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2. A novel NGO approach to facilitate the adoption of sustainable innovations in low-income countries: lessons from small-scale farms in Nicaragua
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Dyck, Bruno (author) and Silvestre, Bruno S. (author)
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2018
- Published:
- SAGE Journals
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 18 Document Number: D10522
- Journal Title:
- Organization Studies
- Journal Title Details:
- 40(3): 443–461
- Notes:
- 19 pages., via online journal., There are about 500 million small-scale farms in low-income countries on the planet. Farmers have been slow to adopt a threefold set of sustainable agronomic practices known as “conservation agriculture” (CA) that have been shown to double productivity. Our study of a novel CA project in Nicaragua, organized based on principles that counter convention, may point to improved ways of understanding and managing sustainable innovations in low-income countries. In particular, by connecting core ideas from the innovation literature to the literature that explores the role of intermediaries such as NGOs, our case study suggests that the efficacy of NGOs to facilitate the adoption of sustainable innovations by small-scale farmers in these settings may be enhanced if NGOs employ non-centrist approaches in order to address the critical uncertainties associated with such innovations. We discuss how our findings contradict some of long-standing arguments in the literature, and their implications for theory and practice.
3. Closing the extension gap: Information and communication technology in sustainable agriculture
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Lubell, Mark (author), McRoberts, Neil (author), and University of California, Davis
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2018-10
- Published:
- Richmond, CA: University of California, Oakland, Division of Agriculture & Natural Resources
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 7 Document Number: D10260
- Journal Title:
- California Agriculture
- Journal Title Details:
- 74(4) : 236-242
- Notes:
- 7 pages., As the information revolution sweeps through the agricultural sector, extension professionals may be lagging behind their clients in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) such as social media, which could be a valuable tool for outreach and education. We surveyed sustainable agriculture stakeholders in California - extension professionals, county agricultural commissioners, and members of farm bureaus and producer groups - to measure their ICT behavior and attitudes. Drawing on diffusion of innovation theory, we characterized the innovation attributes of ICT that may influence the adoption and use of new technology among extension professionals. We also studied their demographic characteristics to establish whether there was a connection with ICT use. The main perceived benefit of ICT was that it can quickly reach larger, more diverse and more distant audiences. The perceived challenges included lack of professional support, the potential for misinformation on social media platforms, and the time requirements and technical complexity of technology use. Extension professionals experienced these challenges more than other sustainable agriculture stakeholders, creating a technology gap between extension professionals and their clientele. An ICT community of practice and clear organizational guidelines for measuring and reporting performance relating to ICT might help extension professionals dose the gap.
4. Closing the extension gap: information and communication technology in sustainable agriculture
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Lubell, Mark (author) and McRoberts, Neil (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2018
- Published:
- USA
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 131 Document Number: D11331
- Journal Title:
- California Agriculture
- Journal Title Details:
- 72(4) : 236-242
- Notes:
- Online from https://doaj.org, Authors examined extension professionals, county agricultural commissioners, and members of farm bureaus and producer groups regarding their behavior and attitudes about use of information and communication technologies (ITCs). Results indicated that extension professionals experienced challenges in using ICTs more than the other sustainable agriculture stakeholders, "creating a technology gap between extension professionals and their clientele." Authors suggested use of an ICT community of practice and clear organizational guidelines for measuring and reporting performance related to ICT.
5. Educational needs and perceptions of the sustainability of precision agriculture: survey evidence from Greece
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Kountio, Georgios (author), Ragkos, Athanasios (author), Bournaris, Thomas (author), Papadavid, Georgios (author), and Michailidis, Anastasios (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2018-06
- Published:
- Springer Science & Business Media
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 93 Document Number: D10860
- Journal Title:
- Precision Agriculture
- Journal Title Details:
- 19(3) : 537-554
- Notes:
- 28 pages., Via Science Direct., Precision agriculture (PA) constitutes a dynamic production method which is gaining attention in several parts of the world. Its environmental and economic sustainability has been examined in terms of its ability to reduce the adverse effects of agrochemical use—by regulating their application to the levels needed at the land parcel level—and of its contribution to higher incomes and profitability. At the social level, PA has been linked to collective action although little insight is available regarding the role of various actors and education. This study tackles PA through an assessment of the attitudes of farmers towards the elements of its sustainability and of their educational needs. The analysis of survey data of a sample of young farmers in Greece showed that the majority of respondents were not familiar with PA. Significant differences were found between the attitudes of knowledgeable and non-knowledgeable farmers, the former demonstrating better acknowledgement of the environmental, economic and social sustainability of PA. Important educational needs were also detected, with group and individual methods being the most preferred ones for education and information campaigns. The results of the analysis could be of use for the design of Common Agricultural Policy Pillar II measures for the promotion of PA targeting to specific audiences and actors.
