Hennessy, David A. (author), Lindsey, Alexander J. (author), Che, Yuyuan (author), Lindsey, Laura E. (author), Pal Singh, Maninder (author), Feng, Hongli (author), Hawkins, Elizabeth M. (author), Subburayalu, Sakthi (author), Black, Roy (author), Richer, Eric A. (author), and Ochs, Daniel S. (author)
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2022-01-24
Published:
United States: Clemson University Press
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 203 Document Number: D12260
4 pages, Selecting optimal corn and soybean seeding rates are difficult decisions to make. A survey of Ohio and Michigan farm operators finds that, although generally keen to learn from others, they tend to emphasize their own experience over outside information sources. Soybean growers declare university and extension recommendations as more important than do corn growers. In response to direct queries and in free comments, growers place more emphasis on understanding the agronomic and technological problems at hand than on adjusting to the market environment. Given the decision environment, we argue that these responses are reasonable.
Via online issue. 3 pages., Summary of panel discussion at a Virtual Town Hall meeting of the Produce Marketing Association. Panelists noted how greenhouse technologies can soften the blow of climate change.
14 Pages, Science Direct, Public and private agricultural information sources are fundamental components that could overcome the barriers to adopting sustainable reduced tillage practices. This study aims to identify the information sources frequently used by farmers and their role in changing from conventional intensive tillage to reduced tillage practices. The study is focused on the Altai Krai region in southwestern Siberia, which faces severe soil degradation problems, pointing to an urgent need for sustainable reduced tillage practices in the area. It relied upon both quantitative and qualitative data that included a quantitative survey with 110 farm managers and qualitative, in-depth interviews with five farm managers. Descriptive statistics were used to explore farm characteristics and farmers’ actual usage of information sources. A logit model was used to estimate the role of agricultural information sources in the adoption of reduced tillage practices. Results show that the participation frequency of farm managers in trainings and workshops influences the adoption of sustainable reduced tillage practices in a statistically significant and positive way. However, the estimation results give that the frequency of expert consultations (from both private and public sources) does not influence the probability of adopting sustainable reduced tillage practices. This may be explained by the fact that farm managers received limited information about sustainable reduced tillage practices from these sources.
7 pages, Rice production encountered several challenges, especially among rural farmers in Northern Ghana. The current debate encompasses the belief of cultural norms and religious values as the right theory for the sustainability of agriculture. The belief in abstracts is prioritised to the adoption of improved rice. This paper examined the value attached to traditional rice varieties as a result of societal beliefs, and theoretically underpinned by the Dual-system hypothesis. The finding from three ethnic and religious groups through a survey indicates heterogeneity in the results but also demonstrates the factual importance of culture and religion. This paper, therefore, proposes a new way of categorising farming; as a business and a belief and that policy stream aim at small scale, rural farmers with belief peculiarities needs to adopt cultural and religious strategies to promote adoption.
4 pgs, As telecommunications companies prepare to sunset their 3G networks, some activists are worried about what that will mean for residents of rural America, particularly those who may find themselves in situations of domestic violence.
14 pages, This research is an inquiry into the (under)utilisation of mobile phones by smallholder farmers in their agricultural activities in Zimbabwe. Through a naturalistic enquiry, the research established that agricultural extension officers are vital in the adoption and use of mobile phones for agricultural purposes. Those extension officers who were not skilled in productively using mobile phone technology had technophobia, which was the primary reason they did not use the technology in their interactions with farmers. Yet, a sizeable number of farmers used their mobile phones to receive information from agricultural extension officers, officials, other farmers, and market vendors. Interviewed farmers perceived the mobile phone as a tool for education in agricultural matters. However, very few used their phones effectively for agricultural purposes. The research identified two main inhibitors to the acceptance and use of mobile phones by farmers: a lack of the necessary digital skills, and lacking information to use mobile phones. Other inhibiting factors included semi-literacy, old age, insufficient infrastructure, socioeconomic status, excessive cost, and lack of support from telecommunications companies and other service providers. This research contributes a novel perspective to the body of knowledge regarding mobile technology adoption for agricultural activity in marginalised communities.
6 pages., Authors examined the social welfare implications of introducing GM crops for GM and non-GM producers as well as for GM and non-GM consumers. Results indicated that "the adoption of GM technologies based on market incentives may actually reduce societal welfare. This adoption can be seen as immiserizing technological change."
