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2. Accounting for spillovers in assessing the effectiveness of video messages to improve potato seed quality: evidence from Uganda
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Vandevelde, Senne (author), Van Campenhout, Bjorn (author), and Walukano, Wilberforce (author)
- Format:
- Journal Article
- Publication Date:
- 2021-02-21
- Published:
- Interntational: Taylor & Francis
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 203 Document Number: D12215
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension
- Journal Title Details:
- Volume 27, 2021 - Issue 4
- Notes:
- 12 pages., Purpose Pervasive use of poor quality seed remains an important reason for low yields throughout the developing world. We explore ways to increase the quality of the local stock of seed tubers among a sample of Ugandan potato farmers. Design/methodology/approach: Using videos, we provide agricultural extension information on (i) how to select the best seed tubers and (ii) how to properly handle and store seed tubers until the next planting season. The relative effectiveness of the information interventions is tested using an individually randomized controlled trial where we model spillovers using a randomization-based framework for estimating causal effects under interference between units. Findings: Especially the video on seed selection translated into increased awareness and adoption of recommended practices, increased probability of using improved inputs, as well as higher consumption. Practical implications: Interventions aimed at improving seed quality are important in the absence of access to high-quality seed. Video messages are becoming increasingly useful as a complementary tool in agricultural extension. Theoretical implications: Randomization-based inference can be used to take into account spillover effects in the analysis rather than the design phase of an experiment. Originality/value: This is the first study to address seed quality of potato tubers in a real-world setting using videos.
3. Adoption Determinants of Agricultural Extension Communication Channels in Emergency and Non-emergency Situations in Ghana
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Bawa, Kambersua (author), Abukari, Abdul-Basit Tampuli (author), Awuni, Joseph Agebase (author), and Yildiz, Fatih (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2021-01-21
- Published:
- International: Taylor & Francis
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 204 Document Number: D12426
- Journal Title:
- Cogent Food & Agriculture
- Journal Title Details:
- Vol. 7 Issue 1
- Notes:
- 15 pages., The determinants of agricultural extension communication channel usage depend on several factors but have not been explored in the context of emergency (Fall Armyworm outbreak) and non-emergency situations. A multistage purposive sampling technique was used to select 318 farmers, focusing on the districts and the communities with the highest reported cases of fall armyworm infestation. Descriptive statistics and a multivariate probit analysis were used in the analysis of the data. The results showed an increase in the intensity of channels’ usage in the emergency situation. It was also found that fertilizer and improved seeds were the most common extension need. Channels are found to be more complementary in the emergency case. In both situations, some factors explaining the choices of these channels varied, while others agreed. The study recommends multiple channels are made available and that time-consuming channels irrespective of their effectiveness should be avoided by extensionists in emergency situations.
4. Competencies needed in extension organizations
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- van den Ban, Ann W. (author)
- Format:
- Paper
- Publication Date:
- unknown
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 134 Document Number: C20570
- Notes:
- Burton Swanson Collection, 14 pages
5. Digital extension, price risk, and farm performance: experimental evidence from Nigeria
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Oyinbo, Oyakhilomen (author), Chamberlain, Jordan (author), Abdoulaye, Tahirou (author), and Maertens, Miet (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2021-06-21
- Published:
- United States: Wiley Online
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 205 Document Number: D12539
- Journal Title:
- American Journal fo Agricultural Economics
- Journal Title Details:
- 104 (2)
- Notes:
- 21 pages, Despite decades of investment in agricultural extension, technology adoption among farmers and agricultural productivity growth in Sub-Saharan Africa remain slow. Among other shortcomings, extension systems often make recommendations that do not account for price risk or spatial heterogeneity in farmers' growing conditions. However, little is known about the effectiveness of extension approaches for nutrient management that consider these issues. We analyze the impact of farmers' access to site-specific nutrient management recommendations and to information on expected returns, provided through a digital decision support tool, for maize production. We implement a randomized controlled trial among smallholders in the maize belt of northern Nigeria. We use three waves of annual panel data to estimate immediate and longer term effects of two different extension treatments: site-specific recommendations with and without complementary information about variability in output prices and expected returns. We find that site-specific nutrient management recommendations improve fertilizer management practices and maize yields but do not necessarily increase fertilizer use. In addition, we find that recommendations that are accompanied by additional information about variability in expected returns induce larger fertilizer investments that persist beyond the first year. However, the magnitudes of these effects are small: we find only incremental increases in investments and net revenues over two treatment years.
6. Does it matter who advises farmers? Pest management choices with public and private extension
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Wuepper, David (author), Roleff, Nikolaus (author), and Finger, Robert (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2020-01-01
- Published:
- Switzerland: Elsevier
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 204 Document Number: D12514
- Journal Title:
- Food Policy
- Journal Title Details:
- 99
- Notes:
- 8 pages, Does it matter whether farmers receive advice on pest management strategies from public or from private (pesticide company affiliated) extension services? We use survey data from 733 Swiss fruit growers who are currently contending with an infestation by an invasive pest, the fruit fly Drosophila Suzukii. We find that farmers who are advised by public extension services are more likely (+9–10%) to use preventive measures (e.g. nets) while farmers who are advised by private extension services are more likely (+8–9%) to use synthetic insecticides. These results are robust to the inclusion of various covariates, ways to cluster standard errors, and inverse probability weighting. We also show that our results are unlikely to be driven by omitted variable bias. Our findings have implications for the current debates on both the ongoing privatization of agricultural extension and concerns regarding negative environmental and health externalities of pesticide use.
