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2. Achieving food security in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through innovation: Potential role of agricultural extension
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Fiaz, Sajid (author), Noor, Mehmood Ali (author), and Aldosri, Fahad Owis (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2016-09
- Published:
- Saudi Arabia
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 159 Document Number: D07679
- Journal Title:
- Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences
- Notes:
- In Press, Corrected Proof
3. Agricultural extension: criteria to determine its visibility and accountability in resource poor communities
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Hlatshwayo, P. P. K. (author) and Worth, S.H. (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019-08-08
- Published:
- South Africa: African Journals Online
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 205 Document Number: D12673
- Journal Title:
- South African Journal of Agricultural Extension
- Journal Title Details:
- Vol. 47, N. 2
- Notes:
- 8 pages, Agricultural extension can be defined as the entire set of organisations that support and facilitate people engaged in agricultural production to solve problems and to obtain information, skills and technologies to improve their livelihoods and well-being. Extension officials should ensure that farmers are engaged and capacitated so that they can make production decisions that are not in conflict with nature, yet such decisions ensure that their well-being is improved. With 75% of the world’s poor living in rural areas, the topic of improved agriculture through agricultural extension is viewed as central to poverty reduction. There have been questions posed by stakeholders (communities, policy-makers and politicians) about the non-visibility and accountability of agricultural extension in the communities that it is supposed to help. There are however a number of factors (perceived or real) that make agricultural extension less or not visible nor accountable. Therefore, this paper investigates and proposes a theoretical framework or model to ensure that agricultural extension is visible and accountable to all stakeholders. This will in turn ensure that there are noticeable increases or improvement of the lives of the resource poor farmers and communities.
4. Alternative food networks in Latin America—exploring PGS (participatory guarantee systems) markets and their consumers: a cross-country comparison
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Kaufmann, Sonja (author), Hruschka, Nikolaus (author), Vildozo,Luis (author), and Vogl, Christian R. (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2022-08-25
- Published:
- USA: Springer Nature
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 205 Document Number: D12628
- Journal Title:
- Agriculture and Human Values
- Journal Title Details:
- Online
- Notes:
- 24 pages, Alternative food networks (AFN) are argued to provide platforms to re-socialize and re-spacealize food, establish and contribute to democratic participation in local food chains, and foster producer–consumer relations and trust. As one of the most recent examples of AFN, Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) have gained notable traction in attempting to redefine consumer-producer relations in the organic value chain. The participation of stakeholders, such as consumers, has been a key element theoretically differentiating PGS from other organic verification systems. While research on farmer participation in PGS is attracting interest, consumer participation is still widely overlooked. Using a mixed methods approach, this paper describes five PGS markets in Mexico, Chile and Bolivia. A survey was conducted with consumers in the PGS markets to explore their awareness of the PGS, how consumers participate in the PGS, and their level of trust in the respective PGS and its certified products. Results showed a low level of awareness of PGS among market consumers, few participation possibilities, and minimal consumer participation overall. Nevertheless, trust in organic quality was generally high. Consumers primarily relied on the direct relationship with producers and the PGS market itself as sources of trust. These results provide novel insight into PGS consumer-market interactions, and contribute to discussions concerning social embeddedness, awareness and participation within AFN.
5. Cover crops and specialty crop agriculture: exploring cover crop use among vegetable and fruit growers in Michigan and Ohio
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Schoolman, E.D. (author) and Arbuckle, J.G. (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2022-07
- Published:
- USA: Soil and Water Conservation Society
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 205 Document Number: D12643
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
- Journal Title Details:
- V. 77, N.4
- Notes:
- 15 pages, Cover crops—crops grown primarily to protect and improve soil—are widely considered to be an important component of sustainable agricultural systems because their use can provide multiple ecosystem services without compromising yields over time. Specialty crops—fruits, vegetables, and horticultural crops—are increasingly important to US agriculture and food security and uniquely vulnerable to climate-related problems that cover crops can help to address. Yet far less research has been conducted on cover crop use by farmers who grow mainly specialty crops, compared to the much larger body of research on farmers who principally grow row crops like corn (Zea mays) and soybeans (Glycine max). In this study, we draw on survey data from a stratified, random sample of 881 specialty crop growers in Michigan and Ohio to accomplish two main goals. First, we seek to characterize cover crop use among this important group of farmers, focusing on types of cover crop used and use of multiple types. Second, we examine the relationship between cover crop use on vegetable and fruit farms and key social and economic factors, with particular attention to farmers’ environmental values, adherence to organic principles, and sources of information. According to survey results, cover cropping is more likely when farmers (1) manage certified organic (p < 0.01) or organic-in-practice (p < 0.05) farms; (2) report being influenced by private crop consultants (p < 0.01); (3) attach high importance to agri-environmental goals (p < 0.01); and (4) grow vegetable crops instead of or in addition to fruit crops (p < 0.001). No relationship was found to exist between cover cropping and farmers’ concerns about climate-related risks, education level, or perceived self-efficacy. We conclude by suggesting that the importance of structural factors to farmers’ decisions about cover crops should not be underestimated. Promoting and strengthening the market for organic food may be the most direct pathway toward increasing the number of farmers who use cover crops. Historically important entities in agricultural networks, including cooperative extension and conservation nongovernmental organizations, might enhance their impact on cover crop use by forming new partnerships with private crop consultants.
