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2. Climate-adapted soil cultivation as an aspect for sustainable farming – task-technology-fit of a decision support system
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Guenther-Lübbers, Welf (author), Arens, Ludwig (author), and Theuvsen, Ludwig (author)
- Format:
- Journal Article
- Publication Date:
- 2013
- Published:
- Germany
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 144 Document Number: D06519
- Journal Title:
- International Journal on Food System Dynamics
- Journal Title Details:
- 4(1) : 64-72
- Notes:
- 9 pages.
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. Determinants of soil conservation technologies among small-scale farmers in Tanzania: evidence from national panel survey
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Lasway, Jovin Aveline (author), Temba, George Raphael (author), and Ruhinduka, Remidius Denis (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2020
- Published:
- International
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 131 Document Number: D11323
- Journal Title:
- African Journal of Economic Review
- Journal Title Details:
- 8(1) : 89-105
- Notes:
- An analysis of secondary data from the National Panel Survey in Tanzania revealed physical, socioeconomic, and institutional factors influencing the adoption of soil conservation technologies among small-scale maize farmers. Findings revealed, for example, only 13.9 percent of those had adopted soil conservation technology. This was cited as small, compared with other countries.
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. Going digital in agriculture: how radio and SMS can scale-up smallholder participation in legume-based sustainable agricultural intensification practices and technologies in Tanzania
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Silvestri, Silvia (author), Richard, Musebe (author), Edward, Baars (author), Dharmesh, Ganatra (author), and Dannie, Romney (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2020-04-14
- Published:
- International: Taylor & Francis
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D12505
- Journal Title:
- International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability
- Journal Title Details:
- 19
- Notes:
- 11 pages., In 2016, a study was conducted in Tanzania to assess the impact of radio and SMS in scaling-up smallholder participation in legume-based sustainable agricultural intensification (SAI) practices and technologies. The study aimed to answer the following research questions: (i) does participation in the campaign enhance farmers’ knowledge of legume-based sustainable agricultural intensification practices and technologies? (ii) what is the impact of the campaign on the adoption of legume-based sustainable agricultural intensification practices and technologies?; (iii) does exposure to multiple ICT-enabled channels result in larger gains (in terms of knowledge and adoption) than exposure to only one channel? (iv) is it more cost-effective to use radio or SMS alone or use them in combination? The results show that both awareness and adoption are boosted if SMS supports radio campaigns. However, radio alone is the most cost-effective approach. Each dollar spent on the radio campaign results in 2.1 farmers that have adopted at least one new practice, compared with 0.5 farmers for SMS and 0.4 farmers for radio and SMS combined. Other factors were also important in facilitating uptake of legume-based SAI practices, such as gender, age, education and land size, but were not statistically significant when rated against the communication channels used.
8. LIVEKINDLY Collective raises $335 million to accelerate adoption of plant-based living
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Format:
- News release
- Publication Date:
- 2021-03
- Published:
- International
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 203 Document Number: D12187
- Notes:
- Online via AgriMarketing Update. 2 pages., News release announces the close of "a growth funding round of $335 million, including $135 million converted from a prior round, bringing the total funds raised by LIVEKINDLY Collective in its first year to $535 million. With this latest investment, lIVEKINDLY Collective has become one of the top three highest-funded and fastest-growing plant-based food companies globally."
9. Motivations, goals, and benefits associated with organic grain farming by producers in Iowa, U.S
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Han, Guang (author), Arbuckle, J. Gordon (author), and Grudens-Schuck, Nancy (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2020-11-06
- Published:
- United States: Elsevier
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 204 Document Number: D12517
- Journal Title:
- Agricultural Systems
- Journal Title Details:
- 191
- Notes:
- 14 pages., CONTEXT The U.S. has the world's largest organic food market. However, low domestic production and a low adoption rate of organic grain farming limit the overall development of this sector. Multiple organic stakeholders have called for a better understanding of cognitive and motivational aspects of farmers' decision-making processes to help policymakers, agricultural scientists, and extension practitioners to work more effectively with farmers to explore and adopt organic grain production. OBJECTIVE This paper assesses farmers' adoption motivations, long-term goals, and perceived benefits to examine the congruence between initial motivations, long-term goals, and current perceived benefits. METHODS We employed a sequential mixed-method approach that first interviewed organic farmers in Iowa, U.S. Then developed and administered a statewide survey for the organic farmers. Survey data were analyzed with confirmatory factor analysis, paired-samples t-tests, and heteroskedasticity-robust regression models. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS We identified five highly-rated motivations for farmers to adopt organic grain: 1) profitability, 2) personal safety, 3) natural resources stewardship, 4) consumers and public health, and 5) honor and tradition. We found organic farmers' long-term goals are strongly orientated to both productivism and stewardship but less strongly oriented to civic-mindedness. This research assessed five areas of benefits associated with organic grain farming: 1) economic benefit, 2) addressed health concerns, 3) environmental natural resources, 4) values and beliefs validation, and 5) social benefit. This study found the benefits farmers experienced by adopting organic grain farming aligned with most of their original adoption motivations and long-term goals, except for serving the motivation of consumer and public health concerns.
10. Quality of climate-smart agricultural advice offered by private and public sectors extensionists in Mbeere North Sub-County, Kenya
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Glkunda, Raphael (author), Jepkurul, Mary (author), Kiptoo, Simion (author), and Baker, Matthew (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2022-01-19
- Published:
- United States: OJS / PKP
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 204 Document Number: D12500
- Journal Title:
- Advancements in Agricultural Development
- Journal Title Details:
- 3 (1)
- Notes:
- 18 pages, This research adds to the knowledge of extension education by revealing the quality of climate-smart agricultural (CSA) advice offered by private and public extension sectors. The study was aimed at addressing the paucity of empirical data that exists relating to the quality of CSA advice. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, the descriptive and correlational study gathered data from a systematic sample of 115 farmers. There was a moderate positive correlation between extension effectiveness and adoption of CSA. There were significant differences between public, private, and both sectors in relation to the quality of information disseminated. The quality of private sector’s advice was significantly lower than that of public sector and both sectors. There was no significant difference in quality of advice between public sector and both sectors. The quality of CSA advice was generally fair, however, heightened dissemination of CSA practices by both sectors of extension would yield better quality advice thus improve the adoption of the practices among farmers.