7. Empowerment of Stakeholders for Scaling-Up: Digital Technologies for Agricultural Extension
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Bhattacharyya, Tapas (author), Wani, Suhas (author), and Tiwary, P. (author)
- Format:
- Book chapter
- Publication Date:
- 2021-11-18
- Published:
- International: Springer Link
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 204 Document Number: D12482
- Journal Title:
- Scaling-up Solutions for Farmers
- Notes:
- Pages 121-147 in Scaling-up Solutions for Farmers., In most of the developing countries in Asia and Africa large yield gaps are existing between the current farmers’ yields and potential achievable yields. The necessity of meeting the farmers’ requirement to scale up research results is paramount for adequate food production. This requires empowerment of farmers by answering queries of farmers appropriately through different extension channels including state and central machineries. These are the backbone of the agricultural technology development to empower farmers as the major stakeholders and hence requires attention. Lack of awareness among farmers about good agricultural management practices compel them to follow the traditional practices. All agricultural education and research, ultimately aims at increased productivity and economic well-being of farmers. This is possible only when there is a minimum gap between laboratories and land. This gap is bridged by agricultural extension. But human capacity, the content of the information, processes of delivery and technology determine effectiveness of extension services. Non-availability of sufficient extension personnel is a major constraint. To overcome these shortcomings, e-Extension (eE) is the alternative. It is important to rejuvenate the agricultural extension system (AES) with innovative information communication technology (ICT) models for knowledge generation and dissemination. Latest digital technologies are discussed in this chapter on ICT to empower farmers to scale up for reaching the required target of food production with special reference to Indian scenario. There is an urgent need to transform neglected knowledge delivery systems by strengthening the science of delivery which has been neglected by the researchers/development worker/policy makers alike. Availability of new technologies such as information technology (IT), internet of things (IoT), audio and video using cell phones, geographical information system (GIS), simulation modelling, remote sensing (RS) open up new vistas for effective knowledge delivery for achieving the impacts on ground. This will help to cross the “Death Valley of Impacts” for achieving the zero hunger goal by adopting innovative approaches/tools and partnerships.
8. Extensao ou comunicacao? La conscientizacion en el medio rural
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Freire, Paulo (author)
- Format:
- Book
- Publication Date:
- unknown
- Published:
- International: Siglo Veintiuno Editores, Mexico, D.F.
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: C27953
- Notes:
- 108 pages.
9. Farmers' Perception Analysis about the Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Agriculture Extension services of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Salam, Abdus (author) and Khan, Muhammad Zafarullah (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2020-07-25
- Published:
- Pakistan: Smith and Franklin Publishers
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 204 Document Number: D12381
- Journal Title:
- Sarhad Journal of Agriculture
- Journal Title Details:
- Vol. 36 Issue 3
- Notes:
- 7 pages., Agricultural extension as a mean of dissemination of agricultural latest technologies to the farming communities and motivating them for its adoption can be achieved through better use of communication among relevant stakeholders. The existing extension and communication strategies used in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have many limitations. The present study was thus conducted to compare and analyze the farmers’ perceptions regarding use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in agriculture extension at three selected districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Based on the multi-stage sampling technique, population for the current study, 3 zones from 5 were purposively selected on the basis of their different agricultural condition. Selection of sample size was made using Yamane formula. The number of respondents as per formula was confined to 188 respondents in district Mansehra, 153 respondents in district Swabi and 59 respondents from district Karak, where data were collected randomly. Five point Likert scale was used to record responses of the respondents. The results of the study clearly showed that majority of the farmers in the study area were literate (73%) and comparatively was greater in district Mansehra (77%), while least in district Swabi (64%) using ICT for agricultural purposes and observed a significant correlation between the literacy and ICT i.e. 0.77. The results also showed that 39% respondents from District Mansehra, and 33% from district Swabi were fulltime farmers, used ICT. The results also showed that regarding the effectiveness of ICT tools in crop production, printed material; TV and Mobile Phone were used in districts Mansehra, Karak and Swabi respectively. Similarly, it was also inferred that ICT is very effective tool for communication between farmers and with extension workers. Hence, ICT is the most effective and useful tool for the improvement of the overall extension delivery system, so agriculture extension department may establish a formal structure to initiate free SMS and voice message service in the easiest and understandable languages for increasing overall coverage of the extension delivery.
10. Government extension, agroecology, and sustainable food systems in Belize milpa farming communities: A socio-ecological systems approach
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Drexler, Kristin A. (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- unknown
- Published:
- 2020-04-16: Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 203 Document Number: D12257
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems and Community Development
- Journal Title Details:
- Volume 9, Issue 3 Spring 2020
- Notes:
- 13 pages, The sustainability of milpa agriculture, a traditional Mayan farming system in southern Belize, is uncertain. For centuries, the milpa has been a sustainable agriculture system. The slash-and-burn aspect of milpa farming, however, has become less reliable and less sustainable over the last 50 years due to several factors, including forest loss, climate change, population growth, and other factors. The traditional milpa practices of slash-and-mulch and soil nutrient enrichment (nutrient cycling) are agroecological practices that produce food in a more sustainable way. Agriculture extension, a government service in Belize, can promote additional agroecological practices to address food and livelihood insecurities in milpa communities. This study examines perceptions of these practices from milpa farmers and agricultural extension officers in Belize using a socio-ecological systems (SES) framework. SES considers multidisciplinary linkages, including social, economic, environmental, cultural, and other factors in the agroecological system. The study finds several of these SES linkages between agroecological practices--specifically slash-andmulch and soil nutrient enrichment--and the sustainability of the milpa farming system in southern Belize. Milpa communities are part of the broader SES and therefore are affected by changes to it. Milpa communities can also be enabled and participate in solution-finding. The findings imply that increasing the use of agroecology practices in milpa communities is needed and that government involvement and action, particularly from agriculture extension services, can facilitate a more sustainable milpa farming system and therefore more food and livelihood security in milpa communities in Belize.