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22. Factors influencing smallholder farmers to participate in farmer-led research of agro-ecological practices in selected areas, Tanzania
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Kihoma, Luambano (author), Churi, Ayubu J. (author), Sanga, Camilius A. (author), and Tisselli, Eugenio (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2021-10-22
- Published:
- International: Academic Journals
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 203 Document Number: D12336
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development
- Journal Title Details:
- Vol.13(4)
- Notes:
- 11 pages., Declining crop productivity is a great challenge facing smallholder farmers in Tanzania. Agro-ecological practices can improve crop productivity in a sustainable way and produce healthy food among smallholder farmers. Initiation of “Farmer-Led Research of Agro-Ecological Practices” (FLRAG) may enhance farmers’ capacities for innovation and co-develop suitable agro-ecological practices. This study aimed at identifying factors influencing smallholder farmers to participate in FLRAG. A cross-sectional survey was used to collect qualitative and quantitative data from 90 smallholder farmers in Mvomero, Bagamoyo and Masasi districts in Tanzania. Data were also collected from key informants who were extension officers. The study identified that experience in farming, easiness in accessing agro-ecological inputs, interest in doing experiments and farm size ownership are the factors that substantially influence smallholder farmers to participate in FLRAG. Therefore, researchers are advised to select participants of FLRAG by considering the mentioned factors. Furthermore, farmers selected to participate in FLRAG are advised to the use of ugunduzi app” that was developed purposefully to enhance agro-ecological research in order to test and understand its potential on smoothing agro-ecological research activities.
23. Farm Journal's "The Farm" radio program now on IHeart and Tunein platforms
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Format:
- News release
- Publication Date:
- 2016-05-11
- Published:
- USA
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 154 Document Number: D07061
- Notes:
- Online from Farm Journal Media via AgriMarketing.com. 1 page.
24. Farmers’ Readiness to Adopt Social Media as Agro-Information Reception Tool During Covid-19 Pandemic in Ondo State, Nigeria
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Fasina, O. O. (author), Tehinloju, O.A. (author), and Ikuerowo, J.O. (author)
- Format:
- Conference paper
- Publication Date:
- 2022-02-24
- Published:
- Nigeria: AJOL
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 204 Document Number: D12444
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Agricultural Extension
- Journal Title Details:
- Vol. 26 No. 1 (2021)
- Notes:
- Conference paper / Journal article, This study examined farmers’ readiness to assess social media as agro-information reception tool in the study area. An interview guide was used in collecting data from 120 farmers who were randomly selected. Data collected were analysed with the aid frequency counts percentages and logit regression. The results showed that half of the respondents (50%) had primary education. About 90% were aware of whatsapp and 12.6% were aware of blogs, respectively. Education, farming experience, membership of farmers’ group and extension access were the variables that positively influence farmers’ readiness to assesssocial media as agro-information reception tool while respondents’ age negatively influence readiness to assess social media. Enlightenment programmes for farmers on the use of social media and an improved extension services to keep the farmers acquainted with the benefits of social media.
25. Food delivery apps deliver, but at what cost?
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Karst, Tom (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2020-07-22
- Published:
- USA
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 201 Document Number: D11926
- Journal Title:
- Packer
- Notes:
- Online from publication. 4 pages., Report about a panel presentation at a meeting of the Produce Marketing Association. Panelist moderator reported that food delivery services such as Grubhub, DoorDash and Postmates can charge restaurants 20-35 percent commission per order, in addition to the monthly fee for the service. Customers typically pay a delivery fee, a driver tip, and sales tax. The moderator urged restaurants, "Be smart about where your money is spent, and be firm, and try and make it a good experience for yourself and your customers."
26. Going digital in agriculture: how radio and SMS can scale-up smallholder participation in legume-based sustainable agricultural intensification practices and technologies in Tanzania
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Silvestri, Silvia (author), Richard, Musebe (author), Edward, Baars (author), Dharmesh, Ganatra (author), and Dannie, Romney (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2020-04-14
- Published:
- International: Taylor & Francis
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D12505
- Journal Title:
- International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability
- Journal Title Details:
- 19
- Notes:
- 11 pages., In 2016, a study was conducted in Tanzania to assess the impact of radio and SMS in scaling-up smallholder participation in legume-based sustainable agricultural intensification (SAI) practices and technologies. The study aimed to answer the following research questions: (i) does participation in the campaign enhance farmers’ knowledge of legume-based sustainable agricultural intensification practices and technologies? (ii) what is the impact of the campaign on the adoption of legume-based sustainable agricultural intensification practices and technologies?; (iii) does exposure to multiple ICT-enabled channels result in larger gains (in terms of knowledge and adoption) than exposure to only one channel? (iv) is it more cost-effective to use radio or SMS alone or use them in combination? The results show that both awareness and adoption are boosted if SMS supports radio campaigns. However, radio alone is the most cost-effective approach. Each dollar spent on the radio campaign results in 2.1 farmers that have adopted at least one new practice, compared with 0.5 farmers for SMS and 0.4 farmers for radio and SMS combined. Other factors were also important in facilitating uptake of legume-based SAI practices, such as gender, age, education and land size, but were not statistically significant when rated against the communication channels used.
