Bin, Li (author), Shahzad, Muhammad (author), Khan, Hira (author), Bashir, Muhammad Mehran (author), Ullah, Arif (author), and Siddique, Muhammad (author)
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2023-09-18
Published:
Switzerland: MDPI
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 206 Document Number: D12959
20 pages, Sustainable agriculture is a pivotal driver of a nation’s economic growth, especially considering the challenge of providing food for the world’s expanding population. Agriculture remains a cornerstone of many nations’ economies, so the need for intelligent, sustainable farming practices has never been greater. Agricultural industries worldwide require sophisticated systems that empower farmers to manage their crops efficiently, reduce water wastage, and optimize yield quality. Yearly, substantial crop losses occur due to unpredictable environmental changes, with improper irrigation practices being a leading cause. In this paper, we introduce an innovative irrigation time control system for smart farming. This system leverages fuzzy logic to regulate the timing of irrigation in cotton crop fields, effectively curbing water wastage while ensuring that crops receive neither too little nor too much water. Additionally, our system addresses a common agricultural challenge: whitefly infestations. Users can adjust climatic parameters, such as temperature and humidity, through our system, which minimizes both whitefly populations and water consumption. We have developed a portable measurement technology that includes air humidity sensors, temperature sensors, and rain sensors. These sensors interface with an Arduino platform, allowing real-time climate data collection. This collected climate data is then sent to the fuzzy logic control system, which dynamically adjusts irrigation timing in response to changing environmental conditions. Our system incorporates an algorithm that generates highly effective (IF-THEN) fuzzy logic rules, significantly improving irrigation efficiency by reducing overall irrigation duration. By automating the irrigation process and precisely delivering the right amount of water, our system eliminates the need for human intervention, rendering the agricultural system more dependable in achieving successful crop yields. Water supply commences when the environmental conditions reach specific thresholds and halts when the requisite climate conditions are met, maintaining an optimal environment for crop growth.
16 pages, The study examined the factors that drive decisions to adopt and use irrigation technologies among smallholder farmers in Machakos County, Kenya. Data were collected from a sample of 300 smallholder farmers. Cross-sectional survey design, a multistage sampling procedure and random sampling method were employed. Percentages, means and econometric analysis were used in data analysis. Results showed that, 31.7% of the respondents practiced irrigation. Sex of household head, education, farm size, off-farm income, credit accessed and access to extension services positively influenced adoption of irrigation technologies. Adoption intensity was positively influenced by gender, off-farm income, farming experience, primary occupation and extension services. As a result, it is suggested that while formulating development strategies and programs for smallholder farmers, agricultural extension organizations should give priority to these factors.
34 pages, Agricultural nitrogen (N) use is a major contributor to environmental problems arising from nitrous oxide emissions and N loading to groundwater. Advances in the adoption of conservation practices requires a better understanding of the agronomic context for cropping systems. This paper tests hypotheses about how agronomic and knowledge barriers influence the adoption of conservation practices for N management in orchard agroecosystems. Agronomic barriers are characterized by farm size, irrigation systems and access to water resources, and knowledge barriers are influenced by the availability of information and use of information sources. Our study focuses on the California’s San Joaquin Valley where we collected 879 in-person surveys from fruit and nut growers focused on ten different conservation practices related to fertilizer use, irrigation and soil health. We used logistic regression models to identify parameters influencing adoption and differences in adoption between fruit and nut growers. Our results indicate that overall growers report higher adoption for practices for fertilizer use compared to irrigation and soil health. Growers with larger parcels, microirrigation and more water security had a higher probability of practice adoption. Nut crops are more agronomically intense than fruit crops requiring higher rates of N fertilizer and water use. Nut growers adopted significantly more practices than fruit growers, and also utilized significantly more information sources and experienced significantly fewer practice challenges. Our results collectively support our hypotheses that agronomic and knowledge barriers differ between fruit and nut growers, and help to explain the variance in adoption of conversation practices in orchard agroecosystems. Furthermore, the significance of our work offers a case study for other regions and agroecosystems to address the need for linking agronomic and knowledge barriers to adoption in an effort to promote global climate-smart and regenerative agriculture initiatives.
