7 pages., Article # 2RIB2, Via online journal., To assess small rural retailers' use of social media and the role of social media in their business sustainability, we conducted focus group interviews with small business owners/managers from rural communities in a midwestern state. Participants revealed strong interest in social media, especially for use in sales and marketing. However, their engagement in social media was limited due to lack of knowledge and resources (i.e., time, human resources, financial resources, effectiveness measurement) related to developing and updating content. On the basis of these findings, we examine implications for Extension professionals and outreach educators regarding social media needs and programming for small rural businesses.
25 pages, Online journal article, Existen diferentes modelos para pensar la extensión rural. Con el fin de indagar las concepciones de extensión rural de los extensionistas que trabajan en diez diferentes países latinoamericanos se realizó una encuesta. La muestra fue no probabilística incidental (n=589). Se observa predominio de una concepción transferencista de la extensión rural en el promedio de las 10 muestras, con importantes diferencias entre países. La muestra uruguaya posee una orientación dialógica. No se observa presencia de concepciones asociadas al desarrollo local/territorial o a la noción de sistemas de innovación. Se recomienda implementar acciones para definir de manera crítica y consciente los modelos de extensión rural que se desea implementar.
Spurk, Christoph (author), Asule, Pamellah (author), Ofori-Baah, Rebecca (author), Chikopela, Louis (author), Diarra, Boubacar (author), Koch, Carmen (author), and Wageningen University
Format:
Online journal article
Publication Date:
2019-08-21
Published:
Netherlands: Taylor & Francis
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 108 Document Number: D10944
22 pages, via online journal article, Purpose: Soil fertility is decreasing in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. To mitigate this trend, various agricultural technologies are available, but their uptake by farmers has been low. Perception of the problem, information exposure, and knowledge play a major role in adoption of technologies. This study assessed empirically the levels of perception, knowledge and information exposure among African farmers as an indicator for potential adoption of soil fertility technologies.
Design/Methodology/approach: The study used survey data of more than 2,400 small-scale farmers selected through random sampling from Ghana, Kenya, Mali and Zambia. The survey investigated socio-economic factors, exposure to media, perception and knowledge of soil fertility and other information.
Findings: Many farmers did not perceive soil fertility as a major challenge, except in Mali; farmers were hardly receiving information on soil fertility from professional agricultural sources, and they often lacked accurate knowledge about soil fertility technologies. Radio was by far the most used information source for farmers.
Practical implications: The study has exposed the need for interventions to increase awareness, information exposure, and knowledge about soil fertility among farmers to strengthen the adoption of soil fertility technologies. It also calls for innovative ways of strengthening extension services through links with radio.
Theoretical implications: The role of communication in the uptake of agricultural innovations is still under-researched, and hence this study exposes the need to investigate in-depth knowledge, perception levels, and quality and frequency of information exposure on various channels of soil fertility management.
Originality: This is one of the few studies empirically measuring perception, information frequency on various channels, and knowledge of soil fertility among small-scale farmers in African countries.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: C19673
Notes:
371 pages., This volume grew out of the conference, "Knowledge generation and transfer: implications for agriculture in the 21st century," held at the University of California, Berkeley, June 18-19, 1998.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: C19674
Notes:
Pages 27-54 in Steven Wolf and David Zilberman (eds.), Knowledge generation and technical change: institutional innovation in agriculture. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, Massachusetts. 371 pages.
Chizari, Mohammad (author) and Dinpanah, Gholamreza (author)
Format:
Proceedings
Publication Date:
2005-05-25
Published:
Iran
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 152 Document Number: C24575
Journal Title Details:
21
Notes:
James J. Connors of The Ohio State University edited the proceedings., 9 p. Paper presented at the International Agricultural and Extension Education group's 21st annual conference May 25-31, 2005, in San Antonio, TX
Kaosa-Ard, Mingsarn (author) and Roongruangsee, Chaiwat (author)
Format:
Book chapter
Publication Date:
1989
Published:
Thailand
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 90 Document Number: C06483
Notes:
James F. Evans Collection, In: Agricultural information and technological change in northern Thailand. Bangkok, Thailand : Thailand Development Research Institute, 1989. p. 35-55.
cited reference, In colonial Africa, scientific institutions were researching into ways of making life easier for expatriates, e.g., tropical medicine and the production of crops for export. With independence, the British handed over most of the research institutes and educational establishments to the new states, while the French retained a strong presence. There is now a severe shortage of trained scientists in black Africa, and heavy dependence on international assistance and transfer of knowledge. It is argued that more enduring structures for scientific and technological cooperation must be developed. (original)
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: Byrnes13a Document Number: C12521
Notes:
Francis C. Byrnes Collection, Pages 141-153 in U.S. Agency for International Development, Proceedings of the workshop on social science research and the CRSPs, June 9-11, 1992, at the University of Kentucky, Lexington. Related to the Collaborative Research Support Programs (CRSP). 279 p.
