Assessment of Adoption Gaps in Management of Aflatoxin Contamination of Groundnut (Arachis Hypogaea L.)

Abstract

One of the major impediments for diversification of groundnut (Arachis Hypogaea L.) as food crop is aflatoxin contamination. The study was conducted with an objective to assess the adoption gaps in aflatoxin management practices of groundnut (AMPG) and the farmer's characteristics influencing these gaps. The study used an expost-facto research design and multi-stage random sampling. The data were collected from 180 respondents through interview schedule. For measuring adoption gap, knowledge of AMPG and perception of groundnut quality suitable scales were developed. The data were subjected to multiple regression analysis to know the characteristics, which influenced the adoption gaps in AMPG. The majority of farmers were in high adoption gap category, as most of the farmers had not adopted the harvest and post-harvest management practices. Farmers' characteristics such as knowledge, market orientation and innovativeness influenced the adoption gap significantly. These three variables put together explained 58% of variation in adoption gap. Based on the results, it is suggested to formulate strategies to increase the knowledge of farmers through various extension approaches. If the knowledge on AMPG is improved the adoption gaps can be reduced. The maiden research effort, shed light on the socio-economic dimensions of aflatoxin contamination and constraints for aflatoxin management at farmers' level. The study has significance for the policy makers, extension departments and groundnut farmers for production of quality groundnut.     

The drivers of women farmers’ participation in cash crop production: the case of women smallholder farmers in Northern Ghana

Purpose: Participation in labour markets and high-value crops among men and women smallholder farmers has always been an important strategy for poverty alleviation and attainment of food and income security. In contributing to the generation of gender-disaggregated empirical literature, this paper examined determinants of women smallholder farmers’ participation in their households’ decision-making regarding cash crop production.

Methodology: Data for the paper were sourced from a baseline survey conducted by Monitory and Evaluation Technical Support Services, Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research and Ghana Statistical Service for the USAID Feed the Future Programme in their Northern Ghana Zone of Influence. The data were analysed using probit regression analysis to identify factors which significantly influence women farmers’ participation in cash crop production.

Findings: The probit analysis identified intra-household power relations such as women participation in household decision-making, control over household productive resources and control over household income as significant determinants of smallholder women farmers’ participation in cash crop production.

Theoretical Implication: Improving women smallholder farmers’ power to participate in household decision-making, access to and control over household productive resources and income are therefore imperative in boosting women farmers’ participation in cash crop production.

Practical Implications: It is therefore recommended that any gender-targeted policy and programme with the aim of women’s economic empowerment must critically examine the sociocultural barriers impeding women’s participation in their household decision-making and control over household productive resources. Women farmers’ participation in their households’ decision-making regarding cash crop production and the use of income generated from it should be encouraged through gender mainstreaming in agricultural service delivery.     

Farmers' Adoption of Soil Conservation Technologies: A Case Study from Osun State,Nigeria

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to determine the attitude of farmers towards erosion and the adoption of appropriate soil conservation technologies (SCTs). For the survey, farmers were selected from the communities Esa Oke, Elwure and Owode-Ede and Akoda in Osun State in Nigeria. In the first three communities farmers did receive training on soil conservation, in the fourth not. About 60 farmers were interviewed to obtain information on personal and socio-economic characteristics, awareness of environmental problems, attitude towards erosion control and experiences with SCTs. Statistical data analyses (analyses of frequencies, correlation, t-test, χ²-test) were made to examine possible relationships among parameters and the influence of factors on adoption.

Most respondents were advanced in years, responsible for large households and characterized by low levels of income and literacy. Soil erosion was seen as a problem confronting agricultural production only to a small extent. The adoption rate of SCTs was low, as only mulching, cover cropping, contour tillage and cut-off drainage were practised and often rejected. Low labour-demand, the availability of common equipment, low costs of application, ease of practice and compatibility with the existing farming system influenced adoption.

