17 pages, via online journal, The greatest challenge now facing agricultural science is not how to increase production overall but how to enable resource-poor farmers to produce more.
The transfer-of-technology (TOT) model of agricultural research is part of the normal professionalism of agricultural scientists. In this model, scientists largely determine research priorities, develop technologies in controlled conditions, and then hand them over to agricultural extension to transfer to farmers. Although strong structures and incentives sustain this normal professionalism, many now recognise the challenge of its bad fit with the needs and conditions of hundreds of millions of resource-poor farm (RPF) families. In response to this problem, the TOT model has been adapted and extended through multi-disciplinary farming systems research (FSR) and on-farm trials. These responses retain power in the hands of scientists. Information is obtained from farmers and processed and analysed in order to identify what might be good for them. A missing element is methods to encourage and enable resource-poor farmers themselves to meet and work out what they need and want.
Carmenta, Rachel (author), Coomes, David A. (author), DeClerck, Fabrice A.J. (author), Hart, Abigail K. (author), Harvey, Celia A. (author), Milder, Jeff (author), Reed, James (author), Vira, Bhaskar (author), and Estrada-Carmona, Natalia (author)
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2020
Published:
International
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 132 Document Number: D11357
Online via open access., Researchers gathered survey data on 104 integrated landscape initiatives (ILIs) within Latin America and the Caribbean jurisdictions of Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. Findings suggested four distinct strategies existed, two of which were only weakly integrated and another two of which were more ambitiously attempting integration, engaging more sectors and scales of governance, and targeting the structural barriers to sustainability.
9pgs, This research was conducted in Swabi district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the aims to study the knowledge of farmers and to evaluate the perceptions of the farmers about Climate Change (CC). To accomplish these objectives primary data was collected from 98 randomly selected farmers by structure questionnaire through face to face interview method and was analysed by using descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that majority (93%) of farmers were aware of CC phenomena and perceived changes in temperature (89%) and precipitation (86%) during the last decade. Crop diversification, soil and water management practices and application of necessary farm inputs were the farmer’s preferred adaptive strategies to CC. Barriers to adaptive strategies were the ineffective government support, lack of capital, information and extension services, traditional beliefs and high cost of farm inputs. The study concludes that climate is changing and the farmers are practicing different adaptive strategies to overcome this problem, but still there is a space for more scientifically verified strategies which can boost the farmer’s productivity and increased the overall wellbeing for the future sustainability of farming.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 199 Document Number: D10013
Notes:
Research summary from Corteva Agriscience retrieved online via Agri Marketing Weekly. 2 pages., Results of a survey among 4,160 respondents from 17 countries.
