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.
Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) as a credible alternative to tackle food insecurity under the changing climate is gaining wide acceptance. However, many developing countries have realized that concepts that have been recommended as solutions to existing problems are not suitable in their contexts. This paper synthesizes a subset of literature on CSA in the context of small-scale agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa as it relates to the need for CSA, factors influencing CSA adoption, and the challenges involved in understanding and scaling up CSA. Findings from the literature reveal that age, farm size, the nature of farming, and access to extension services influence CSA adoption. Many investments in climate adaptation projects have found little success because of the sole focus on the technology-oriented approach whereby innovations are transferred to farmers whose understanding of the local farming circumstances are limited. Climate-smart agriculture faces the additional challenge of a questionable conceptual understanding among policymakers as well as financing bottlenecks. This paper argues that the prospects of CSA in small-scale agriculture rest on a thorough socio-economic analysis that recognizes the heterogeneity of the small farmer environment and the identification and harnessing of the capacities of farming households for its adoption and implementation
Aberle, Jennifer T. (author), Fetsch, Robert J. (author), Haddock, Shelley A. (author), Peterson, Rick L. (author), and Zimmerman, Toni Schindler (author)
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2005-04
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 160 Document Number: C26222
Abuhassan, M.A. (author), Cheah, P.F. (author), Choo, T.W. (author), Kamaruddin, M. (author), Pharo, H.J. (author), Sopian, M.J. (author), and Ruminant Development Project, Department of Veterinary Services, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1990-05
Published:
UK
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 91 Document Number: C06560
Current Contents Agr/Bio, The emphasis on cow records in Malaysian dairy extension programmes reflects the importance of herd fertility in the economics of dairying. Manual record keeping has not been able to make an impact on management due to difficulties experienced in quality control of the data and in analyzing the data to produce useful information for farm managers. Computerized recording systems have been in use in Malaysia since 1985, both on government farms and in the smallholder dairy sector. The aim of both is firstly to improve farm efficiency by the provision of information to managers and extension workers and secondly to provide information for departmental planning purposes. The systems used in Malaysia are outlined, and the results over the first three years of operation are summarized. (author)
Findings prompt researchers to recommend the use of information and communications technologies with conventional approaches in conservation agriculture knowledge networks.
National Association of Farm Broadcasters Archives, University of Illinois. NAFB Publications Series No. 8/3/88. Box No. 3. Contact http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ahx/ or Documentation Center
Adams, Patricia A. (author), Brown, J. Lynne (author), Kaltreider, D. Lynne (author), Sims, Laura S. (author), and Institute of Policy Research and Evaluation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA; Department of Nutrition, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA; Institute of Policy Research and Evaluation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA; Institute of Policy Research and Evaluation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1989-02
Published:
USA: Baltimore, MD : Williams and Wilkins
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 90 Document Number: C06442
25pgs, The paper investigates the multi-actor processes of knowledge co-production in the implementation of research-based on-farm demonstration with a focus on collaboration arrangements and areas of contention.
Adeyemo, Remi (author), Anyanwu, Edwin (author), Osuntogun, Adeniyi (author), and Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
Format:
Journal article
Language:
English with Spanish summary
Publication Date:
1986-04
Published:
UK
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 84 Document Number: C05178
Via journal online., Agriculture is inherently a risky enterprise because of its dependence on rainfall. To mitigate
risks, farmers diversify crops and enterprises, maintain stabilization account or resort to the sale of assets. Crop insurance is a complementary institutional mechanism that aids farmers to cope with risks better.Considering the importance of crop insurance in risk mitigation, this paper using data from a large-scale farmers’ survey we identify the factors that influence farmers’ decision to buy crop insurance and subsequently assess its impact on farm income, production expenses and productive investments in agriculture. Farmers’ adoption of crop insurance is low— 4.80% kharif season and 3.17% in the rabi season mainly on account of lack of awareness about insurance products. Nevertheless, the probability of adoption of insurance is higher for those who experience higher crop loss and have some formal training in agriculture. The subsidy on premium also positively influences crop insurance uptake decisions. On the other hand, the factors like the lower social status, tenant farming and exposure to deficit-rainfall in the previous year are negatively associated with the decision to insure. The results on the impact of insurance are not conclusive to prove that insured farmer subsumes higher risks compared to the uninsured.
Findings suggest that the contribution of agricultural extension services to India's food production can be claimed to the extent of 64.20 percent especially in the Punjab where this study was conducted with 500 farmers. Agricultural information services accounted for 8.59 percent of impact (increased farm production) on 60.17 percent of farmers. Knowledge gains through publicity and training camps accounted for 8.75 percent of impact on 61.24 percent of farmers.
