16 pages, The importance of smallholder farming is increasingly recognized in rural areas where increased crop productivity and market participation can effectively improve their dietary diversity and nutrition quality. However, rural households are still faced with severe food insecurity and malnutrition. The study sought to assess the role of smallholder farming in crop productivity and market access on rural household dietary diversity. The secondary data were collected using a quantitative research method, and 1520 participants were selected using a stratified random sampling technique. The descriptive results showed that cereals were the most (98%) consumed food group, while vegetables and fruits were the least consumed food groups, at 37% and 23%, respectively. The results from the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) showed that 57% of smallholder farmers consumed highly diverse diets (more or equal to six food groups), whereas 25% and 18% of smallholder farmers consumed medium dietary diversity (four to five food groups) and low diverse diets (less or equal to three food groups), respectively. The findings from the Conditional Mixed Process (CMP) and Poisson endogenous treatment effect models showed that household size, ownership of livestock, wealth index, and involvement in crop production positively influenced household dietary diversity. On the other hand, output and access to market information showed a negative effect. Social grants had contradicting effects: they had a negative impact on the HDDS received from crop productivity while they had a positive effect on the HDDS from market participation. Providing different ways smallholder farmers can use their funds effectively can help improve household dietary diversity and nutrition quality. The study recommended that more workshops and training be conducted that cover all the sustainable production systems that smallholder farmers can undertake to produce different food groups. These will raise awareness among smallholder farmers about the requirements for balanced diets for food and nutrition security.
21 pages, Climate change continues to impact the livelihoods of smallholder farmers due to low adaptive capacity. In South Africa, the challenge is exacerbated by water scarcity and shortened crop-growing seasons. Climate-smart irrigation innovative technologies (CSIT) enhance smallholder farmers’ resilience to climate change. However, there is still a limited level of effective adoption and usage of these technologies in smallholder communities. This study investigated the barriers affecting the adoption of CSIT in rural areas of the Vhembe and Capricorn districts in Limpopo Province, South Africa. We explored the farmers’ socioeconomic factors extracted from farmers’ perceptions of CSIT-specific attributes. A multi-stage randomized sampling technique was used to select 100 smallholder farmers (SHF). Data analyzed by descriptive statistics such as percentages and frequency distribution are presented in graphs and tables. According to the findings, insufficient communication channels, a lack of financial availability, unstable land tenure systems, and insufficient training are the main obstacles to implementing CSIT. There is a need for policy and decision-makers to improve the communication channels for disseminating agro-meteorological information to the intended beneficiaries.
10 pages, For some years, the Republic of Benin has promoted mechanization and modernization of its agricultural sector as a driver of food security, socio-economic development and sub-regional solidarity. New agricultural technologies such as tractors and pesticides have been introduced into the small scale farming systems and have reached record adoption rates in various agro-ecological zones of the country. However, rural actors’ use of these technologies also leads to new forms of territoriality which make some winners and others losers. This study was carried out in the cotton basin of northern Benin to scrutinize the forms of appropriation of agricultural technologies and the effects on access to productive resources and interactions between farmers and herders who are cultural neighbors. Participatory observation was carried out over ten months in the district of Gogounou where informants who were purposively selected were engaged in 164 individual interviews and 21 focus group discussions recorded by consent, transcribed and thematically analyzed. By analyzing the mechanisms of appropriation of herbicides in rural areas and the related political ecology of land use, the paper argues that herbicides reconfigure tenure systems by inducing new forms of land-tenure insecurity and land-use conflicts between socio-professional groups that depend on the same natural resources for their livelihoods. Community-based discussions can engage stakeholders in exchanges of sustainable production alternatives, just as institutional reforms are needed to better channel the uses of modern agricultural technologies.