The observed positive correlation between level of education, knowledge of appropriate technologies, farming experience and the number of SCTs adopted emphasizes the importance for farmers of education and training. Strengthening agricultural extension agencies for capacity building is an important tool for improving soil conservation in Nigeria.

The paper clarifies with specific examples the causes of the low rates of adoption of available technologies, with a reduced impact of research and of efforts to achieve food security and sustainable production at village level.     

政治社会学视野下的人民公社与包产到户

新中国成立之初,在土地改革中获得土地并以其为主要生产资料的农民,经过社会主义改造,几年内便从初级社、高级社跑步进入人民公社,在较低的生产力水平上实现了农业集体化。农业集体化使广大农民彻底摆脱历史悠久的以土地私有为基础的小农经济的束缚,但小农经济生产模式仍然试图在人民公社里寻找生存空间。此类纷争最具代表性的,当属人民公社与包产到户的纠葛,这在国民经济遭遇困难时表现得更加尖锐。最终在国家干预下,人民公社继续了一个时期,而包产到户则暂时蛰伏下来。     

The potential for developing educational farms: a SWOT analysis from a case study

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Educational farms (EFs) serve a number of social and economic functions and are part of the debate about new learning environments, multifunctional agriculture and firm diversification. Through the analysis of a case study, this paper aims to identify strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) of EFs and key factors for setting a development strategy.

Design/Methodology/Approach: A direct survey to EFs in Molise region (IT) was implemented during April-May 2017 and results were assessed following a SWOT approach.

Findings: Strong motivation and connection with agritourism activities are strengths of EFs in the region; small size, unskilled staff, lack of structured educational pathways, and limited profitability are the main weaknesses. Farms opportunities come from a territory rich in rural landscapes, environmental resources, and typical food products, and from a growing demand for educational tourism. Obstacles are in the institutional sphere and due to the absence of regional networks. Based on SWOT findings, key factors for EFs development are discussed.

Practical implications: EFs development requires innovative educational and managerial tools, a more concerted and proactive role for multiple stakeholders, and the implementation of a network approach. Study findings solicit actions from public institutions and advisory services to improve farmers’ skills.

Theoretical implications: The paper contributes to the theoretical debate about the need for a multidisciplinary approach in dealing with the analysis of EFs.

Originality/Value: The analysis underlines the importance of internal and external drivers in stimulating farms and institutions to support diversification strategies, rural development and transformation processes in inner areas.     

Extensions role in a global world

Abstract

The rural countryside is changing pushed by the impacts of the EU and World policies. The big wheel of agricultural competitiveness grinds on, concentrating resources in the hands of fewer and fewer people, crushing small farmers and small businesses, threatening the environment and changing the countryside and a food production system that has made a useful contribution to society over decades. There is almost universal acceptance of this model of development and it has strong supporters among farming organisations, agribusinesses and the multinational firms creating technology and supplies for the agricultural industry. Extension services have made a significant contribution in supporting this model. Current moves towards extensification and concerns about the environment, animal welfare and food safety, are beginning to raise issues which challenge the above model.

This paper outlines trends in farming and in farm household incomes in Ireland and examines those changes in the context of future competitiveness. It also highlights the dilemma for extension services in trying on the one hand to deliver a commercial service for which it gets paid and on the other a development service relying on public good moneys.     

Improving Agricultural Extension Services through University Outreach Initiatives: A Case of Farmers in Model Villages in Ogun State,Nigeria

Abstract

University outreach is an educational and research-based information source enabling farmers to make decisions that improve the quality of their lives. This paper explores how collaborative efforts between the university and farmers have directly impacted in albeit Striga (‘noxious witch weed’) ravaged maize farms in rainforest farming systems in southwest Nigeria. Data were collected using pre-tested instruments from cross-section of 280 participating and non-participating farmers. Logistic regression results indicated that certain coefficient estimates such as gender, regularity of extension contact, membership of farmers’ group, female adult aged 16 and above, assistance in the provision of tractor-hiring services and improved crop yields were found to be statistically significant at p < 0.05. Furthermore, findings from sample statistics were reflections of peasantry as majority of the farmers had small mean farm size, large household size and low annual income from sales of maize crop. The major conclusion that could be drawn from the study is that the provision of extension by the university coupled with other factors have had significant positive influence on decision to adopt introduced cultural practices with attendant improvement on the well-being of participating farmers.     