6 pages, Despite the huge potential for milk production, interventions to improve productivity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are barely based on specified farm classifications. This study aimed to develop robust and context-specific farm typologies to guide content of extension farm advice/services in Uganda. From a sample of 482 dairy farmers, we collected data on farmer socio-demographics, farm management practices, ownership of farm tools and facilities, willingness to pay for extension services, milk production, and marketing. Farm typologies were obtained based on principal component and cluster analyses. Thereby, of the three dairy production systems that emerged, small-scale, largely subsistence yet extensive and low productive farms were more prominent (82.6%). Farms that were classified as large-scale, less commercialized yet extensive with modest productive systems were more than the medium-scale commercial farms with intensive and highly productive systems. However, the later were considered to potentially transform dairy farming in Uganda. It was also predicted that the validity of our farm classification may persist until half of the farms have moved between clusters. The study gives new insights on dairy production systems in Uganda, which can be used to organize more targeted research on farmers’ extension needs for facilitating delivery of relevant and effective extension services and designing appropriate extension policies
Ahmad, Iftikhar (author), Khan, Asmatullah (author), Sofranko, Andrew J. (author), and Khan, Ahmad: Agricultural University, Peshawar; Sofranko: University of Illinois
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1987
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 73 Document Number: C03501
7 pages, Present study was carried out in 2018-19, in the three districts of Punjab i.e., Faisalabad, Sargodha and Muzaffargarh to analyse the factors affecting dissemination of agricultural information to farmers through ICT tools. One hundred and twenty respondents were selected randomly from each district, making a total sample of 360 respondents. Concerning the general use of ICT
tools in the dissemination of agricultural information, the findings indicated a change in trend
from the radio (11.1%) towards TV (85.6%) and mobile phone SMS (75.8%). The relevance of information and ICT tools’ cost appeared as common determinant factors for technology transfer effectiveness by ICT tools. Furthermore, farmers also indicated that the most effective
tool to disseminate agricultural information was television, followed by the mobile phone and social media. Moreover, most of the farmers (81.7 % and 73.1%, respectively) indicated that the
lack of innovative information and difficulties in using ICT tools were significant barriers while
communicating via these tools. The use of television and mobile phones in extension should be improved because they were relatively more popular among farmers. It was recommended that the Punjab government should also design a system of periodic monitoring and evaluation of the use of information and communication technologies in the extension with agricultural universities’ participation and relevant non-governmental organizations in Punjab. A dynamic feedback system should be designed, based on the local advisory committees’ recommendations, to determine the local farmers’ needs/problems, which should be sent immediately to the Directorate of Agricultural Information to suggest some suitable solution and disseminate through ICTs.
Agricultural information needs of extension officers in Africa are identified as control of major pests, credit and co-operatives, proper handling of insecticides, marketing of agricultural products, etc. The information needs of farmers are identified to be in arears of the supply of fertilizers, pest and diseases control, planting materials and credits and loans. The emphasis on information needs of farmers is on "why," "who," "where," and "how" to obtain information. In order to understand the information needs of their client, librarians' and information specialists trainig and ecuation should be reoriented to include coursed on agricultural escienes, rural sociolgoy, adult education and computer sciences. The University of Botswana in agricultural information with the support of the Technical Centre for Agriculture (CTA), which is sponsoring the General Programme for Education, PROGEFIA. With the provision of appropriate and timely agricultural information to extension officers and farmers, an increase in agricultureal production in Africa may be attained.
Alao, J. Ade (author / Department of Extension Education and Rural Sociology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Nigeria) and Department of Extension Education and Rural Sociology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1968
Published:
Nigeria
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 42 Document Number: B04917
14 pages, Climate change has severe consequences not at just local, regional but also at a global scale. Since such shifts in the climate, the substantial agriculture sector of Pakistan has been suffering widely from its drastic change. The present study is carried out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province of Pakistan, to explore the perception of smallholder farmers related to climate change. Data is collected from 400 smallholder farmers of Malakand, Mardan and Swabi districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. This study expounds the perception of farmers and their farming adaptations to variations in climatic occurrence. Binary logistic regression was employed to discover the aspects that shape smallholder farmer’s adaptation strategies. Our results depicted that the awareness and farm household’s exploits methods for climate change adaptation were common throughout the study area. The main adaptation strategies carried out or executed by the smallholder farmers were irrigation, non-farm activities and early planting schemas. This research identified the barriers to climate change adaptation were lack of money, unavailability of required seed, nonexistence of market access, insecure land tenure system and shortage of information. The findings of the study recommend improving farmer’s awareness and providing timely information about climate change. To improve farmer’s well-being, adequate extension services and greater investment facilities are required to support farmers to sustain their livelihoods in the long run to cope with climate change.
Case study involving a Cornell University natural resource professor who has combined scholarly inquiry with strong engagement with public interests and issues. Authors note barriers to the craft of public scholarship in this full sense and urge support needed to enable it.
"The analysis highlights the efficiency gains that can come from locally decentralized delivery systems with incentive structures based on largely private provision, although in most poorer countries extension services will remain publicly funded."