6. Farmer attitudes and perceptions toward gleaning programs and the donation of excess produce to food rescue organizations
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Harvey, Susan P. (author), Mount, Rebecca (author), Valentine, Heather (author), and Gibson, Cheryl A. (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2022-09-08
- Published:
- USA: Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 205 Document Number: D12647
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development
- Journal Title Details:
- V. 11, N.4
- Notes:
- 12 pages, Food waste and food insecurity are two concurrent major public health issues. To address them, gleaning programs can reduce waste and enhance food security by diverting produce to food pantries. To understand the experiences of farmers and gleaning programs, interviews were completed with 12 farmers who had participated in a gleaning program and 16 farmers who had not donated produce through a gleaning program within the Greater Kansas City metro area. For farmers who had participated in the gleaning program, the ease of donating and tax incentives were primary benefits. Inadequate experience and inefficient volunteers were cited as challenges. Farmers without experience with gleaning programs cited safety and liability issues as concerns. Because farmers communicate frequently with other farmers, food rescue organizations should consider enlisting their support. Communities and government agencies should provide financial support to improve the resources and infrastructure of gleaning organizations to improve farmer-gleaner relationships.
7. Information empowers vegetable supply chain: A study of information needs and sharing strategies among farmers and vendors
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Bu Zhong (author), Fan Yang (author), Yen-Lin Chen (author), and College of Communication, Pennsylvania State University Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education, College of Agricultural Sciences, Pennsylvania State University
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2015
- Published:
- Elsevier
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 16 Document Number: D10462
- Journal Title:
- Computers and Electronics in Agriculture
- Journal Title Details:
- 117: 81-90
- Notes:
- 10 pages., Via online journal., Agricultural extension systems often fail due to inadequate knowledge of farmers’ information needs and sharing strategies. This study aims to meet an urgent need of studying information needs and sharing strategies among vegetable farmers and vendors in Chengdu, China, whose results might be used in building a center of agricultural information disseminating vegetable production and marketing information. The findings disclose interesting differences between the farmers and vendors regarding their willingness to join such a center, information needs, sharing strategies and preferred information sources. Ample evidences justify the construction of the proposed center of agricultural information, which should not only empower the vegetable farmers and vendors but also enhance the efficiency of the existing vegetable supply chain and food security. Cross-discipline research involving both agriculture and communication scholars, like this, should shed more insights on working out strategies to cope with agricultural challenges.
8. National food security, immigration reform, and the importance of worker engagement in agricultural guestworker debates
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Zoodsma, Anna (author), Dudley, Mary Jo (author), and Minkoff-Zern, Laura-Anne (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2022-08-08
- Published:
- USA: Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 205 Document Number: D12646
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development
- Journal Title Details:
- V. 11, N.4
- Notes:
- 13 pages, This article looks at the United States’ federal H-2A Temporary Agricultural Visa Program and reforms proposed by the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. In this policy analysis, we draw on media content analysis and qualitative interviews to compare the viewpoints of farmers, workers, grower and worker advocacy groups, intermediary agents, and politicians. We find that perspectives on the program are dependent upon actors’ level of direct interaction with workers. Moderate-sized farmers and regionally based worker advocacy groups tend to be the most concerned with day-to-day program operations and fair working conditions. In contrast, national-level advocacy groups, intermediary agents, and politicians are less critical of the program and seek to broadly expand farmer access to guestworkers, justifying proposed program reforms with discourses of national food security and immigration reform. Ultimately, we suggest that engaging a food systems lens to understand these policies provides a more nuanced perspective, addressing national food security and immigration as related issues.
9. Smallholders farmers' attitudes and determinants of adaptation to climate risks in East Africa
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Shikuku, Kelvin M. (author), Winowiecki, Leigh (author), Twyman, Jennifer (author), Eitzinger, Anton (author), Perez, Juan G. (author), Mwongera, Caroline (author), and Läderach, Peter (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2017-03-08
- Published:
- Africa
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 169 Document Number: D08757
- Journal Title:
- Climate Risk Management
- Journal Title Details:
- 16 : 234-245
10. Using ICT to strengthen agricultural extension systems for plant health
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Wright, Holly Jane (author), Ochilo, Willis (author), Pearson, Aislinn (author), Finegold, Cambria (author), Oronje, Mary Lucy (author), Wanjohi, James (author), Kamau, Rose (author), Holmes, Timothy (author), and Rumsey, Abigail (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2016
- Published:
- Taylor & Francis
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 16 Document Number: D10458
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Agricultural & Food Information
- Journal Title Details:
- 17(1): 23-36
- Notes:
- 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.