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    2. Awareness level of use of Information Communication Technologies tools among Extension officers in the North- West Province, South Africa

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    Collection:
    Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
    Contributers:
    Mabe LK (author), Oladele OI (author), and Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, North –West University Mafikeng Campus, South Africa.
    Format:
    Online journal article
    Publication Date:
    2012-01
    Location:
    Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 109 Document Number: D10986
    Journal Title:
    Life Science Journal
    Journal Title Details:
    9(3) : 440-444
    Notes:
    5 pages., A simple random sampling technique was used to select 169 extension officers to examine their level of awareness of information communication technologies in North West Province, South Africa. Data were collected with structured questionnaire and analysed using frequency counts, percentages and multiple regression analysis. The results show that majority of the extension officers were male (76%) with the mean age of 44.6 years, married (79%) and 82.5% were Christians. Forty one percent of the extension officers had Diploma as their educational qualification and a mean of 16.7 years as working experience. The results revealed that out of the 37 ICT tools listed, extension officers indicated high level of awareness of nine tools, which include mobile phones (1.79), computer (1.68), internet (1.77), overhead projector (1.62), fax machines (1.60), organization e mail (1.58), fixed telephone (1.52), personal email (1.52) and organization website (1.50). Significant determinants of awareness level were were religion (t = 1.91, p = 0.58); constraints to ICT use (t = 1.78, p = 0.78); importance of ICT tool (t = 1.93; p = 0.63) and 2 were significant at 0.05% which were competence on ICT use (t= 3.50; p = .001); (t= 2.0, p = .003). The study recommends that more information communication technologies should be made available to extension officers, so that they will become more aware of the use of ICT in extension work as tools that can gather and disseminate agricultural information.

    3. Challenges Facing Agricultural Extension Agents: A Case Study from South-western Ethiopia

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    Collection:
    Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
    Contributers:
    Belay, Kassa (author) and Abebaw, Degnet (author)
    Format:
    Journal article
    Publication Date:
    2004-04
    Published:
    Ethiopia
    Location:
    Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 161 Document Number: C26593
    Journal Title:
    African Development Review
    Journal Title Details:
    16(1): 139-168

    4. Factors affecting performance of agricultural extension: evidence from Democratic Republic of Congo

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    Collection:
    Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
    Contributers:
    Ragasa, Catherina (author), Ulimwengo, John (author), Randriamamonjy, Josee (author), Badibanga, Thaddee (author), and International Food Policy Research Institution Washington, DC office Western and Central Africa Regional Office
    Format:
    Online journal article
    Publication Date:
    2016-04
    Published:
    Netherlands: Taylor and Francis
    Location:
    Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 108 Document Number: D10953
    Journal Title:
    Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension
    Journal Title Details:
    22(2) : 113-143
    Notes:
    32 pages, via online journal article, Purpose: As part of the institutional reforms and agricultural restructuring in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), this paper provides an assessment of the performance of the agricultural extension system as well as factors explaining it. Method: This paper involves key informants’ interviews and surveys of 107 extension organizations and 162 extension agents in randomly selected 156 villages, analyzed using qualitative and logistic regression methods. Findings and Practical Implications: Results show that despite having one of the highest extension agent-to-farmer ratio and a pluralistic extension system, DRC fails to deliver knowledge and technologies to rural areas due to lack of coordination, no unified and clear policy and mandate, lack of funding, aging and low competencies of agents, and lack of mobility and interactions of agents with key actors. This paper complements findings by other studies that number of agents is not a sufficient indication of performance, but an effective system needs to focus on the enabling environment for agents to be motivated to work as mandated. In this paper, enabling conditions that are found to be statistically significant are external funding, enforcement of performance targets, systems of rewards and sanctions, mobility to foster linkages, and skills development. Originality: This paper contributes by: (1) analyzing a cross-section of various organizations and agents to identify factors that explain variations in performance in a statistical and systematic approach; (2) providing insights on how to prioritize investments and options for a fragile state like DRC, with weak infrastructure and institutional capacity and with a long history of neglect for their national extension system; and (3) illustrating how a rich and well-cited conceptual framework can be implemented empirically to provide policy options for a country like DRC.

    5. Identifying respondent group representation in extension capacity assessments: a meta-synthesis of the literature and a primary study

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    Collection:
    Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
    Contributers:
    Lamm, Kevan W. (author), Powell, Alyssa (author), Lamm, Alexa (author), and Davis, Kristin E. (author)
    Format:
    Journal article
    Publication Date:
    2021-12-29
    Published:
    USA: New Prairie Press
    Location:
    Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 205 Document Number: D12685
    Journal Title:
    Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education
    Journal Title Details:
    Vol. 28, Iss. 5
    Notes:
    33 pages, A key factor in determining the future of agricultural extension efforts is ensuring that the voices of those who need to be heard are represented at all stages of the decision-making process. As agricultural extension becomes increasingly globalized, it is critical that the diversity of voices represented within capacity assessments likewise increases. Using two distinct approaches, the present study attempts to address a current gap within the extension literature specifically related to extension assessment respondent groups. First, 97 extension related assessment manuscripts were identified during a literature review and analyzed for respondent group. The results indicated most studies included only one respondent group. Among these assessments clientele and Beneficiaries and Formal Power Roles were the respondent group categories most frequently examined. Next, a primary study was conducted to identify which respondent groups should be represented in capacity assessment according to agricultural extension experts. The panelists had the highest level of agreement regarding the inclusion of extension clientele and beneficiaries within capacity assessments. However, panelists agreed that representation from outside influences and formal power roles were also important to include in the capacity assessment process. The results indicate extension networks should purposively include a diverse set of respondents when conducting assessments to ensure a comprehensive perspective is represented.