7 pages, The study was carried out to investigate the use of New media for communication among extension agents and farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria. Forty Extension agents and eighty farmers were randomly selected. Data collected were subjected to descriptive analysis using frequencies and percentage. Majority of extension agents (90.0%) were aware of Social Media. Farmers (97.5%) were aware of Agricultural websites. Extension agents (85.0%) have access to Agricultural Blogs, farmers (87.5%) have access Agricultural Websites. Extension agents also have high access (75.0%) to New media and farmers have high access (67.5%) to New media. Majority of Extension agents in the study area have a benefit derived from the use of New media as to enhance their job commitments. Farmers have the benefits derived from the use of New media as it saves time and money. Majority of Extension agents in the study area used new media to source for information on farmers’ livelihood and possible ways of improving their living standards. Extension agents (55%) and also farmers (60.0%) have high level of use of new media. It is recommended that Extension agencies should organize in-service training for the staff on skill acquisition and importance of New media use in sourcing and disseminating innovation and also the Nigerian government should address the problem of using the New media in agricultural and rural development via focusing on providing broadband connectivity and a content centric development approach particularly in the rural areas.
12 pages, Background
Health risk communication plays a key role in promoting self-protective measures, which are critical in suppressing COVID-19 contagion. Relatively little is known about the communication channels used by rural poor populations to learn novel measures and their effectiveness in promoting self-protective behaviors. Behavioral change can be shaped by people’s trust in government institutions which may be differentiated by social identity, including indigeneity.
Methods
During an early phase of the pandemic, we conducted two telephone surveys with over 460 communities – both Indigenous and mestizo – without road access and limited communication access in the Peruvian Amazon. This is the first report on the association of information sources about self-protective measures against COVID-19 with the adoption of self-protective behaviors in remote rural areas in developing countries.
Results
People mainly relied on mass media (radio, television, newspapers) and interpersonal sources (local authorities, health workers, neighbors/relatives) for information and adopted handwashing, mask-wearing, social distancing, and social restrictions to varying degrees. Overall, self-protective behaviors were largely positively and negatively associated with mass media and interpersonal sources, respectively, depending on the source-measure combination. Mistrust of the government seems to have shaped how Indigenous and mestizo peoples distinctively responded to interpersonal information sources and relied on mass media.
Conclusions
Our findings call for improved media access to better manage pandemics in rural areas, especially among remote Indigenous communities.
23 pages, Young farmers play a significant role in sustaining food security and the communities’ and rural areas’ viability. However, as with many countries, Thailand is facing a decline in the number of young farmers who, if not productive and satisfied with their farm business, are likely to exit farming to take advantage of their increased educational level and off-farm job opportunities. Data were collected by interviewing young farmers in the Prachin Buri province, Thailand, with the aim of assessing their reason for farming in the long-term and the type of farming. Farming decisions can be categorised into three types: full-time profit-oriented farming with a focus on rice production (~53%), full-time multifunctional farming in innovative mixed or organic production systems (~23%), and part-time farming where young farmers work off-farm and farm outside regular working hours (~24%). Using path analysis, we investigated which physical and psychological factors affect young farmers’ decisions to pursue these three farming types. The results show that non-monetary farming’s benefits are as important as monetary benefits. Education, farming and regular off-farm work experience, farm production, market and pest problems, and government support directly affect the farming types. These effects were also mediated by attitudes towards farming and net farming income. Young farmers choosing to pursue multifunctional farming have higher incomes, more often apply sophisticated technologies, and farm more sustainably than those choosing the other types of farming. This indicates that a shift from conventional rice production to more diversified production systems using innovative technologies is needed to sustain farming success and retain young people in the farming sector.
2 pages, Author, journalist, and food-policy expert Raj Patel's last edition of Stufed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System was written in 2012. It was and continues to be an essential contribution to the literature on the global food system. It serves as a jumping-of point for researchers, activists, or even the average reader.
4 pgs, As telecommunications companies prepare to sunset their 3G networks, some activists are worried about what that will mean for residents of rural America, particularly those who may find themselves in situations of domestic violence.
