Eitzinger, Anton (author), Cock, James (author), Atzmanstorfer, Karl (author), Binder, Claudia R. (author), Läderach, Peter (author), Bonilla-Findji, Osana (author), Bartlin, Mona (author), Mwongera, Caroline (author), Zurita, Leo (author), and Jarvis, Andy (author)
Format:
Online journal article
Publication Date:
2019-03
Published:
Germany: Elsevier
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 7 Document Number: D10292
13 pages., Via online journal., Farmers can manage their crops and farms better if they can communicate their experiences, both positive and negative, with each other and with experts. Digital agriculture using internet communication technology (ICT) may facilitate the sharing of experiences between farmers themselves and with experts and others interested in agriculture. ICT approaches in agriculture are, however, still out of the reach of many farmers. The reasons are lack of connectivity, missing capacity building and poor usability of ICT applications. We decided to tackle this problem through cost-effective, easy to use ICT approaches, based on infrastructure and services currently available to small-scale producers in developing areas. Working through a participatory design approach, we developed and tested a novel technology. GeoFarmer provides near real-time, two-way data flows that support processes of co-innovation in agricultural development projects. It can be used as a cost-effective ICT-based platform to monitor agricultural production systems with interactive feedback between the users, within pre-defined geographical domains. We tested GeoFarmer in four geographic domains associated with ongoing agricultural development projects in East and West Africa and Latin America. We demonstrate that GeoFarmer is a cost-effective means of providing and sharing opportune indicators of on-farm performance. It is a potentially useful tool that farmers and agricultural practitioners can use to manage their crops and farms better, reduce risk, increase productivity and improve their livelihoods.
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
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.