Fish Pond Aquaculture in Cameroon: A Field Survey of Determinants for Farmers' Adoption Behaviour

Abstract

Although fish farming in Cameroon started in the late 1940s, currently the country meets only half of its domestic demand for fish. This article examines the complex issue of farmers’ adoption decisions and attempts to answer why there is a lag in the diffusion process. The theory of behaviour modification and key variables of adoption form the conceptual framework of this study. The paper makes use of primary data obtained through semi-structured interviews, key informants and focus group discussion. This paper reveals that inputs provided by public or non-governmental bodies, favourable environmental conditions and socio-cultural attitudes act together as driving factors towards fish farming adoption. Little administrative presence and a low local effective demand for fish have a negative effect on the adoption process. Characteristics like trialability, relative advantage and complexity of the innovation exert a significant hindrance on farmers’ adoption behaviour, while compatibility and observability provide a certain explanation. The findings clearly support the observation that fish farming is an attractive activity for medium-scale farmers most of whom are able to: run several ponds, and manage feeding, maintenance, storage, transportation and marketing effectively. With regard to small-scale farmers, staple food cropping is seen to have a comparative advantage over fish farming. This study fills gaps in existing knowledge of fish pond aquaculture diffusion in Cameroon. To realize a positive impact on the adoption decision process of this activity, this article suggests donors focus on medium-scale farmers, on improving organizational structures of farmers, and on strengthening the fragile extension system and the research on fingerlings production.     

Factors Leading to Success in Diversified Occupation: A Livelihood Analysis in India

Purpose: Livelihood diversification is a sound alternative for higher economic growth and its success or failure is conditioned by the interplay of a multitude of factors. The study of the profile of the farmers in which they operate is important to highlight the factors leading to success in diversified livelihoods. Design/Methodology/Approach: A total of 160 households of farmers were selected randomly and were interviewed to collect primary data for the study. To measure the success of diversified occupation a success–failure scale was developed following the steps used by Singh et al., ‘t’ statistics was used to compare the two groups. Discriminant function analysis was used to identify the factors determining success and failure in diversified occupation. Findings: The study revealed that 53% of the diversifiers were successful in their diversified activities. Around 62.50% diversifiers under the high success category were adopted non-farming nature of diversification along with farm diversification. Number of livestock holding, resource mobilisation potentiality, contact with extension personnel, distance from market, share of non-farm income, credit-seeking behaviour and dependency ratio were major characters discriminating successful diversifiers from unsuccessful diversifiers. Practical Implications: The paper would be useful for the researchers and policy-makers to assess and compare the livelihood security of different rural communities in the country. Originality/Value: The study was originally conducted by the authors. Nothing similar has been previously published or is currently under consideration for publication by another journal.     

Explaining the links between child marriage and intimate partner violence: Evidence from Ghana

ObjectiveThis study examined the relationship between child marriage and intimate partner violence (IPV) in Ghana, looking specifically for possible mechanisms driving the relationship.MethodNationally representative cross-sectional data were collected from 2289 ever-married Ghanaian women and analysed using random-effects regression techniques.ResultsWomen who married as children differed significantly from those who did not in their socio-economic characteristics, attitudes to societal gender norms and autonomy. Compared to those who married as adults, women who married as children had lower levels of education, were more likely to endorse patriarchal gender norms and had lower levels of autonomy within the household. Results also showed significant relationships between child marriage and three dimensions of IPV (physical, sexual and emotional). However, for physical and sexual violence, this relationship was completely mediated by differences in the socio-economic characteristics of the women, their attitude to gender norms and their autonomy within the household.ConclusionResearchers must pay attention to these intermediary factors when theorizing the relationship between child marriage and IPV. Policy makers in Ghana must ensure that young girls receive formal education and have the self-efficacy and skills to reject patriarchal gendered norms that threaten their security and well-being.     

