Montgomery, Stephanie C. (author), Martin, Robert J. (author), Guppy, Chris (author), Wright, Graeme C. (author), Tighe, Matthew K. (author), and Agronomy and Soil Science, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England
Format:
Online journal article
Publication Date:
2017-11
Published:
Australia: Science Direct
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 106 Document Number: D10937
9 pages, via online journal, Upland farming in Northwest Cambodia has developed rapidly over the last 20 years, with limitations to the plough based system now apparent, including soil degradation and reductions in yield and profitability. A survey was conducted in order to prioritise the main constraints to production, to aid in future research planning, and to identify potential beneficial modifications to the current system. Three hundred and ninety one farmers were interviewed regarding their current farming system constraints, knowledge of conservation agriculture and their future plans in the Districts of Samlout in Battambang Province and Sala Krau in Pailin Province. Perceived major problems in the farming system were extreme climate events such as droughts and heavy rain, declining crop yields, and cash flow shortages, particularly in the pre-monsoon period. This is a plough based farming system, yet 66% of farmers had heard of conservation agriculture, and 59% wanted to learn more about conservation agriculture practices. Two thirds of farmers were interested in how to grow crops in the post-monsoon dry season on residual soil moisture. The survey highlighted opportunities for farmer education and adoption of farming system modifications to improve productivity and sustainability of the farming system in Northwest Cambodia, and assist with climate change adaptation.
Hauser, Michael (author), Lindtner, Mara (author), Prehsler, Sarah (author), Probst, Lorenz (author), and University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria
Format:
Online journal article
Publication Date:
2016-07-30
Published:
Austria: Science Direct
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 109 Document Number: D10962
9 pages, via online journal, Farmers who engage in farmer participatory research (FPR) change their established social roles in households and communities. As such, comprehension of farmers’ role transitions is important to understand the extrinsic and intrinsic factors impeding or supporting the uptake and use of FPR by farmers. The existing FPR literature, however, does not address such role transitions. In this study, we analyzed farmers’ experiences with FPR and underlying role transitions in a commercial organic agriculture project in western Uganda. We drew on quantitative and qualitative data from interviews, group discussions, and observations involving farmers and extension workers. Our results suggest extrinsic and intrinsic factors affect farmers’ self-conception, influencing their willingness to participate in FPR. The level of alignment between the self-conception and the anticipated role determines farmers’ decision regarding participation in FPR and affects their response pattern. Farmers’ response pattern and individual set of inhibitors and facilitators lead to the experience of role insufficiency or role mastery, which is crucial for farmers’ continuation or termination of on-farm experiments. Understanding and facilitating role transitions is, therefore, essential for sustaining on-farm experiments, which complements current technical FPR training.
9 pages, via online journal, The overall willingness of smallholder farmers to adopt new green technologies remains low, in spite of the great progress made in understanding the factors that affect their decision. The present study introduces an interdisciplinary approach combining positive psychology and sustainable development studies to show that two personal resources – self-control (a learned repertoire of goal-directed skills that enable people to act upon their aims) and cognitive goal-oriented hope (the ability to follow different routes to pursue one's goal), prompt the adoption of technologies by smallholder farmers. Both personal resources facilitate achieving future goals and changing existing circumstances. A theoretical moderation model on the adoption of agricultural technologies aimed to protect soil degradation in Nepal is proposed and empirically tested. Data were collected from 268 households in the Jhapa district by a face-to-face questionnaire. A multiple regression analysis tested and confirmed the hypothesized moderation model. Following the discovery of a significant interaction, the nature of the interaction was farther explored by calculating simple slopes. Analysis results show a significant positive connection between self-control (p-value = 0.002), hope (p-value = 0.005), information (p-value < 0.001), and technology adoption. Self-control was also found to have a significant moderating effect in enhancing a positive association between receiving information and technology adoption (p-value = 0.017). In addition to its theoretical innovation and empirical contribution, the importance of this study lies in its practical implications, given that policy, education, and communication may influence hope and self-control levels.