    8. Public extension agents' need for new competencies: evidence from a climate variability study in Limpopo Province, South Africa

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    Collection:
    Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
    Contributers:
    Afful, D.B. (author)
    Format:
    Journal article
    Publication Date:
    2016-01-01
    Published:
    South Africa: SciELO
    Location:
    Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 204 Document Number: D12472
    Journal Title:
    South African Journal of Agricultural Extension
    Journal Title Details:
    Vol 44 (2)
    Notes:
    11 pages, Changes occurring in the Extension environment include that of climate. Reduced and sporadic rainfall is among the effects of climate change and variability with consequent negative effects on food production. Smallholder agriculture in most developing countries world-wide, including South Africa, is largely rain-fed. Extension agents, therefore, need to constantly improve their capabilities to remain useful to farming communities. The purpose of the paper is to determine Extension agents' climate variability coping competencies required to effectively support smallholder crop farmers' production. The study adopted a multi-stage random sampling approach to site and respondents' selection. Semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data in 2014 from smallholder crop farmers in four municipalities of Limpopo province. Information was also collected from Extension managers and field-level extension agents of the Limpopo Department of Agriculture by means of questionnaires. The most popular climate variability coping strategy promoted by most extension agents was conservation agriculture. Small yield differences between Extension service-recipients and non-recipients indicate that Extension support has minimal effect on farmers' production. Agents need new competencies regarding correct application conservation agriculture. The study recommends the involvement of extension agents, scientists and farmers in adaptive trials for effective implementation of conservation agricultural practices to improve crop yields.

    9. Realizing the potential of digital development: The case of agricultural advice

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    Collection:
    Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
    Contributers:
    Schilbach, Frani (author), Kremer, Michael (author), and Fabregas, Raissa (author)
    Format:
    Journal article
    Publication Date:
    2019-12-13
    Published:
    United States: American Association for the Advancement of Science
    Location:
    Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 204 Document Number: D12491
    Journal Title:
    Science
    Journal Title Details:
    Vol 366, Issue 6471
    Notes:
    12 pages, Mobile phones are almost universally available, and the costs of information transmission are low. They are used by smallholder farmers in low-income countries, largely successfully, to optimize markets for their produce. Fabregas et al. review the potential for boosting mobile phone use with smartphones to deliver not only market information but also more sophisticated agricultural extension advice. GPS-linked smartphones could provide locally relevant weather and pest information and video-based farming advice. But how to support the financial requirements of such extension services is less obvious, given the unwieldiness of government agencies and the vested interests of commercial suppliers.

    10. Rural Farmers' Problems Accessing Agricultural Information: A Case Study of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria

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    Collection:
    Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
    Contributers:
    Obidike, Nnenna (author)
    Format:
    Journal article
    Publication Date:
    2011-11-01
    Published:
    United States: University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln.
    Location:
    Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 204 Document Number: D12353
    Journal Title:
    Library Philosophy and Practice
    Journal Title Details:
    Vol. 660
    Notes:
    12 pages, Rural farmers account for the greater part of the population of any developing country such as Nigeria. Governments of developing countries have a major responsibility of ensuring that there is adequate rural development in their various communities and local governments which would lead to effective and efficient agricultural systems that will not only supply food and animal protein but also foster the utilization of natural resources in a sustainable manner (CGIAR, 1995). When the rural farmers lack access to knowledge and information that would help them achieve maximum agricultural yield, they are not only grope in the dark but are driven to the urban centres in search of formal employment, as the only option for survival (Munyua, 2000). Blait (1996) pointed out that the least expensive input for improved rural agricultural development is adequate access to knowledge and information in areas of new agricultural technologies, early warning systems (drought, pests, diseases etc), improved seedlings, fertilizer, credit, market prices etc. There have been short-comings of traditional print and library based methods (Van and Fortier, 2000) of providing such agricultural information to rural farmers who are generally illiterate and relatively remote from formal sources of information (e.g. extension stations, libraries). Aina (2007) also, was of the opinion that farmers would benefit from global information, if information centres, are cited in rural areas complete with all information and communication gadgets. Rural farmers in Nsukka local government area of Enugu state are not noted to produce enough food, probably due to some constraints that lead to lack of access to timely and up-to-date information which would have enabled them to achieve optimal yield from their farmlands. Such information is highly desired by these farmers and can only be made available to them via extension workers, community libraries, state and local government agricultural agencies (ADP, ENADEP etc), e-mail or the World Wide Web (WWW) in a telecentre (Telecommons Development Group, 2000). In this modern day of information technology, telecentres provide the rural farmers with prompt and reliable information about what is happening in areas of improved seedlings, better methods of cultivation and fertilizer application, pest and weed control/eradication, new advances in livestock production and disease control etc. Where rural farmers are not faced with constraints in accessing agricultural information, traditional media such as rural radio, has been used in delivering agricultural messages to rural farmers (Munyua, 2000). Other ways of delivering these messages or information to the rural farmers include print, video, television, films, slides, pictures, drama, dance, folklore, group discussions, meetings, exhibitions and demonstrations (Munyua, 2000). The lack of access to basic agricultural knowledge and information by rural farmers in Nsukka local government area of Enugu State which may be as a result of certain constraints has made these farmers to stick to their old traditional methods of farming system and animal husbandry practice, hence resulting in poor crop and livestock productivity. Information and knowledge are very vital in agricultural development of any community and where they are poorly disseminated as a result of certain constraints, the community’s agricultural development becomes highly impeded. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the constraints of the rural farmers in Nsukka local government area of Enugu State in accessing agricultural information.