3pgs, With volatility being an integral part of farming, electric ag equipment could bring some predictability to farmers’ energy use and consumption, say experts. Efforts to electrify transportation in urban areas have been underway for years now, but rural advocates say electric vehicle needs in rural areas have long been misunderstood and ignored.
18 pages, This research adds to the knowledge of extension education by revealing the quality of climate-smart agricultural (CSA) advice offered by private and public extension sectors. The study was aimed at addressing the paucity of empirical data that exists relating to the quality of CSA advice. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, the descriptive and correlational study gathered data from a systematic sample of 115 farmers. There was a moderate positive correlation between extension effectiveness and adoption of CSA. There were significant differences between public, private, and both sectors in relation to the quality of information disseminated. The quality of private sector’s advice was significantly lower than that of public sector and both sectors. There was no significant difference in quality of advice between public sector and both sectors. The quality of CSA advice was generally fair, however, heightened dissemination of CSA practices by both sectors of extension would yield better quality advice thus improve the adoption of the practices among farmers.
Online from publisher. 4 pages., "Building trust in food begins with empowering farmers through one of the largest and most diverse conservation- and sustainability-focused pulic-private partnerships in our nation's history."
Gao, F. (author), Zhang, W-A (author), Lu, S-Q (author), Xu, Q-X (author), and Information Engineering College, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, Zhejiang, China
Format:
Journal article abstract
Publication Date:
2009-10
Published:
China
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D08006
Specht, Kathrin (author), Sanyé-Mengual, Esther (author), and Institute of Socio-Economics, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Straße 84, 15374, Müncheberg, Germany
Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany
Research Center in Urban Environment for Agriculture and Biodiversity (Rescue-AB), Department of Agricultural Sciences (DIPSA), Università di Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2017-03
Published:
International: Elsevier Ltd.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 163 Document Number: D08151
6 pages, Food sustainability transitions refer to transformation processes necessary to move towards sustainable food systems. Digitization is one of the most important ongoing transformation processes in global agriculture and food chains. The review paper explores the contribution of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to transition towards sustainability along the food chain (production, processing, distribution, consumption). It also reviewed the Challenges to ICT Use in the Food Chain. From the review, it was found that ICT has enormous roles to play in boasting food production and promoting equitable distribution and marketing of food produce. ICTs can contribute to agro-food sustainability transition by increasing resource productivity, reducing inefficiencies, decreasing management costs, and improving food chain coordination. Key challenges to effective utilization of ICT in promoting food security were identified to include lack of access to ICT tools, low literacy level, and inadequate capital among others.
Using two samples of U.S. adults (Study 1: N = 336; Study 2: N = 2329), this study features a messaging experiment utilizing a between-subjects design, with a no-message control group, to explore the impact of a narrative video, in comparison to an infographic video, on support for sustainable aquaculture. Results indicate that the infographic video type is more transporting than the narrative video, and that transportation influences support for aquaculture indirectly through emotional response, as well as risk and benefit perceptions; however, importantly, we also note that video content may have contributed to the observed differences. For an emerging issue like aquaculture with environmental and human health implications, strategic messaging, especially when accompanied by vivid images, may allow audiences to better engage with a complex and contentious topic.