27. Green shoots: how small signs of hope are sprouting up across the impoverished local news landscape
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Bednar, Olivia (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019-05-15
- Published:
- Canada: Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 25 Document Number: D10545
- Journal Title:
- Ryerson Review of Journalism
- Journal Title Details:
- Spring 2019
- Notes:
- 7 pages., via online journal., Article examines challenges facing local news media and introduces some options they are exploring.
28. How have smallholder farmers used digital extension tools? Developer and user voices from Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Coggins, Sam (author), McCampbell, Mariette (author), Sharma, Akriti (author), Sharma, Rama (author), Haefele, Stephen (author), Karki, Emma (author), Hetherington, Jack (author), Smith, Jeremy (author), and Brown, Brendan (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2022-03-01
- Published:
- United States: Elsevier
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 204 Document Number: D12486
- Journal Title:
- Global Food Security
- Journal Title Details:
- Vol. 32
- Notes:
- 10 pages, Digital extension tools (DETs) include phone calls, WhatsApp groups and specialised smartphone applications used for agricultural knowledge brokering. We researched processes through which DETs have (and have not) been used by farmers and other extension actors in low- and middle-income countries. We interviewed 40 DET developers across 21 countries and 101 DET users in Bihar, India. We found DET use is commonly constrained by fifteen pitfalls (unawareness of DET, inaccessible device, inaccessible electricity, inaccessible mobile network, insensitive to digital illiteracy, insensitive to illiteracy, unfamiliar language, slow to access, hard to interpret, unengaging, insensitive to user's knowledge, insensitive to priorities, insensitive to socio-economic constraints, irrelevant to farm, distrust). These pitfalls partially explain why women, less educated and less wealthy farmers often use DETs less, as well as why user-driven DETs (e.g. phone calls and chat apps) are often used more than externally-driven DETs (e.g. specialised smartphone apps). Our second key finding was that users often made - not just found - DETs useful for themselves and others. This suggests the word ‘appropriation’ conceptualises DET use more accurately and helpfully than the word ‘adoption’. Our final key finding was that developers and users advocated almost ubiquitously for involving desired users in DET provision. We synthesise these findings in a one-page framework to help funders and developers facilitate more useable, useful and positively impactful DETs. Overall, we conclude developers increase DET use by recognizing users as fellow developers – either through collaborative design or by designing adaptable DETs that create room for user innovation.
29. How to make millions as a freelancer
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Anderson, Barb (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2020
- Published:
- USA: AAEA - The Agricultural Communicators Network, Lagrange, Georgia
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 163 Document Number: D11660
- Journal Title:
- AAEA ByLine
- Journal Title Details:
- May
- Notes:
- 2 pages., Online from publisher., Author identifies five apps/tools that help her be more efficient, organized and productive in her freelance operations.
30. Information and communication technologies (ICTs): The potential for enhancing the dissemination of agricultural information and services to smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Mapiye, Obvious (author), Makombe, Godswill (author), Molotsi, Annelin (author), Dzama, Kennedy (author), and Mapiye, Cletos (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2021-12-21
- Published:
- South Africa: SAGE Journals
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 204 Document Number: D12436
- Journal Title:
- Information Development
- Journal Title Details:
- I-21
- Notes:
- 21 pages, The transformation of smallholder farming is poised to be one of the key drivers of achieving the dual objectives of food security and poverty reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Smallholder farmers account for between 60–80% of the food produced in the region but face many challenges that impede their productivity. Such challenges include a lack of timely access to appropriate agricultural information and services, which results in poor decision-making, particularly in addressing challenges and responding effectively to opportunities. In that context, the effective use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in improving accessibility to appropriate agricultural information and services presents substantial prospects for transforming the productivity and livelihoods of the farmers. Currently, the region experiences massive penetration and propagation of mobile and web-based applications. However, there is a dearth of compelling, comprehensive reviews evaluating their importance in enhancing agricultural information and services dissemination to smallholder farmers. Therefore, the current review explores the potential of enhancing agricultural information and services dissemination to smallholder farmers through ICTs and highlights gaps in their development and deployment in SSA. Five existing mobile applications used to disseminate agricultural information and services to smallholder farmers were identified, and their advantages, limitations, and opportunities were discussed. These were Esoko, iCow, Community Knowledge Workers, WeFarm and DigiFarm. The development and deployment of user-driven mobile applications that provide curated skill-sharing platforms, encourage farmers to give feedback to extension systems in real-time and promote the participation of women and youth in agriculture are recommended. Keywords