Social Learning among Organic Farmers and the Application of the Communities of Practice Framework

ABSTRACT

The paper examines social learning processes among organic farmers and explores the application of the Community of Practice (CoP) model in this context. The analysis employed utilises an approach based on the CoP model, and considers how, or whether, this approach may be useful to understand social learning among farmers. The CoP model is applied to case studies of social learning fora among organic farmers. The case studies are compiled from in-depth semi-structured interviews and participant observation with farmers and other actors, and the data are analysed with reference to three dimensions of the CoP model, namely mutual engagement, joint enterprise and shared repertoires. Farmers associate and engage in social learning more readily with peers determined by similar attitudes to farm business, farming styles and understanding of what organic agriculture entails. Such associations support the hypothesis that CoPs are self-organising structures that generate their knowledge in sympathy with community definition and identity. A CoP framework applied within relatively unstructured and dispersed communities, such as described in this paper, emphasises the fluid nature of CoPs, and their essentially self-organising nature. Extension approaches may be facilitated by regarding farmers as de-facto members of CoPs and by understanding how CoPs may form and develop. The CoP model is applied as a heuristic to examine social learning processes in organic farming.     

Evaluation of Information and Communication Technology Utilization by Small Holder Banana Farmers in Gatanga District,Kenya

Abstract

Purpose

The study was carried out to identify information communication technologies (ICTs) used in production and marketing of bananas, to determine factors influencing intensity of use of ICT tools and to assess whether use of ICT has a significant influence on adoption of tissue culture bananas by small-scale banana farmers in Gatanga District, Kenya.     

An Assessment of Farmers’ Willingness to Pay for Extension Services Using the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM): The Case of Oyo State,Nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed farmers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for extension services. The Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) was used to assess the amount which farmers are willing to pay. Primary data on the demographic, socio-economic variables of farmers and their WTP were collected from 228 farmers selected randomly in a stage-wise sampling procedure from the Oyo State, Nigeria. The data were summarized using frequency distribution while CVM, commonly used by natural resource economists to assess the willingness of the public to part-fund proposed projects, was used to determine the amount which farmers are willing to pay. Results of the analysis showed that the majority of farmers described themselves as having the ability to pay for services and are willing to pay if their income from farming would increase and the programmes be made relevant to them. They also want to pay through cooperative societies. The CVM result showed that the Lower Bound Mean (LBM) of amount which farmers are willing to pay for extension is N391.47 per farmer per year. The study concluded that there is a challenge to extension specialists to make programmes participatory and farmers relevant if farmers are to be charged with the responsibility of participating in financing agricultural extension services.     

Dealing with Drought: A Comparison of Perceptions and Coping Strategies of Iranian Farmers from Regions with Different Drought Intensities

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a study to understand why some New Zealand dairy farmers are changing from twice-a-day (TAD) to once-a-day (OAD) milking. Increasing herd size, unavailability of suitable labour and changing lifestyle expectations from farmers and their staff have led some to explore OAD milking as a means of alleviating these issues. A convergent interviewing process was used with 21 dairy farmers who had all adopted OAD milking. A marketing approach, based on consumer behaviour theory and farming systems theory, was used to classify farmers into segments based on their different reasons for adoption. Six segments were identified, viz., herd expansion, time needed to build capital, decreasing labour, increasing labour flexibility, feed shortfalls, and herd health, motivating farmers to adopt OAD milking. Farmers in some segments such as herd expansion and feed shortfalls indicated that they were less likely to be long-term adopters than those in the other segments. Farmers interviewed unanimously understood that OAD milking led to reduced milk yield but were generally prepared to tolerate this to achieve their short-term or long-term goals.     

