-12-01
- Published:
- International: Elsevier
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 203 Document Number: D12207
- Journal Title:
- International Journal of eBusiness and eGovernment
- Journal Title Details:
- Issue 11(2)
- Notes:
- 17 pages, The positive spillover impacts of the efficiency of information and communication technology (ICT) and land accessibility as factor inputs to agricultural productivity are well documented in the literature. Furthermore, input-output efficiency as a measurement of factors contributing towards gross production is no exception in this regard. Few studies on agricultural production and ICT at the household level in South Africa show divergent empirical results. This study investigates the effect of information and communication technology (ICT) and land for farming in the context of household food production in South Africa. Household engagement in agricultural activities is proxy for agricultural production, farm land size is a proxy for land accessibility, telephone and internet use are proxies for ICT in this study. Household data of twenty-one thousand, six hundred and one (21,601) households on agricultural activities and ICTs were generated from the existing survey data of General household survey, 2015 by Statistics South Africa. Majority of the households are not engaging in agricultural activities due to no access to land for farming, but more than 80 percent of the households have access to at least one form of ICTs penetration i.e. mobile telephony. The logit regression shows that internet connection in the household have positive and significant impact on household agricultural production but land accessibility is indirectly related and significant to household food production in South Africa. Therefore land accessibility may be a barrier to agricultural activity involvement in South Africa. The study shows that the positive spillover impacts of ICT may not be possible due to lack of access to land for agriculture. Land for farming, CDMA telephony and internet are highly required for agricultural activities in order to promote food production, reduce cost of telecommunications, promoting agricultural research and development via internet accessibility.
3. Adapting yet not adopting? Conservation agriculture in Central Malawi
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Bouwman, T.I. (author), Andersson, J.A. (author), and Giller, K.E. (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2021-02-28
- Published:
- United States: Elsevier
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 204 Document Number: D12487
- Journal Title:
- Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment
- Journal Title Details:
- Vol. 307
- Notes:
- 12 pages, Conservation Agriculture (CA) has been widely promoted as a pathway to sustainably intensify agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Yet despite decades of promotion, CA uptake in SSA remains sparse with only few analyses of its impacts on farming and rural livelihoods. This study, which focuses on areas in Central Malawi considered to have a relatively high uptake of CA, uses analyses of satellite images, field observations, interviews with farmers, extension workers and other people involved in CA promotion, as well as a household survey, to investigate how CA has been adapted. We find that the three CA principles – (1) continuous minimum tillage, e.g. no-ridging, (2) permanent ground cover, and (3) crop rotation/intercropping – were not practiced as intended. First, one-third of non-ridged land was tilled during the growing season, and half was again ridged in the following season. Second, unless crop residues were added, the soil’s surface of non-ridged plots was usually bare at planting, causing weed control problems, and an increased risk of erosion. Most farmers added large volumes of crop residues to their non-ridged plots. They collected these from the surrounding fields, but this practice severely restricted the size of these plots. Third, crop rotation/intercropping was practiced less when farmers stopped ridging. Thus overall, very few farmers practised all of the three CA principles simultaneously. CA promotion appeared to only increase yields on plots where mulch was added, but this practice is not scalable. CA promotiondoes not seem to have provided substantial benefits for overall farm productivity, labour-savings or soil cons
4. Advances in American agriculture: the mechanical tomato harvester as a case study
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Rasmussen, W.D. (author)
- Format:
- unknown
- Publication Date:
- unknown
- Published:
- USA
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 45 Document Number: B05518
5. Agricultural productivity growth and poverty reduction: evidence from thailand
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Suphannachart, Waleerat (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2020-11-20
- Published:
- United States: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D12369
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Agricultural Economics
- Journal Title Details:
- Vol. 72, Iss. 2
- Notes:
- 22 pages, Raising agricultural productivity in developing countries is often said to reduce poverty more than comparable growth arising from other sectors. This claim has frequently been based on casual theorising, rather than empirical evidence. Productivity growth generates additional income and must benefit someone, though not necessarily the poor. It is conceivable that most, or even all of the benefits might go to others. Using region-level data from Thailand, we study the relationship between agricultural productivity growth and rural poverty incidence. The dependent variable for our regression analysis is the annual rate of change in rural poverty incidence at the regional level between the years for which poverty data are available. Agricultural productivity is measured as the annual rate of change in regional total agricultural productivity, covering the same time intervals as the poverty observations, but lagged one calendar year. Other control variables include regional non-agricultural incomes and the real price of food. The estimated coefficient on the change in agricultural productivity is negative and highly significant, implying that agricultural productivity growth does reduce rural poverty, holding other variables constant, though not more so than non-agricultural sources of income growth. The poverty-reducing contribution of recent agricultural productivity growth has been small. The poverty-reducing effects of long-term drivers of agricultural productivity growth are also analysed, using simulations based on the estimated model.
