Quraishi, M.A. (author / Secretary, Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, India) and Secretary, Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, India
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1975-04
Published:
India
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 43 Document Number: B05047
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 95 Document Number: C07405
Notes:
INTERPAKS, Mimeographed, 1985. 16 p., Outlines the proposed project of the Government of Malawi for agricultural produce marketing. The objectives of the project are to: 1) improve the timeliness and effectiveness of management information; 2) improve export market intelligence and identify alternative market opportunities for existing and new crops; 3) reduce the high degree of crop losses due to inadequate storage infrastructure; 4) improve the operational effectiveness of ADMARC as a produce marketing organization; 5) increase the economic efficiency of produce and farm input transportation; and 6) improve the monitoring and evaluation of the ADMARC investments and operations to rationalize the activities of the corporation.
22 pages, Raising agricultural productivity in developing countries is often said to reduce poverty more than comparable growth arising from other sectors. This claim has frequently been based on casual theorising, rather than empirical evidence. Productivity growth generates additional income and must benefit someone, though not necessarily the poor. It is conceivable that most, or even all of the benefits might go to others. Using region-level data from Thailand, we study the relationship between agricultural productivity growth and rural poverty incidence. The dependent variable for our regression analysis is the annual rate of change in rural poverty incidence at the regional level between the years for which poverty data are available. Agricultural productivity is measured as the annual rate of change in regional total agricultural productivity, covering the same time intervals as the poverty observations, but lagged one calendar year. Other control variables include regional non-agricultural incomes and the real price of food. The estimated coefficient on the change in agricultural productivity is negative and highly significant, implying that agricultural productivity growth does reduce rural poverty, holding other variables constant, though not more so than non-agricultural sources of income growth. The poverty-reducing contribution of recent agricultural productivity growth has been small. The poverty-reducing effects of long-term drivers of agricultural productivity growth are also analysed, using simulations based on the estimated model.
Fliegel, Frederick C. (author), Kivlin, Joseph E. (author), and Shingi, Prakash M. (author)
Format:
Report
Publication Date:
1979
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 43 Document Number: B05226
Notes:
INTERPAKS, Urbana, IL: Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Illinois, 1979. (Staff paper, series S, rural sociology no. 79 S-12). 29 p., Examines the long-run effects on the diffusion of agricultural innovations, especially a key question in adoption and development research: Does a higher level of adoption of improved technology contribute to greater or lesser equality in distribution of social and economic "rewards" over time? Examination of this question is based on data drawn from interviews with 228 farm operators in Maharashtra, India. The first interview took place in 1967 and the follow-up interview in 1973. Analysis is focused on changes in equality of reward distribution among them over the six years. Results of the data indicate increased inequality in volume of production over the six years, not necessarily attributable to differences in utilization of agricultural technology. Inequalities in material well-being have decreased. Concludes that for this sample, and in the absence of radically improved production technology, the impact of induced change in production inputs and practices is such as to decrease the inequality in rewards over time. Analysis also covers access to information through extension contact and the mass media.
Gnaegy Suzanna (author / Winrock International) and Anderson, Jock R. (author / Winrock International)
Format:
Publication
Publication Date:
1991-06-30
Published:
International
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 114 Document Number: D11012
Notes:
World Bank Discussion Paper 126. Washington, D.C. 158 pages., Studies from a workshop. Includes evidence that research and extension had contributed to a decline in agricultural production. "There is a broad consensus about the many factors that have contributed to failures to boost land and labor productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Both technological options and agroecological and socioeconomic circumstances in this vast region are diverse, thus creating a complex matrix of impacts and explanations. The central explanation is that research and development activities, whether public or private, national or international, have produced innovations that farmers find variously unprofitable, too risky, or impossible to implement in a timely and useful fashion. These problems lead, in turn, to often declining agricultural productivity and a deteriorating agricultural resource base, particularly of soil and forest resources. Stepping back further from the farmers themselves to the institutions that are supposed to have assisted, the difficulties are several including the poor (often irrelevant for resource-poor farmers) siting of much past experimental and testing endeavor, inadequate and temporally inconsistent staff and budget support for national research and extension organizations.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 198 Document Number: D09670
Notes:
Warwick Economic Research Paper No. 744, Department of Economics, University of Warwick, England. 13 pages., Findings suggest caution in assessing research quality on the basis of journal prestige ratings.
13 pages, Dry cow management practices influence on health, welfare and milk production of cows. Poor farmer–cow relationship and negative attitudes of the farmer on humane practices will reduce cow welfare and overall productivity. In this study, farmers’ attitudes on key dry cow management practices and welfare were observed using a questionnaire in a face to face interview with forty dairy farmers in Kandy District, Sri Lanka. Collected data were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 23.0. The majority of the farmers were men (77.5%), whereas small-scale farming (87.5%) with part-time involvement (72.5%) were noticed. Critical risk factors of dry cow welfare such as no higher satisfaction about the industry (74.3%), poor awareness on concept of animal welfare (10%), hoof caring (42.5%), inspection of teats (10%), and deworming (30%) were identified. Male farmers were better than females in welfare-friendly attitudes for health (P = 0.033) and calving management (P = 0.018). Part-time farmers also had a significant impact on welfare positive attitudes towards calving and health management practices (P = 0.038, P = 0.013 respectively). Considerable percentage of farmers were uncertain on (Health management – 10.8%, Housing management – 18.8%, Feeding management – 15.0%, and Calving management – 5.6%) welfare-friendly routine. Hence, we suggest, further improvement to positive welfare attitudes towards dry cow management should be targeted via proper knowledge dissemination and education programs.
14 pages., Edutainment, the combination of education with entertainment through various media such as television, radio, mobile phone applications and games, is increasingly being used as an approach to stimulate innovation and increase agricultural productivity amongst smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. Shamba Shape Up, a widely publicised makeover reality TV programme, is an example of edutainment that has received considerable attention, and airs in three countries in East Africa where it is estimated to be watched by millions of viewers.
There is no published academic research on the influence of makeover television formats on innovation systems and processes in smallholder agriculture. Using an Agricultural Innovation Systems approach, this paper explores how makeover edutainment is influencing smallholder farmer innovation systems together with the effect this is having on smallholder farms. In the absence of previous research, it articulates a Theory of Change which draws on research traditions from mass communication, agricultural extension and innovation systems.
Data came from two large scale quantitative (n = 9885 and n = 1572) surveys and in-depth participatory qualitative research comprising focus group discussions, participatory budgets, agricultural timelines, case studies and key information interviews in Kenya. An estimated 430,000 farmers in the study area were benefiting from their interaction with the programme through increased income and / or a range of related social benefits including food security, improving household health, diversification of livelihood choices, paying school fees for children and increasing their community standing / social capital.
Participatory research showed SSU enhanced an already rich communication environment and strengthened existing processes of innovation. It helped set the agenda for discussions within farming communities about opportunities for improving smallholder farms, while also giving specific ideas, information and knowledge, all in the context of featured farm families carefully selected so that a wide range of viewers would identify with them and their challenges.
Broadcasts motivated and inspired farmers to improve their own farms through a range of influences including entertainment, strong empathy with the featured host farm families, the way ideas emerged through interaction with credible experts, and importantly through stimulating widespread discussion and interaction amongst and between farmers and communities of experts on agricultural problems, solutions and opportunities. The fact that local extension workers also watched the programmes further enhanced the influence on local innovation systems.
The findings indicate that well designed makeover edutainment can strongly influence agricultural innovation processes and systems resulting in impact on the agricultural production and behaviours of large numbers of smallholder farmers.