5 pages, The current research was planned and conducted at Institute of Agricultural Extension, Education
and Rural Development, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan during the year 2019-20
and restricted to district Gujranwala with respect to potato crop. The main objective of this study
was to compare the extension services provided by the public and private sector along with
different teaching methodologies adopted by them. However, 36 respondents from each tehsil
of district Gujranwala were selected through convenient sampling technique. Thereby, getting a
sample size of 144 for the purpose of data collection for which interviews were conducted. Data
were analyzed through SPSS. Results were explained through weighted score and mean values
of all variables. According to results it was found that both sectors were giving useful knowledge
to farmers with different teaching methods. It was also concluded that farmers had desire to take
information from public sector but they have to go to private sector for products. Furthermore, it
was also concluded that performance of public sector was better than private sector.
5 PAGES., Released in late 2020, the Center Pivot Fertigation Calculator is designed to help producers make more precise fertilizer applications by assisting in calculating liquid fertilizer flow rate and injection pump settings needed to fertigate through a center pivot irrigation system. The Clemson Drip Fertigation Calculator is designed to help South Carolina vegetable producers make more precise fertilizer applications through drip irrigation systems.
After producers started using the center pivot and drip fertigation calculators, Zack Snipes, assistant program leader for the Clemson Cooperative Extension Service horticulture team and area horticulture agent, noted many were beginning to ask what they should do if using a greenhouse-grade solid fertilizer and putting it into a solution. In response, Rob Last, area horticulture agent, built a spreadsheet that became the basis for the Liquid Fertilizer Solution Calculator.
“We have created a system that provides quick calculations and is really easy to use,” Last said. “Anyone who has questions about these calculators can contact me or Zack and we’ll help them.”
8 pages, via online journal, Dense networks of rivers, canals, ditches, dikes, sluice gates, and compartmented fields have enabled the farms of the Red River Delta to produce 18% of Vietnam's rice (Oryza sativa) crop (figure 1), 26% of the country's vegetable crops, and 20% of capture and farmed aquaculture (Redfern et al. 2012). Agriculture in this fertile delta was transformed in the 11th and 13th century AD by large-scale hydraulic projects to protect the delta from flooding and saltwater intrusion, and provide field drainage during the wet season and crop irrigation in the dry season (Tinh 1999). The 20th century brought advancements in agricultural science globally—new crops and livestock genetics, inorganic fertilizers, mechanization, and pesticides that could double and triple food production per unit of land. It was the diesel pump combined with post-Vietnam War agricultural collectivization from 1975 to 1988 that brought the Green Revolution to the Red River Delta.
11 pages, via online journal, Land fragmentation is an interesting physical character in some developing countries, especially China. This study aims to discover the direct and mediated effects of land fragmentation on collective action in China based on an empirical test and the social-ecological system framework. We introduce three innovations to the literature on collective action in the commons. First, we focus on the mechanism of land fragmentation on collective action in the commons, which has been largely ignored in the literature. Second, building on the social-ecological system framework, we use structural equation modeling, which is robust to endogeneity and latent variable problems. Third, we use original survey data from 3895 households and 284 villages from 17 provinces/regions in China, a critical case because China has some of the most fragmented farmland use in the world. We find that land fragmentation has a direct negative effect on irrigation collective action. And besides the direct negative effect, there are four indirect factors: dependency on farming, irrigation rule-making, economic pressure and land circulation. Of these, the first three have a negative effect, and the last one, a positive effect. Our findings add to the theoretical literature on collective action in the commons and suggest new policy handles for more efficient land and labor markets in China.
7pgs, Aerial images taken during the growing seasons of 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017 were visually inspected for evidence of irrigation. Center pivot irrigation was identified by the characteristic shape of the spans and the curved tracks left by the wheels. The author manually delineated a polygon over each agricultural area where signs of irrigation infrastructure were observed. The result is a map of 2,689 polygons covering 146,662 acres in South Carolina. Compared with the United States Department of Agriculture 2017 Census of Agriculture, the sampling results account for over 69% of total irrigated area and over 98% of area irrigated solely by center pivots. Most center pivots covered from 25 to 75 acres, while the largest center pivot extended over 300 acres. These results are an important contribution to the quantification of water use in South Carolina.
5 pages, We developed an Excel-based computational template Extension educators can use to assist clientele with scheduling irrigation for efficient use of water. With the template, the user applies the dual crop coefficient method to calculate evaporation and transpiration rates separately, with the result being more accurate soil water tracking as compared to what occurs when a single crop coefficient is used. Crop water needs can be conveniently calculated on the basis of soil characteristics, crop growth stages, and weather information. Application examples demonstrate that the amount and frequency of irrigation should be adjusted according to soil texture. The template and application examples are available to Extension professionals as electronic supplementary material.
