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2. Can you ensure that ICT for development apps are downloaded and used? A case study of the plantwise data collection app for plant health in Kenya
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Ochilo, Willis N. (author), Ruffhead, Holly (author), Rumsey, Abigail (author), Chege, Florence (author), Lusweti, Charles (author), Oronje, Mary Lucy (author), and Otieno, Washington (author)
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019
- Published:
- Taylor & Francis
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 77 Document Number: D10807
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Agricultural & Food Information
- Journal Title Details:
- 20(3):237-253
- Notes:
- 18 pages., via online journal., Mobile apps are increasingly being used to answer development challenges around the world. The development opportunities that apps offer is wide-reaching but uptake of the technology varies. This article examines the ease of use and factors impacting user acceptance and behavior when interacting with an app for agricultural extension in Kenya. Results show factors including gender and age play a role in the adoption of technology by agricultural extension agents. The findings have useful lessons for apps’ development in the agricultural sector and suggest that including intended users of an app in the design process significantly increases usability.
3. Information needs and barriers of rural smallholder farmers in developing countries: A case study of rural smallholder farmers in Malawi
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Phiri, Austine (author), Chipeta, George T. (author), and Chawinga, Winner D. (author)
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019
- Published:
- SAGE Journals
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 114 Document Number: D11003
- Journal Title:
- Information Development
- Journal Title Details:
- 35(3): 421–434
- Notes:
- 14 pages., via online journal., The purpose of the study was to investigate the information needs and barriers of rural smallholder farmers in Mzimba North in Malawi. A mixed methods approach was adopted for the study and the Wilson’s Model of Information Behaviour (1996) guided the study. A questionnaire and focus group discussion guide were used to collect data from 202 rural smallholder farmers. The study found that the major information need of rural smallholder farmers was crop husbandry as revealed by the majority of rural smallholder farmers 149 (77.6). The study found that majority of rural smallholder farmers 180 (94.8%) were aware of information sources. The study also found that the predominant information sources consulted by rural smallholder farmers were personal experiences as indicated by the majority of rural smallholder farmers 185 (96%). The major challenge faced by rural smallholder farmers was lack of mobility as revealed by the majority of rural smallholder farmers 147 (76.6). The study recommends that the Department of Agriculture Extension Services (DAES) should empower the social structures such as families in rural settings with agricultural information.
4. A study of the use of information & communication technology in disseminating farm information to farmers in India
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Solanki, Surabhi (author) and Verma, Seema (author)
- Format:
- Conference proceedings
- Publication Date:
- 2019-06
- Published:
- Elsevier
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 121 Document Number: D11119
- Notes:
- 8 pages., Proceedings of International Conference on Sustainable Computing in Science, Technology and Management., In any country, agriculture plays important role in the prospect of economy and sustainability. As technology grow day by day so it is necessary for the farmer to know about the technology, innovations and take them into practice, so they make strong themselves in terms of economic and sustainability. In this paper discussed the intensity exposure to information and communication technology and its relationship to the characteristics of farmers at different stages of adoption use of information and communication technology for different farm practices and also know the preferences of farmers regarding the use of Information & Communication Technology (ICT). In the continuation of this process conduct the personal interview to collect personal details of farmers as well as farm information that associate them to know about the adoption of information technology. The data collected through personal interview of farmers have been classified, tabulated and analyzed to know how efficiently and effectively information and communication technology disseminate farm information to the farmer.
5. Back to the basics: are traditional educational methods still effective in a high-tech world?
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Sneed, Christopher T. (author) and Franck, Karen L. (author)
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019-12
- Published:
- Extension Journal, Inc.
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 122 Document Number: D11150
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Extension
- Journal Title Details:
- 57(6)
- Notes:
- 7 pages., Article # 6IAW6, via online journal., Although Extension educators have harnessed the power of technology as an important vehicle for conveying research-based content, it is important that the power of traditional educational methods not be overlooked. These traditional methods remain ideas that work, have worked, and continue to work even today. In this article, we spotlight these traditional ideas by presenting a social marketing campaign that engages limited-resource audiences via themed print educational materials—posters, brochures, and bookmarks. Evaluation results indicate that the campaign has been successful in engaging the target audience and motivating them regarding the adoption of healthful behavior changes.
6. Assessing the status of social media familiarity among smallholder farmers: a case study of Thika, Kiambu Kenya
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Kimani, Anne W. (author), Nyang’anga, Hillary T. (author), and Mburu, John I. (author)
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019
- Published:
- Pakistan: eSci Journals Publishing
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 122 Document Number: D11153
- Journal Title:
- International Journal of Agricultural Extension
- Journal Title Details:
- 7(1):13-20
- Notes:
- 8 pages., via online journal., Social media provides huge opportunities and incentives that could ease promotion of agricultural extension, facilitate real-time service delivery and enable wider farmer coverage. Ineffective dissemination approaches, expanding farmer population, low staffing, and aging agricultural extension agents continue to negatively affect the provision of agricultural extension services in Kenya. Despite the social media potential in agricultural communication, lack of awareness and low usage in the rural areas of developing countries have been documented. This study sought to establish the level of social media familiarity among smallholder rural farmers with the aim of exploring the possibility of usage in agricultural extension. The study was undertaken in Thika Sub-County of Kiambu County on 140 farmers through a researcher administered semi-structured questionnaire. Probability-proportional-to-size sampling method was employed to derive the sample size from existing extension farmer groups. Simple random sampling technique was further used to identify the actual respondents from each group. A low level of social media familiarity was established among the farmers with education, age and gender having significant influence. The study recommends awareness creation initiatives to promote social media familiarity with a particular focus on women who form the bulk of the farmers but with the lowest level of social media knowledge.