12 pages, Agricultural extension and advisory services in Africa have significant impact on food security as well as economic and social development. Recent moves towards a pluralistic delivery system, facilitated by the emergence of private-sector led initiatives in many countries are the subject of policy and academic discourse. This study used an adapted, fit-for-purpose market systems development framework to review available research in extension and advisory services in selected sub-Sahara Africa countries. Using a literature survey methodology, we report evidence of multiple actors in extension delivery, findings that point towards evolution towards mixed delivery as well as objectives. While there are significant uptake of cost-recovery approaches among commercially-oriented farmers, many smallholder farmers still depended on donor-funded services. Our review adds to existing knowledge through incorporating a market systems development framework, which extends the often-used willingness to pay approach, and highlights the need for merger of both public and private-sector objectives to achieve developmental outcomes.
10 pages, Goat farming is a major livelihood activity for most smallholder farmers in Botswana. To ensure sustainable livelihoods for these farmers, a shift from the prevalent traditional and subsistence system to a more market-oriented one is considered necessary. Market participation is widely viewed as an effective means of addressing poverty which is particularly rampant in most rural areas of Botswana and other developing countries. Little evidence is however available on the link between market participation and household welfare, especially among livestock and, in particular, small stock farmers. This paper evaluates the effect of market participation on household welfare among smallholder goat farmers. Estimating an endogenous switching regression model, the results show a positive and significant effect of market participation on household income for both participant and non-participant farmers. This effect was found to be more pronounced among the non-participants had they decided to sell. The results suggest that goat farmers should be encouraged to engage in market participation other than their traditional ways of keeping goats. This implies that existing policies and programs that increase market participation and encourage market-oriented farming should be revised in order to provide efficient and sustainable support. Furthermore, the study recommends that information on goat markets should reach rural areas where most farmers reside and are unable to access technology.
8 pages, Background:
Despite the growth of palliative care (PC), access to PC remains challenging for rural Americans living with chronic diseases. Given the demand and benefits of PC, a comprehensive view of PC access would inform policymakers in developing PC services in rural areas.
Objective:
This scoping review aimed to understand the barriers and facilitators to PC access in rural areas from the voices of service users and service providers during the past decade.
Methods:
A scoping literature review was conducted from 2010 to 2020 using MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PsychINFO databases. Results: Twenty-eight studies met inclusion criteria. Barriers to PC access in rural areas mostly arose in structural issues: (1) the inadequate knowledge and awareness of PC among both service users and providers and (2) the poorly structured PC system. Other barriers included communication gaps/challenges between providers and patients/families and cultural barriers. The facilitators mainly originated in patients/families’ connectedness with local providers and with other social networks such as friends.
Conclusions:
These findings highlight the need for funding support to increase provider competency, service availability and accessibility, and the public knowledge and awareness of PC in rural areas. A holistic and tailored PC model that standardizes care delivery, referral and coordination, including family caregiver support programs, can improve care access. Future practice and research are warranted to implement and evaluate innovative approaches, such as a coordinated community-based approach, to the successful integration of PC in rural communities.
7 pages, Rice production encountered several challenges, especially among rural farmers in Northern Ghana. The current debate encompasses the belief of cultural norms and religious values as the right theory for the sustainability of agriculture. The belief in abstracts is prioritised to the adoption of improved rice. This paper examined the value attached to traditional rice varieties as a result of societal beliefs, and theoretically underpinned by the Dual-system hypothesis. The finding from three ethnic and religious groups through a survey indicates heterogeneity in the results but also demonstrates the factual importance of culture and religion. This paper, therefore, proposes a new way of categorising farming; as a business and a belief and that policy stream aim at small scale, rural farmers with belief peculiarities needs to adopt cultural and religious strategies to promote adoption.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 201 Document Number: D11768
Notes:
Report from Agri-Pulse received online via AgriMarketing Weekly. 6 pages., Report of a letter to Capitol Hill and the White House from a new American Connection Project Broadband Coalition calling for a "robust federal investment in broadband internet connectivity." Letter (attached) signed by 40 ag, tech, and healthcare groups.
