12 pages., Via online journal., This article is concerned with the shaping of agricultural knowledge among farmers, in the context of the rapid changes Polish agriculture has been subject to since the time of the country's EU accession. The theoretical underpinnings of this work have been described in terms of the significant notional categories, i.e. knowledge, knowledge-cultures and sources of knowledge. The research made use of the joint interviews method. Interviews were run with representatives of different generations in 10 farming families in central Poland. The main research objective was to determine sources of farming knowledge among farmers. The use of joint interviews allowed for the identification of sources of knowledge of different kinds. These reflect a division into farmers' closer and more distant surroundings, i.e. to the family and neighbours on the one hand, and to institutions and media on the other. Knowledge acquisition among farmers is in fact found to be a complex process, reflecting socialisation in a multi-generation environment of family and neighbours, on the one hand, and the impact of the institutional and legal system, on the other. In a general sense, this corresponds to the well-known division of sources of knowledge into the tacit and the explicit, with the acquisition of tacit (i.e. informal) knowledge not meeting with any more major obstacles thanks to proximity in a sense that may be cultural (i.e. the agriculture itself), family-related (and in fact multi-generation) and spatial (physical proximity in a given locality). Microsocial conditioning thus plays a major role in the shaping of this source of knowledge. However, the most important factor distinguishing contemporary cultures as regards knowledge on farming is the capacity to adapt to conditions set by the institutions supporting the latter's development. Formal knowledge flowing into farming families from their institutional surroundings requires growing adaptability and preparation if a succession of innovations are to be taken on board. The multi-source nature of knowledge and the achievement of some kind of balance in this respect actually poses a major challenge for the future functioning of family farms as cultural microsystems.
14 pages., via online journal,, Effective agricultural extension is key to improving productivity, increasing farmers’ access to information, and promoting more diverse sets of crops and improved methods of cultivation. In India, however, the coverage of agricultural extension workers and the relevance of extension advice is poor. We investigate whether a women's self‐help group (SHG) platform could be an effective way of improving access to information, women's empowerment in agriculture, agricultural practices, and production diversity. We use cross‐sectional data on close to 1,000 women from five states in India and employ nearest‐neighbor matching models to match SHG and non‐SHG women along a range of observed characteristics. We find that participation in an SHG increases women's access to information and their participation in some agricultural decisions, but has limited impact on agricultural practices or outcomes, possibly due to financial constraints, social norms, and women's domestic responsibilities. SHGs need to go beyond provision of information to changing the dynamics around women's participation in agriculture to effectively translate knowledge into practice.
Diaz-Bordenave, Juan E. (author / Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Format:
Conference paper
Publication Date:
1974
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: Byrnes12; 31 Document Number: B03101
Notes:
Mason E. Miller Collection; Theodore Hutchcroft Collection, In: Communication strategies for rural development : proceedings of the Cornell-CIAT International Symposium; 1974 March 17-22; Cali, Colombia, S.A. Ithaca, NY : Cornell University, 1974. p. 205-217
Wilson, Communication in agriculture has two facets. Direct communication is defined as that in which feedback is inherent, while indirect communication involves the use of indirect information sources where users are removed from generators to varying degrees and feedback becomes difficult or impossible. In South African agriculture, nine different groups of agricultural information users can de identified. In addition, agriculture reflects the dichotomy inherent in the South African economy and can be divided into first and third-world sectors. The differences in the use of 30 indirect sources of agricultural information by different agriculturists in the two sectors are discussed. Direct communication between groups of agriculturists within and between the first and third-world sectors of South African agriculture is also considered. Ways in which libraries can enhance communication of agricultural information are suggested. (original)
