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2. Household socio-economic factors influencing choice of agro-advisory dissemination pathways for climate change in semi-arid areas of Kenya
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Akeyo Onyango, Debrah (author), Rasugu Mogaka, Hezron (author), Njiri Ndirangu, Samuel (author), and Kwena, Kizito (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2021-07-21
- Published:
- International: SAGE Journals
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 203 Document Number: D12309
- Journal Title:
- Information Development
- Journal Title Details:
- Online First
- Notes:
- 12 pages, Development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is adversely affected by climate variability and change due to the dependence of its economies and livelihoods primarily on rain-fed agriculture. Agro-advisories boost informed decision-making as well as planning of farm activities. The purpose of this study was to characterize the pathways through which farmers receive usable location-specific agro-advisories as well as to evaluate the effect of the socio-economic environment in the access to such information. Data was collected from 400 randomly selected households in lower eastern Kenya in a cross-sectional survey. Multivariate probit regression was used to determine the factors influencing the choice of pathways used in accessing climate change adaptation information. Household socio-economic characteristics that were found to be significant in explaining access to disseminated agro-advisories include phone and radio ownership, level of education, marital status, and farm size among others. Based on these findings a conclusion is made that the socio-economic environment within which information is disseminated is vital in determining those who access information and probably act on it. Additionally, pathways found to be complementary or substitutable give information providers new insights on the channels to use in information dissemination. The study recommends that these factors be considered in efforts geared towards promoting agro-advisory preparation and dissemination to improve adaptation to climate variability and change in dryland areas.
3. Information Needs and Use of Information Sources by the Farmers: A Survey of Kurukshetra District, Haryana
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Singh, Joginder (author) and Kumar, Rajiv (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- unknown
- Published:
- International: International Journal of Information Dissemination and Technology
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 203 Document Number: D12197
- Journal Title:
- International Journal of Information Dissemination and Technology
- Journal Title Details:
- Vol. 10 Issue 4
- Notes:
- 7 pages., The study highlighted the information needs and information sources used by the farmers of Kurukshetra district. Data were elicited through the questionnaire. All the farmers needed information on availability and use of pesticides, fertilizers for the crop, disease, pest, weed control, knowing and selling market prices of crops followed by government schemes/policies (98.1%), variety and new cropping system, availability of seeds (96.2%), Agricultural loan (73.1%), weather/weather forecast (73.1%), etc. The majority of the respondents (59.6%) were using newspapers in which Dainik Bhaskar (46.2%) was the first choice of farmers and (30.8%) banners and wall paintings were also assisted. Mobile phones (69.2%) and Television (67.3%) were major electronic sources among them. All the respondents were using these sources to increase agricultural production, availability and know the current market prices. While (90.4%) were using proper use of fertilizers/medicines/pesticides and curing diseases followed by (82.7%) know about new agricultural technology, weather (76.9%). Insufficient information literacy, information communication technology (ICT) skills (87.7%), and inadequate training opportunities (61.5%) were the main constraints faced by farmers. Satisfaction was high in electronic sources (53.8%) than print information (23.1%) sources for their agricultural information among the farmers of Kurukshetra.
4. Information and communication technologies (ICTs): The potential for enhancing the dissemination of agricultural information and services to smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Mapiye, Obvious (author), Makombe, Godswill (author), Molotsi, Annelin (author), Dzama, Kennedy (author), and Mapiye, Cletos (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2021-12-21
- Published:
- South Africa: SAGE Journals
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 204 Document Number: D12436
- Journal Title:
- Information Development
- Journal Title Details:
- I-21
- Notes:
- 21 pages, The transformation of smallholder farming is poised to be one of the key drivers of achieving the dual objectives of food security and poverty reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Smallholder farmers account for between 60–80% of the food produced in the region but face many challenges that impede their productivity. Such challenges include a lack of timely access to appropriate agricultural information and services, which results in poor decision-making, particularly in addressing challenges and responding effectively to opportunities. In that context, the effective use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in improving accessibility to appropriate agricultural information and services presents substantial prospects for transforming the productivity and livelihoods of the farmers. Currently, the region experiences massive penetration and propagation of mobile and web-based applications. However, there is a dearth of compelling, comprehensive reviews evaluating their importance in enhancing agricultural information and services dissemination to smallholder farmers. Therefore, the current review explores the potential of enhancing agricultural information and services dissemination to smallholder farmers through ICTs and highlights gaps in their development and deployment in SSA. Five existing mobile applications used to disseminate agricultural information and services to smallholder farmers were identified, and their advantages, limitations, and opportunities were discussed. These were Esoko, iCow, Community Knowledge Workers, WeFarm and DigiFarm. The development and deployment of user-driven mobile applications that provide curated skill-sharing platforms, encourage farmers to give feedback to extension systems in real-time and promote the participation of women and youth in agriculture are recommended. Keywords
5. The formation of agricultural e‐commerce clusters: a case from China
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Zeng, Yiwu (author), Hongdong, Guo (author), Yao, Yanfei (author), and Huang, Lu (author)
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019-08
- Published:
- Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 78 Document Number: D10821
- Journal Title:
- Growth and Change
- Notes:
- 19 pages., via online journal., Agricultural e‐commerce clusters are new phenomena that have emerged in rural China. In examining the case of Shuyang County in Jiangsu Province, this paper puts forward an integrated model revealing the formation mechanism of agricultural e‐commerce clusters. The paper shows that the formation of agricultural e‐commerce clusters involves four processes of technology introduction, technology diffusion, quality crisis, and industrial agglomeration based on elements such as industry bases, e‐commerce platforms, network facilities, logistics services, entrepreneurial talent, local government, and market demand. Rural social networks and imitation behaviors promote technology diffusion by reducing the cost of technology introduction, and industrial agglomeration is found in the economies showing a deepening of labor divisions and geographic agglomeration. Throughout the formation process, a quality crisis may occur due to a race to the bottom and the opportunistic behaviors of local farmers. This work suggests that regional e‐commerce development is a systematic project. Governments of developing countries should not only realize the positive impacts of e‐commerce for the development of the agricultural industry but also recognize the premise and logic of how e‐commerce can play a prominent role.