6. Application of information and communication technology to agriculture and animal husbandry
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Uehara, Hiroshi (author) and Director of Corporate Marketing Dept. 1, NTT DOCOMO, INC
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2016-06
- Published:
- USA: NTT Science & Core Technology Laboratory Group
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D08247
- Journal Title:
- NTT Technical Review
- Journal Title Details:
- 14 (6): 1-4
7. Beyond the cocoa farm: a new look at farmers' choices in livelihood activties and impact on productivity in selected areas of Papua New Guinea
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Kerua, William (author) and Glyde, Scott (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2016
- Published:
- Papua New Guinea
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 158 Document Number: D07587
- Journal Title:
- Rural Extension and Innovation Systems Journal
- Journal Title Details:
- 12 (1): 1-11
- Notes:
- Australasia- Pacific Extension Network
8. Can the TV makeover format of edutainment lead to widespread changes in farmer behaviour and influence innovation systems? Shamba Shape Up in Kenya
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2018
- Published:
- Elsevier
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 16 Document Number: D10461
- Journal Title:
- Land Use Policy
- Journal Title Details:
- 76: 338-351
- Notes:
- 14 pages., Edutainment, the combination of education with entertainment through various media such as television, radio, mobile phone applications and games, is increasingly being used as an approach to stimulate innovation and increase agricultural productivity amongst smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. Shamba Shape Up, a widely publicised makeover reality TV programme, is an example of edutainment that has received considerable attention, and airs in three countries in East Africa where it is estimated to be watched by millions of viewers. There is no published academic research on the influence of makeover television formats on innovation systems and processes in smallholder agriculture. Using an Agricultural Innovation Systems approach, this paper explores how makeover edutainment is influencing smallholder farmer innovation systems together with the effect this is having on smallholder farms. In the absence of previous research, it articulates a Theory of Change which draws on research traditions from mass communication, agricultural extension and innovation systems. Data came from two large scale quantitative (n = 9885 and n = 1572) surveys and in-depth participatory qualitative research comprising focus group discussions, participatory budgets, agricultural timelines, case studies and key information interviews in Kenya. An estimated 430,000 farmers in the study area were benefiting from their interaction with the programme through increased income and / or a range of related social benefits including food security, improving household health, diversification of livelihood choices, paying school fees for children and increasing their community standing / social capital. Participatory research showed SSU enhanced an already rich communication environment and strengthened existing processes of innovation. It helped set the agenda for discussions within farming communities about opportunities for improving smallholder farms, while also giving specific ideas, information and knowledge, all in the context of featured farm families carefully selected so that a wide range of viewers would identify with them and their challenges. Broadcasts motivated and inspired farmers to improve their own farms through a range of influences including entertainment, strong empathy with the featured host farm families, the way ideas emerged through interaction with credible experts, and importantly through stimulating widespread discussion and interaction amongst and between farmers and communities of experts on agricultural problems, solutions and opportunities. The fact that local extension workers also watched the programmes further enhanced the influence on local innovation systems. The findings indicate that well designed makeover edutainment can strongly influence agricultural innovation processes and systems resulting in impact on the agricultural production and behaviours of large numbers of smallholder farmers.
9. Chapter 2 – responding to climate change in the agriculture and rural development sector in Vietnam
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Dung, P.T. (author) and Sharma, S. (author)
- Format:
- Book chapter
- Publication Date:
- 2017
- Published:
- Vietnam
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 158 Document Number: D07640
- Journal Title:
- Redefining Diversity and Dynamics of Natural Resources Management in Asia, Volume 2
- Journal Title Details:
- pp. 13-25
10. Climate change trends in Malta and related beliefs, concerns and attitudes toward adaptation among Gozitan farmers
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Galdies, C. (author), Said, A. (author), Camilleri, L. (author), and Caruana, M. (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2016-03
- Published:
- Malta
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 159 Document Number: D07721
- Journal Title:
- European Journal of Agronomy
- Journal Title Details:
- 74 : 18-28