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12. Engagement and Extension: an examination of internal branding in Kansas Extension
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- King, Audrey E.H. (author) and Boone, Kristina M. (author)
- Format:
- Conference paper
- Publication Date:
- 2017-02
- Published:
- USA
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 163 Document Number: D08152
- Notes:
- Research paper presented in the Agricultural Communications Section, Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists (SAAS) conference in Mobile, Alabama, February 4-7, 2017. 16 pages.
13. Evaluation and impact of a reflective training process for rural extension agents
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Landini, Fernando (author), Brites, Walter (author), and University of La Cuenca del Plata
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2018-07-18
- Published:
- Argentina: Taylor & Francis
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 106 Document Number: D10931
- Journal Title:
- The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension
- Journal Title Details:
- 25(5) : 457-472
- Notes:
- 15 pages, via online journal, Purpose: This article assesses a non-traditional training methodology for extension agents, focused on the exchange of experiences among peers and the reflection on practice, with the aim of exploring its potential as a training strategy. Design/Methodology/approach: A quali-quantitative investigation was conducted, which included interviews with extension agents, the use of different questionnaires, and recordings of the evaluation sessions carried out during each workshop. Findings: This research allowed us to understand the importance of effective group coordination, a participatory climate, working in small groups, and the feedback loop between theory and practice for processes of experience sharing and reflection on practice. Some of the positive effects of the training observed were that extension agents acquired new knowledge and methodologies, reflected critically upon their practice, and put into question their own extension approach. Practical Implications: Given its potentialities, implementing training processes focused on experience sharing and reflection on practice for rural extension workers, seems advisable. Theoretical Implications: This article contributes to the understanding of how experience sharing and reflection on practice can generate transformations in rural extension agents’ approaches and positioning. Originality/Value: This study systematically assesses the impacts that training has on extension workers, as well as the underlying processes that made it possible to generate them.
14. Exploring the role of agricultural extension in promoting biodiversity conservation in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Abdu-Raheem, Kamal Adekunle (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2014
- Published:
- Taylor & Francis
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 16 Document Number: D10465
- Journal Title:
- Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems
- Journal Title Details:
- 38(9): 1015-1032
- Notes:
- 19 pages., ISSN: 2168-3565 (Print) 2168-3573 (Online), Via online journal, Biodiversity conservation outside designated protected areas remains challenging in South Africa, where 80% of the biodiversity resources occur on private and communal lands. This applies to the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, which is the focus of this study. Landholders logically choose agricultural production ahead of conservation, which they often perform using non-ecological methods. Extension is well positioned to promote ecological agriculture, but its current contribution is unknown. This study examined the role of extension in ecological agriculture in KZN by investigating extension’s promotion of ecological agriculture among smallholder farmers and the factors impacting their employment of ecologically compatible practices. Data was collected through semistructured interviews with 44 respondents, comprising 5 provincial biodiversity conservation practitioners, 1 national biodiversity conservation manager, and 1 national and 4 provincial agricultural extension managers, selected by purposive sampling; as well as 25 extension officers and 8 farmers, selected by convenience sampling. The study found that extension mainly engages in technology transfer and distribution of production inputs, which poses challenges to biodiversity conservation. Extension shows little concern for biodiversity, and effectively promotes its degradation. Four sets of factors impacting extension’s capacity to promote ecological agriculture emerged: household/community-level, governmental, extension management, and ecological factors. Key among these were inadequate involvement of youth and men in agriculture; inadequate household production resources; poor collaboration and coordination between extension and biodiversity conservation institutions; top-down extension intervention; poor extension management and delivery capacities; and irregular and inadequate rainfall, as well as droughts and flooding. The study concluded that there is a need for a clearly articulated extension and biodiversity conservation policy supporting appropriate linkages and better coordination and integration of services among extension and biodiversity agencies within the National and Provincial Departments of Agriculture and with farmers; more effective agricultural education in schools; strengthening extension support systems; and creating conducive atmospheres for effective extension.
