Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 138 Document Number: D05764
Notes:
Extension Methods 1. From AgroInsight, Ghent, Belgium. 1 page., Summary of research suggesting that the attitude of the extension staff when working with farmers can be as important as the extension method itself. 1 page.
9 pages., Via online journal., In a world where the notion of ‘sharing of knowledge’ has been gained much prominence in the recent past, the importance of information and communications technologies (ICTs) to promote sustainable agriculture, especially when combined with mobile and open source software technologies is discussed critically. On this rationale, this study was carried out to explore the applicability of the concept of converging ‘Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)’ to promote sustainable knowledge sharing amongst the agricultural communities in Sri Lanka. A multi-stage community consultative process with a set of designated officials (“Sponsors”) and a series of semi-structured questionnaire survey with a cross section of smallholder agriculture farmers (n=246), were carried out in the Batticaloa, Kurunegala and Puttalam districts to gather the baseline data. This was followed by a number of field experiments (“Campaigns”) with the farmers (n=340) from same geographical areas. The two FOSS, namely: (1) “FrontlineSMS” for ‘Text Messaging’ and (2) “FreedomFone” for ‘Interactive Voice Responses’, were applied to evaluate the effectiveness of knowledge sharing within the farming communities. It was found that FOSS intervention increases the ‘Text messaging’ and ‘Voice Call’ usage in day-to-day agricultural communication by 26 and 8 percent, respectively. The demographic factors like age and income level of the farmers has positively influence on the knowledge sharing process. And also the ‘Mobile Telephony’ was the most extensive mode of communication within the communities. The outcome of analysis, as a whole, implies that, with a fitting mechanism in place, this approach can be promoted as a “drive for positive changes” in agriculture-based rural communities in developing countries like Sri Lanka, and those in South and East Asia with similar socio-economic and cultural perspectives.
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."
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: C36718
Notes:
Pages 39-75 in Tim Unwin (ed.), ICT4D: Information and Communication Technology for Development. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K. 386 pages.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 196 Document Number: D08035
Notes:
John L. Woods Collection, Involves Rebuilding Afghanistan’s Agricultural Market Program (RAMP). Project of Chemonics International, Inc., Washington, D. C.,, funded by the U. S. Agency for International Development, Washington, D. C. 5 pages.
Mangheni, Margaret Nijjingo (author), Ssenkaali, Mulondo (author), and Onyai, Fred (author)
Format:
Book chapter
Publication Date:
2010-01-01
Published:
Uganda
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D08696
Notes:
Pages 24-33 in Gordon Wilson, Pamela Furniss and Richard Kimbowa (eds.), Environment, development and sustainability: perspectives and cases from around the world. Oxford University Press, Oxford, England. 290 pages.