7. The Military Families Learning Network: A Model for Extension-Based Virtual Learning Communities
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Plein, Christopher (author), Cassels, Alicia (author), and West Virginia University Auburn University
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019-12
- Published:
- United States: Extension Journal, Inc.
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 124 Document Number: D11229
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Extension
- Journal Title Details:
- 57(6)
- Notes:
- 9 pages, via online journal, This article provides an overview of Extension's Military Families Learning Network. The network is an example of Extension's commitment to building virtual learning networks in the support of targeted professional and lay audiences. The network uses well-established and emergent pedagogical approaches focusing on adult-centered learning while employing state-of-the-art online learning technologies. We present a four-dimensional model of learning activities to illustrate how the network offers different options for and approaches to adult-centered learning and training. The Military Families Learning Network can serve as a model for broader adoption of such entities across the Extension community.
8. Influence of public agricultural extension on technology adoption by small-scale farmers in Zimbabwe
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Worth, S. (author) and Masere, T.P. (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2021-11
- Published:
- South Africa: SciELO
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 204 Document Number: D12446
- Journal Title:
- South African Journal of Extension
- Journal Title Details:
- Vol. 49 No. 1 (2021)
- Notes:
- 18 pages, This paper presents the findings of challenges facing Zimbabwe’s extension services and how these have affected the adoption of technologies they render to small-scale farmers. This study uses a critical review of relevant literature on Zimbabwe’s primary public extension agency (AGRITEX). Additionally, 21 key informant interviews (KIIs) were conducted to corroborate data collected in secondary research on extension approaches currently in use, the key factors affecting technology adoption, and the technology adoption process of small-scale farmers. The study found AGRITEX’s major challenges to be poor funding, poor remuneration and incentives for extension personnel, lack of in-service training, lack of appropriate technology, as well as poor operational resources like transport to reach all farmers. Consequently, services offered to small-scale farmers were compromised, which led to poor adoption of recommended technologies. Furthermore, the study determined that key factors influencing technology adoption are related to the farmers’ circumstances, the operating environment, and the attributes of technology itself. As a lasting solution to poor technology adoption, an adaptive extension system that promotes building the capacity of extension workers and researchers, as well as embracing farmers and their indigenous knowledge, is proposed
9. Tapping the full potential of the digital revolution for agricultural extension: an emerging innovation agenda
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Steinke, Jonathan (author), van Etten, Jacob (author), Muller, Anna (author), Ortiz-Crespo, Berta (author), van de Gevel, Jeske (author), Silvestri, Silvia (author), and Priebe, Jan (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2020-03-27
- Published:
- International: Taylor and Francis
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 204 Document Number: D12480
- Journal Title:
- International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability
- Journal Title Details:
- 5-6
- Notes:
- 26 pages, Agricultural extension in the Global South can benefit greatly from the use of modern information and communication technologies (ICT). Yet, despite two decades of promising experiences, this potential is not fully realized. Here, we review the relevant research literature to inform future investments into agricultural information services that harness the full potential of digital media. We describe a recently emerging innovation agenda that is, in part, a response to the eventual failure of many new agro-advisory initiatives. One important cause of failure has been a focus on pushing certain technologies, rather than responding to the particular communication challenges of potential users. To avoid such bias in designing new services, the new innovation agenda rests on two major foundations: strong user-centredness and problem-orientation. In our review, we first describe how user-centred design methods help in specifying both problems and (digital) solutions in agricultural extension. To inform responses to the communication challenges defined by that analysis, we then describe eight emerging aspects of using ICT for development, and how they can address common deficiencies of agricultural extension. Practical examples from the literature highlight the possibilities and limitations of these innovation directions. Beyond digital design, however, technological innovation requires enabling institutions.
10. Chapter 8 - Digital extension service: a quick way to deliver agricultural information to the farmers
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Naika, Mahantesha B.N. (author), Kudari, Manjunath (author), Sree Devi, Maguluri (author), Sadhu, DhanushSwaroop (author), and Sunagar, Suma (author)
- Format:
- Book chapter
- Publication Date:
- 2021-01-20
- Published:
- Academic Press Ltd. (Elsevier Science Ltd.)
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 204 Document Number: D12483
- Notes:
- Book Chapter, 37 pages in "Food Technology Disruptions" ISBN: 9780128214701, Globally, various digital platforms are efficiently explored to provide information in various sectors. In many developing countries, the majority of the main population occupation is agriculture. Traditional extension services are limited by lack of extension personnel, expertise, up-to-date information regarding market access, timeliness, information storage. Therefore, digitalization can be critical in overcoming such limitations through the utilization of various information and communication technology (ICT) tools; Decision support systems, databases, Agri-based Apps, KIOSK. These advanced approaches will not only support the extension and farming communities but also improve their skills and uplift them in contributing to an increased national GDP. This chapter covers various digital tools and their efficiency with a supporting case study on utilization and impact of digital extension services (DES) on farmer’s knowledge in terms of agricultural practices in selected villages of Belagavi district, Karnataka, India. In conclusion, digital extension services play a vital role in the dissemination of updated information for improving agricultural supply chain management.