15. Extension and training practices: challenges for smallholder cattle farmers' community in Thailand
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Jiumpanyarach, W. (author)
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2018
- Published:
- Pakistan: eSci Journals Publishing
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 124 Document Number: D11225
- Journal Title:
- International Journal of Agricultural Extension
- Journal Title Details:
- 6(2): 117-127
- Notes:
- 11 pages., ISSN : 2311-8547, via online journal., The objective of this study was to analyze the impacts of an extension program (education and training practice) as perceived by smallholder cattle farmers to develop their smallholder farm practices and reduce the costs of production. The study used data from 22 participant smallholder farmers with backgrounding cattle systems. In-depth interview questionnaires were used and collected before and after providing the extension program in Saraburi province, Thailand. Two leaders of this group were selected for observation and as farm models. Environmental differences were investigated during the rainy, winter and summer seasons. This study detailed the socioeconomics of the smallholders, the characteristics and management of livestock farms. The satisfaction levels of the extension programs were also analyzed. The benefits and costs of this program were examined and developed after the program finished. The study found backgrounding cattle farms was a major livelihood within the community. The community was of low income and living in poverty. The farmers were at high levels of risk in terms of feeding costs and cattle market. The program provided knowledge to be enable the farmers to understand and develop the farm systems. Most of the smallholders agreed on the good-practice farming and group activities. The farm leaders influenced their perceptions. The farmers were encouraged to do activities together: learning cattle market information, good-practice cattle farms, and cattle rations management. The success of the extension program improved the economic community, community relationships, and community attitudes. The extension program applied to a pro-active policy. Collaboration learning activities for smallholders benefit the farmers' community. This program improves economic relationships, attitudes, and builds a sustainable agricultural community.
16. Factors influencing adoption of improved maize seed varieties among smallholder farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Chete, Oluwatoyin Bukola (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2021-06-30
- Published:
- International: Academic Journals
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 203 Document Number: D12204
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Extension and Rural Development
- Journal Title Details:
- Vol.13(2)
- Notes:
- 8 pages., This study ascertained factors influencing adoption of improved maize seed varieties in three local government areas of Kaduna State, North-central Nigeria. It collected cross-sectional data for a sample of 180 randomly selected farming households across three local government areas of the State in 2015/16. Both descriptive and inferential analyses were performed on the data. The descriptive statistics differentiated adopters from non-adopters, while the inferential analysis involved estimation of a logit model to determine factors driving adoption of improved maize seed varieties in the study areas. The results of the descriptive analysis show significant mean differences between adopters and non-adopters regarding several farm households’ characteristics. The model results reveal that adoption of improved maize seed varieties among the households was positively influenced by age, household size, level of education, farming experience, labour availability, contacts with extension agents, farm size, off-farm income and membership of associations. Thus, the study concluded that improving farmers’ education, expanding coverage and depth of extension services and strengthening farmer associations are useful policy actions for promoting adoption of improved maize varieties. It is also important to address availability, accessibility and affordability issues constraining adoption, enhance credit access and mitigate risk perceptions. The link between researchers and innovators and the farmers who are the off-takers of their outputs should be reinforced to increase maize productivity in order to satisfy national demand and promote food security.
17. Farmers’ perceptions regarding the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northern Pakistan
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Aldosari, Fahad (author), Al Shunaifi, Mohamed Saleh (author), Ullah, Muhammad Amjad (author), Muddassir, Muhammad (author), and Noor, Mehmood Ali (author)
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019-04
- Published:
- Saudi Arabia: Science Direct
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 8 Document Number: D10318
- Journal Title:
- Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences
- Journal Title Details:
- 18(2) : 211-217
- Notes:
- 7 pages., Via online journal., Like many developing countries, agriculture is seen as the vehicle for development also in Pakistan. Our study was aimed to identify the perceptions of farmer community towards the electronic media and relationship between different demographic characteristics of respondents with the use of electronic communication of TV and radio, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), a province of Pakistan. Random sampling technique was used for selecting 183 respondents. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and Chi-square. Results revealed that maximum respondents were agreed that mobile and internet can be a useful source of agricultural information and only 1.6 and 5.5% of the respondents were strongly disagreed about information means, respectively. A maximum number of the respondents were undecided about “agricultural helpline can be a useful source of agricultural information”, only 14.2% of the respondents were strongly agreed with this statement. A highly significant relationship was found between age of respondents and application of information received through radio and TV. On the other side, education of the respondents had a highly significant relationship with the application of information received through radio only. Farming experience of the respondents had no significant relationship with the application of information received through TV and radio. Results suggested that extension personnel should motivate and educate the farming community about the use of electronic media (TV, radio, helpline, internet, mobile) for advanced information about agriculture production techniques.