6. Factors influencing farmers' adoption of best management practices: a review and synthesis
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Liu, Tingting (author), Bruins, Randall J.F. (author), and Heberling, Matthew T. (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2018
- Published:
- International
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 198 Document Number: D09653
- Journal Title:
- Sustainability
- Journal Title Details:
- 10, 432
7. Information provision by public library to agricultural extension agents in a developing country
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Idiegbeyan-Ose, Jerome (author), Owolabi, Ayotunde (author), Segun-Adeniran, Chidi (author), Aregbesola, Ayooluwa (author), Emmanuel Owolabi, Sola (author), and Eyiolorunshe, Toluwani (author)
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2018-12-10
- Published:
- Taylor & Francis
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 114 Document Number: D10996
- Journal Title:
- Public Library Quarterly
- Journal Title Details:
- 38(1) : 103-115
- Notes:
- 14 pages., One of the bedrock of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is eradication of poverty and hunger. In an attempt to actualize this goal, the role of public libraries in information provision to agricultural extension agents in Nigeria becomes paramount. This paper discusses provision of information to agricultural extension agents in a developing country. It starts with the concept of extension agents and the essence of information provision to them. It further discusses types, sources and challenges of public libraries in information provision to agricultural extension workers in a developing country. Some of the challenges are as follows: poor funding of public libraries, demotivated staff, and so on. Based on these discussions, the paper recommended adequate training and retraining of staff, adequate funding of public libraries by the federal, state and local government, the revitalization of the abandoned mobile library services among others. The paper therefore concludes that information provision to agricultural extension agents by public library is very crucial for national development. The current state of poverty, hunger and lack in Nigeria and some other African countries could be reduced to a great extent if current, relevant and up-to-date information are provided by libraries to the concerned agencies.
8. Microbial magic could help slash your dinner's carbon footprint
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Thomasy, Hannah (author)
- Format:
- Online article
- Publication Date:
- 2018-06-29
- Published:
- USA
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 198 Document Number: D09752
- Notes:
- NPR: The Salt. 6 pages.
9. The importance of the public acceptance theory in determining the success of the vertical farming projects
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Kalantari, Fatemeh (author), Tahir, Osman Mohd (author), Akbari Joni, Rahele (author), and Aminuldin, Nur Azemah (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2018-03
- Published:
- International
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 93 Document Number: D10856
- Journal Title:
- Management Research and Practice
- Journal Title Details:
- 10(1) : 5-16
- Notes:
- Via UIUC online collection., "Existing empirical studies mostly focus on the construction technology or the agricultural technique of Vertical Farming. So far, no research addressed the factors contributing to the acceptance or rejection of Vertical Farming. ... A comprehensive literature reviewed on public acceptance of Vertical Farming in relation to the food security." ... "Public perception will be a key factor predicting the success of a project."
10. Towards a dialogue of sustainable agriculture and end-times theology in the United States: insights from the historical ecology of nineteenth century millennial communes
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Fisher, Chelsea (author) and Department of Anthropology, Museum of Anthropological Archaeology, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, USA
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2018-07-09
- Published:
- Springer Netherlands
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 151 Document Number: D10126
- Journal Title:
- Agriculture and Human Values
- Journal Title Details:
- 35(4) : 791–807
- Notes:
- 17 pages., Print ISSN: 0889-048X Online ISSN: 1572-8366, Via online journal., Almost one-third of all U.S. Americans believe that Jesus Christ will return to Earth in the next 40 years, thereby signaling the end of the world. The prevalence of this end-times theology has meant that sustainability initiatives are often met with indifference, resistance, or even hostility from a significant portion of the American population. One of the ways that the scientific community can respond to this is by making scientific discourse, particularly as related to sustainability, more palatable to end-times believers. In this paper, I apply a historical–ecological framework, which emphasizes the interdisciplinary study of landscapes to understand long-term human–environment interactions, to three millennial religious groups that formed communes in nineteenth century America. The Shakers, Inspirationalists, and Mormons all blended deep beliefs in end-times theology with agricultural practices that were arguably more sustainable than those in use in the mainstream, and their ability to reconcile eschatology with sustainability provides us with potential lessons. By examining the history, doctrines, and agroecology of these nineteenth century communes, I propose communication strategies based in autonomy, institutional support, multigenerational narratives, and anthropocentricism as potential pathways for a more productive dialogue between advocates of sustainability initiatives and end-times believers in the modern United States.