Pronti, A. (author), Auci, S. (author), Di Paoli, A. (author), and Mazzanti, M. (author)
Format:
Paper
Publication Date:
2019
Published:
Italy
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 131 Document Number: D11325
Notes:
12 pages., Online via AgEconSearch. Paper presented at the 8th Associazione Italiana di Economia Agraria e Applicata (AIEAA) conference, Pistoia, Italy, June 13-14, 2019., Analysis of principal determinants of Italian farmers' adoption of sustainable irrigation technologies, considering social, economic, productive, geographical, and climatic aspects.
12 pages, We use the 2013 cotton precision farming survey data to study the adoption of irrigation technologies by cotton farmers in 14 states of the United States. We find that farmers with a higher irrigated yield, and who are from the Southern Plains (Texas and Oklahoma), adopt water-efficient irrigation technologies, such as sub-surface drip and trickle irrigation technologies. There are 10 irrigation technologies that farmers can adopt for cotton production in these 14 cotton-growing states. The intensity of the irrigation technologies, as measured by the number of irrigation technologies adopted in cotton production, is affected by the irrigated cotton yield realized, land holding (total land owned), education, computer use, and the origin of the cotton farmer being from the Southern Plains. We use a multivariate fractional regression model to identify land allocation by the different irrigation technologies used. Our results indicate that significant variables affecting land allocation with different irrigation technologies are the age of the operator, the cover crop, the information sources used, the per acre irrigated yield, the education, and the cotton farmer being from the Southern Plains.
Knuth, Melinda (author), Behe, Bridget K. (author), Hall, Charles R. (author), Huddleston, Patricia (author), Fernandez, R. (author), and Texas A&M University
Michigan State University
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2018-02
Published:
United States: American Society for Horticultural Science
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 11 Document Number: D10339
9 pages., Via online journal., Water is becoming scarcer as world population increases and will be allocated among competing uses. Some of that water will go toward sustaining human life, but some will be needed to install and support landscape plants. Thus, future water resource availability may literally change the American landscape. Recent research suggests that consumers’ attitudes and behavior toward potable water supplies have changed in other countries because of greater social awareness and increasingly widespread exposure to drought conditions. We conducted an online survey of 1543 U.S. consumers to assess their perceptions about landscape plants, the water source used to produce them, and plant water needs to become established in the landscape. Using two separate conjoint designs, we assessed their perceptions of both herbaceous and woody perennials. Consumers placed greater relative importance on water source in production over water use in the landscape for both herbaceous and woody perennials included in this study. They preferred (had a higher utility score for) fresh water over recycled water and least preferred a blend of fresh with recycled water for perennials and recycled water used for woody perennial production. In addition, the group that did not perceive a drought but experienced one placed a higher value (higher utility score) on nursery plants grown with fresh water compared with those which were actually not in drought and did not perceive one. Educational and promotional efforts may improve the perception of recycled water to increase the utility of that resource. Promoting the benefits of low water use plants in the landscape may also facilitate plant sales in times of adequate and low water periods.
10 pages., Via online journal., The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing people's participation in the exploitation of water resources for agriculture. The population consists of experts with a B.A. and higher degree employed in various sectors of Agriculture Organization, Water Organization and Research Center of Urmia city. The sample was randomly selected, and the sample size was determined through Kerjice and Morgan table to be 196. This is an applied field study. The survey tool is a structured questionnaire with close-ended question and its validity and reliability is confirmed by experienced professors, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient which indicates the validity of the questionnaire is calculated to be 0.834. The results show that there is a significant relationship among the administrative, social, cultural, educational, economic, ecological, technical, structural and political factors and the importance of people's participation in the exploitation of water resources for agriculture. The results of multiple regression showed that the independent variables explained 66 percent of the dependent variable variance. According to finding in this research these recommendation comments: Improvement and shortening of water transfer networks in order to speed up the transfer of water and reduction of water loss. Government financial support in the agricultural-industrial sector in order to use new technologies. Preventing economic, social, environmental and political losses due to Urmia Lake drying. Maintaining the diversity of plants and crops through water management and environmental management and environmental ethics. The role of mass media such as radio and television, the use of other channels of communication in highlighting the importance of optimal water consumption. Government support for farmers to renew or launch pipeline for farms and gardens to prevent water losses, as well as supporting new irrigation methods and repairing old transmission lines. Increasing cooperation between people and society and even the state regarding participation in the optimal use of water resources.
15 pages., Online via UI e-subscription., Data from Pakistan prompt the author to suggest that underlying community characteristics and/or social interactions may be driving both the performance of water user associations and on-farm water use efficiency.