18. Feasibility of using mobile phones as an educational medium in agricultural extension services in Guilan Province, Iran
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Allahyaria, Mohammad Sadegh (author), Atashi, Maryam Ranjbar (author), and Dunn, Emily Shea (author)
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2018
- Published:
- Taylor & Francis
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 18 Document Number: D10476
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Agricultural & Food Information
- Journal Title Details:
- 19(2): 129-140
- Notes:
- 13 pages., via online journal., This study examined the feasibility of the use of mobile phones as an educational tool in agricultural extension services in the Guilan Province of Iran. A descriptive-survey methodology was employed on a sample population of 120 agricultural extension agents. Data were analyzed at descriptive and inferential levels using SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). The results of the factor analysis indicated that the application of mobile phones in extension activities was influenced by three factors: economic, skill, and infrastructure. These factors accounted for 52.3% of the variance. Moreover, the possibility for the development of mobile phones as an educational medium is impacted by social, financial-credit, information-communicational, psychological, and improper conditions factors that, in total, captured 70.4% of the variance.
19. HortIM™: An online peer review system for horticultural teaching and Extension instructional materials
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Arnold, Michael A. (author), Meyer, Mary H. (author), Rhodus, Tim (author), Barton, Susan S. (author), and Texas A&M University University of Minnesota The Ohio State University University of Delaware
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2017-04
- Published:
- United States: American Society for Horticultural Science
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 16 Document Number: D10444
- Journal Title:
- HortTechnology
- Journal Title Details:
- 27(2) : 138-143
- Notes:
- 6 pages., Via online journal., Based on a survey of the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS), membership need was identified for an online peer review system to validate innovation and recognize excellence in science-based teaching and extension scholarship for promotion and tenure purposes. This system would also provide a clearinghouse for instructional materials of merit for use in classrooms, laboratories, and outreach education, which fall outside the parameters of the three academic journals of ASHS. It was determined HortTechnology already provided a valued outlet for peer review of manuscript style teaching and extension scholarship; however, a need was identified for a mechanism to provide peer review of instructional materials which did not conform to a traditional manuscript format. Herein we describe the process that led to the development and launch of HortIM™, a new peer review system for teaching and extension instructional materials. An online peer review process for juried assessment of instructional materials such as articles, bulletins, case studies, fact sheets, instructional videos, teaching modules, and laboratory exercises was developed. A beta test of initial solicited materials in each category was piloted resulting in an initial database of these scholarly materials. This activity culminated in an initial opening of the system for submissions in Fall 2016. This article documents the development of HortIM™, including the submission and review process.
20. Innovation intermediation in a digital age: comparing public and private new-ICT platforms for agricultural extension in Ghana
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Munthali, Nyamwaya (author), Leeuwis, Cees (author), Van Paassen, Annemarie (author), Lie, Rico (author), Asare, Richard (author), Van Lammeren, Ron (author), and Schut, Marc (author)
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2018-11
- Published:
- Science Direct
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 12 Document Number: D10421
- Journal Title:
- NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences
- Journal Title Details:
- (86-87) : 64-76
- Notes:
- 13 pages., Via online journal., Agricultural extension in sub-Saharan Africa has often been criticised for its focus on linear knowledge transfer, and limited attention to systemic approaches to service delivery. Currently, the region is experiencing a new-ICT revolution and there are high expectations of new-ICTs to enhance interaction and information exchange in extension service delivery. Using an innovation systems perspective, we distinguish the roles demand-articulation, matching demand and supply, and innovation process management for innovation-intermediaries. The study explores literature on how new-ICT may support these roles, with specific interest in the possibilities of environmental monitoring and new forms of organisation enabled by enhanced connectivity. In order to contribute to the understanding of this area, the paper reports on a comparative study of two new-ICT platforms embedded in Ghanaian public and private extension organisations respectively. We assess the roles that these platforms (aim to) support, and document achievements and constraints based on interviews with extension staff and farmers. The findings indicate that while both platforms aim to support innovation-intermediation roles the focus areas and level of detail differ due to diverging organisational rationales to service delivery. In addition, we see that new-ICTs' potential to support innovation-intermediation roles is far from realised. This is not due to (new) ICTs lacking the capacity to link people in new ways and make information accessible, but due to the wider social, organisational and institutional factors that define the realisation of their potential. Therefore, more conventional modes of interaction around production advice and also credit provision continue to be dominant and better adapted to the situation. However, beyond the two platforms that were developed specifically by and for the extension organisations, there were indications that more informal and self-organised new-ICT initiatives can transform and enhance interaction patterns in innovations systems to achieve collective goals through standard virtual platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram.
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