Ervin, David E. (author), Frisvold, George B. (author), and Portland State Univ, Inst Sustainable Solut, 241 Cramer Hall,1721 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97201 USA
Portland State Univ, Environm Management & Econ, 241 Cramer Hall,1721 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97201 USA
Univ Arizona, Dept Agr & Resource Econ, 319 Cesar Chavez Bldg, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2016
Published:
USA: WEED SCI SOC AMER, 810 EAST 10TH ST, LAWRENCE, KS 66044-8897 USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D08227
Hauser, Michael (author), Lindtner, Mara (author), Prehsler, Sarah (author), Probst, Lorenz (author), and University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria
Format:
Online journal article
Publication Date:
2016-07-30
Published:
Austria: Science Direct
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 109 Document Number: D10962
9 pages, via online journal, Farmers who engage in farmer participatory research (FPR) change their established social roles in households and communities. As such, comprehension of farmers’ role transitions is important to understand the extrinsic and intrinsic factors impeding or supporting the uptake and use of FPR by farmers. The existing FPR literature, however, does not address such role transitions. In this study, we analyzed farmers’ experiences with FPR and underlying role transitions in a commercial organic agriculture project in western Uganda. We drew on quantitative and qualitative data from interviews, group discussions, and observations involving farmers and extension workers. Our results suggest extrinsic and intrinsic factors affect farmers’ self-conception, influencing their willingness to participate in FPR. The level of alignment between the self-conception and the anticipated role determines farmers’ decision regarding participation in FPR and affects their response pattern. Farmers’ response pattern and individual set of inhibitors and facilitators lead to the experience of role insufficiency or role mastery, which is crucial for farmers’ continuation or termination of on-farm experiments. Understanding and facilitating role transitions is, therefore, essential for sustaining on-farm experiments, which complements current technical FPR training.
Kamran, M. (author), Anjum, M. (author), Rehman, M. (author), Kamran, M. Asif (author), Saleemi, F. (author), and Department of Computer Science, Virtual University of Pakistan, Lahore, Pakistan
Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Pakistan
Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Government College Women University, Sialkot, Pakistan
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2016-03
Published:
Pakistan: Asianet-Pakistan
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 164 Document Number: D08242
15 pages., Via online journal., Plant pests cause crop losses of 30–40%, contributing significantly to global food insecurity. The Plantwise program works alongside national agricultural extension services, who advise smallholder farmers on plant health issues and collect data on problems they face. In a 1-year pilot, Plantwise tested the use of information and communication technologies (ICT)—tablets and short message service (SMS)—with 60 Kenyan extension workers. They were able to assist more farmers with better advice, had significantly improved access to plant health information, valued being able to ask their peers for advice, and dramatically improved the quality and speed of the data they collected.