Hanjra, Munir A. (author), Noble, Andrew (author), Langan, Simon (author), and Lautze, Jonathan (author)
Format:
Book chapter
Publication Date:
2017
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D08785
Notes:
Pages 15-40 in Gordon, Iain J. Prins, Herbert H.T. Squire, Geoff R. (eds.), Food production and nature conservation: conflicts and solutions. United Kingdom: Routledge, London. 348 pages.
Huang, Pei-wen (author) and Lamm, Alexa J. (author)
Format:
Research report
Publication Date:
2016-08
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 161 Document Number: D07890
Notes:
Center for Public Issue Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources, IFAS, University of Florida, Gainesville. Engaging high water users in water conservation #3. Publication AEC 595. 5 pages.
Kamran, M. (author), Anjum, M. (author), Rehman, M. (author), Kamran, M. Asif (author), Saleemi, F. (author), and Department of Computer Science, Virtual University of Pakistan, Lahore, Pakistan
Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Pakistan
Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Government College Women University, Sialkot, Pakistan
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2016-03
Published:
Pakistan: Asianet-Pakistan
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 164 Document Number: D08242
Lamm, Alexa J. (author), Lundy, Lisa K. (author), Warner, Laura (author), and Lamm, Kevan W. (author)
Format:
Conference paper
Publication Date:
2016-02
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 162 Document Number: D08132
Notes:
Research paper presented in the Agricultural Communications Section, Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists (SAAS), in San Antonio,Texas, February 7-8,2016. 24 pages.
Halbrendt, Jacqueline (author), Gray, Steven A. (author), Crow, Susan (author), Radovich, Theodore (author), Kimura, Aya H. (author), and Tamang, Bir Bahadur (author)
Format:
Journal article abstract
Publication Date:
2014-09
Published:
Nepal
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 138 Document Number: D05707
Salas, Jorge (author), Vega, Humberto (author), Oritz, Julio (author), Bustos, Raime (author), Lozoya, Camilo (author), and Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Campus Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico
Format:
Conference paper
Publication Date:
2014
Published:
International
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 163 Document Number: D08176
Notes:
Article number 7049083, pp. 3903-3908, 40th Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, IECON 2014; Sheraton Hotel DallasDallas; United States; 30 October 2014 through 1 November 2014; Category numberCFP14IEC-ART; Code 112104
36 pages., via online journal., This article examines the challenges facing agriculture in Africa. First the article outlines agriculture’s connection with overall economic growth; then, the author evaluates agricultural productivity and food security in Africa in 2010. From this point, the author evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of seven paths that African agriculture is likely to evolve along between now and 2050: five for Sub-Saharan African and two for North Africa. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the types of farming proposed are: extensive, mechanized; intensive export; intensive peri-urban; subsistence; and reserves, game ranching, and tourism. In North Africa, the author proposes: irrigated and rainfed. In order to realize the most positive benefits of these paths in 2050, Africa has to tackle six challenges, outlined by the author: reducing population growth, promoting irrigation, adapting the role of the state, promoting the acceleration of technical change (including fertilizer and biotechnology), and preparing for climate change. Increasing the competitiveness of Africa’s commercial farming will improve income, inequality, and nutrition across the continent.
Tembo, Rachael (author) and Maumbe, Blessing M. (author)
Format:
Book chapter
Publication Date:
2010
Published:
South Africa
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D02157
Notes:
Pages 19-42 in Blessing M. Maumbe (ed.), E-agriculture and e-government for global policy development: implications and future directions. Information Science Reference, Hershey, Pennsylvania. 321 pages.
Includes a journalist's report about how he markets specific editorials or blog entries about agricultural topics to people or organizations with a vested interest in those topics.
10 pages, The main objectives of this research are to assess the educational and training requirements of farmers in Al-Ta’mim governorate in the field of using and maintaining the center pivot sprinkler irrigation systems and identifying the differences between these requirements according to some independent factors. The research sample consisted of 142 farmers representing 60% of the total number of farmers who were using these systems. The data was collected through a questionnaire form and utilizing the Borich equation. After testing the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, the data acquisition commenced through personal interview, the data then were analyzed by using analysis of variance and step-wise regression analysis. The results showed that 94% of farmers require medium to high levels of education and training and that there are significant differences in these requirements according to: educational level, number of months of utilizing the system, annual income, size of holding, and communication level with information sources. Yet, there are no significant differences according to readiness to change and social norms. It is also found that the (number of months of utilizing the system) is the most contributing factor in the interpretation of the variance of the educational and training requirements.
