Online from publisher website., By embracing modern technology and engaging enthusiastic young people, the work of an NGO in Malawi is extending the reach of agricultural extension across the country.
3 pages., Online from publisher website., Following a training course in technology stewardship, actors in the Caribbean's agri-food sector are implementing ICT approaches to provide agricultural advice and support to their local communities
International: Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation, ACP-EU, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 153 Document Number: D11614
Notes:
3 pages., Online from publisher., Author addresses "large gap between African extension services ... and the number of farmers being reached." ... "Africa's existing mobile network (currently the second biggest mobile market in the world) could be better utilised to bridge this gap and provide mobile-based agricultural information, advice and support to smallholder farmers."
4 pages., Online from publisher., "For the first time, a landmark report on digitalisation for agriculture (D4Ag) in Africa compiles and highlights data on digital solutions that are enabling the transformation of African agriculture."
Broughton, Duncan (author) and Win, Su Su (author)
Format:
Research summary
Publication Date:
2019
Published:
Myanmar: Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 166 Document Number: D11673
Notes:
7 pages., Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy, Research Paper 131, Burma Food Security Policy Project (FSPP)., Analysis revealed that Myanmar has one of the smallest, most underfunded agricultural research systems in Southeast Asia. It is cited as having critical gaps in research capacity, an agricultural research capacity that is highly fragmented, weak linkages between research and extension at local level, and lack of overall strategy for development of agricultural research and extension. Strong economic justification was cited for higher rates of investment in agricultural research, along with recommendations for action.
Ngoma, Hambulo (author), Mason-Wardell, Nichole M. (author), Samboko, Paul C. (author), and Hangoma, Peter (author)
Format:
Research summary
Publication Date:
2019
Published:
Zambia: Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 166 Document Number: D11674
Notes:
4 pages., Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy, Research Paper 164., Using games, researchers tested the hypothesis that innate behavioral traits such as risk and time preferences play a role in Zambia farmers' decisions about adoption of Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices. "Given our findings that more risk-averse individuals are less likely to adopt CSA, a practice that is intended to be risk-reducing, a key policy implication is the need for a retooling of both public and private extension services to better demonstrate and educate farmers on the risk-reducing effect of CSA practices such as conservation agriculture. Moreover, if insurance and subsidies are to be used successfully to nudge adoption, extension will need to educate farmers on the structure of and mechanisms of payouts. This is important to build trust in the incentive systems.
Suvedi, Murari (author) and Kaplowitz, Michael (author)
Format:
Introduction
Publication Date:
2016-02
Published:
International: U.S. Agency for International Development, Washington, D.C.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 201 Document Number: D11774
Notes:
MEAS Handbook. URL to it provided online from Modernizing Extension and Advisory Services (MEAS), University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and Department of Community Sustainability, Michigan State University, East Lansing. Printed 6-page introduction and contents section of this 193-page handbook, which was sponsored by USAID Feed the Future initiative., Process skills and competency tools for front-line extension staff to use in their day-to-day work. Handbook offers a set of tools for effective communication, program planning and evaluation. It is meant to support and educate agricultural extension workers worldwide.
10 pages, Extension faculty are tasked with developing and communicating educational programs to local clientele, and communication skills are a considerable piece of the Extension faculty job. Thus, UF/IFAS Extension included a communication portion to the on-board training for newly hired Extension faculty to develop their design skills so they can more effectively communicate through their educational and marketing materials. We used Rogers’ (2003) innovation-decision process to assess Florida early career Extension faculty’s adoption of design principles after completion of the 2019 UF/IFAS Extension Faculty Development Academy. Thirty-two Extension faculty completed the spring and fall sessions of the Academy. A mixed methods approach was utilized to gather survey data at the immediate completion of the Academy and qualitative, telephone interview data four to five months after completing the Academy. The faculty retrospectively perceived they increased their knowledge about design principles. They had an overwhelmingly positive attitude about learning design principles to better their communication efforts, but they decided not to fully adopt design principles in their work as other information and elements of learning their job took precedent.
16 pages, Agricultural extension is one of the essential services that are offered by the South African Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development (DALRRD), to facilitate agricultural development in rural communities. The significance of agricultural extension is that it offers new knowledge to farmers and allows space for growth through various interventions such as agrarian transformation and improving livelihoods through the promotion of agriculture as a vehicle for ‘pro-poor’ economic growth. However, there is a concern that extension services are invisible in resource-restricted and previously marginalised rural communities. The study presented in this paper examined farmer’s experiences with extension practitioners and the impact of a lack of extension services on the development of impoverished rural communities. The researchers adopted a qualitative design wherein six focus group discussions were held to gather data from the farmers. Data were analyzed using ATLAS.ti22, a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS). Four themes of extension services that have a direct linkage to livelihood development, namely, the impact on rural livelihoods, production challenges, marketability, and economic impact, and the invisibility of extension services, were the central point of discussion.
12 pages, The study assessed the capability of extension agents in disseminating Climate Change (CC) information in Delta State, Nigeria. A multi-stage procedure was used in selecting 60 respondents. Data were collected on respondents’ capacity for outreach to farmers; existence of linkage on CC and sources of information on CC, constraints to building capacities for outreach and strategies to strengthen capacities. Mean, percentage, were used for analysis. Findings showed the existence of training on CC (23.3%) and practical learning experience on CC adaptation (20.0%). Lack of human resources (x= 3.30) and training programmes on CC (x= 3.23) were constraints to building capacities for outreach. Organization of seminars, workshops (x= 3.58), proper staffing (x= 3.57), provision of incentives (x= 3.55) were suggested as strategies to strengthen capacity for outreach. Extension agents in the state lack the requisite facilities for outreach to farmers on climate change agricultural adaptation. Also, there are inadequate human and material resources necessary for effective coverage of the farming population. Government and development organizations should hire qualified extension personnel and provide weather observatory for CC outreach in Delta State.
International: Asian Productivity Organization, Tokyo, Japan.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: C25331
Notes:
Report of an APO study meeting, February 25-March 6, 1992, in Tokyo, Japan. 259 pages., Includes four papers about agricultural and extension information systems in Japan. Also includes brief country reports from Bangladesh, Republic of China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