The experience of violence against children in domestic servitude in Haiti: Results from the Violence Against Children Survey,Haiti 2012

BackgroundThere have been estimates that over 150,000 Haitian children are living in servitude. Child domestic servants who perform unpaid labor are referred to as “restavèks.” Restavèks are often stigmatized, prohibited from attending school, and isolated from family placing them at higher risk for experiencing violence. In the absence of national data on the experiences of restavèks in Haiti, the study objective was to describe the sociodemographic characteristics of restavèks in Haiti and to assess their experiences of violence in childhood.MethodsThe Violence Against Children Survey was a nationally representative, cross-sectional household survey of 13–24 year olds (n = 2916) conducted May–June 2012 in Haiti. A stratified three-stage cluster design was used to sample households and camps containing persons displaced by the 2010 earthquake. Respondents were interviewed to assess lifetime prevalence of physical, emotional, and sexual violence occurring before age 18. Chi-squared tests were used to assess the association between having been a restavèk and experiencing violence in childhood.FindingsIn this study 17.4% of females and 12.2% of males reported having been restavèks before age 18. Restavèks were more likely to have worked in childhood, have never attended school, and to have come from a household that did not have enough money for food in childhood. Females who had been restavèks in childhood had higher odds of reporting childhood physical (OR 2.04 [1.40–2.97]); emotional (OR 2.41 [1.80–3.23]); and sexual violence (OR 1.86 [95% CI 1.34–2.58]) compared to females who had never been restavèks. Similarly, males who had ever been restavèks in childhood had significantly increased odds of emotional violence (OR 3.06 [1.99–4.70]) and sexual violence (OR 1.85 [1.12–3.07]) compared to males who had never been restavèks, but there was no difference in childhood physical violence.InterpretationThis study demonstrates that child domestic servants in Haiti experience higher rates of childhood violence and have less access to education and financial resources than other Haitian children. These findings highlight the importance of addressing both the lack of human rights law enforcement and the poor economic circumstances that allow the practice of restavèk to continue in Haiti.     

Suitable for whom? The case of system of rice intensification in Tanzania

Purpose: This study examines the suitability of the system of rice intensification (SRI) for diverse small-scale farmers in Tanzania by exploring if poor and non-poor farmers adopt the system to a similar extent.

Originality: The suitability of low-external input technologies such as SRI for diverse African farmers is a contentious issue. Existing studies suggest that adoption may be skewed away from poorer farmers, but no studies have explicitly categorized farmers who participate in adoption of SRI.

Methods: Farmers exposed to SRI were randomly surveyed. Sample farmers were categorized into three socioeconomic groups – wealthier, middle-wealth, and poorer – using factor and cluster analysis approaches. Wealth category is then used in a logit model to determine probabilities of adopting SRI practices across the different groups.

Findings: The results indicate that middle-wealth group adopt SRI to a greater extent compared to the wealthier and poorer groups. The extent of adoption by wealthier and poorer groups is similar, although constraining circumstances differ. Access to factors that consistently explained adoption: contact with extension services, land with water, and labor, vary systematically among groups.

Theoretical implication: Low adoption is often assumed on reduced exposure to a technology, and non-adopters are expected to eventually adopt. The results suggest, however, that farmers, who have not adopted, may not do so, even after being exposed. SRI as a package does not fit their socioeconomic conditions.

Practical implications: To support adoption across all wealth categories, extension should focus on promoting individual practices rather than the package to enable farmers adopt practices that fit their socioeconomic characteristics.     

Turning Minds On and Faucets Off: Water Conservation Education in Jordanian Schools

Abstract

An evaluation was conducted to measure the impact of a curriculum implementation through the Jordan Water Conservation Education Project funded by USAID. This study examined the effect of recommending water conservation at the household level and the impact of using interactive teaching methods to promote conservation behaviors among students and their families. The evaluation used a postintervention design with random selection of participants. Comparisons were made among 671 students (424 experimental, 247 control) belonging to high school eco-clubs in central Jordan. Most students were girls in rural settings. The experimental group consisted of students whose teachers implemented an interactive curriculum and promoted household water-conservation behaviors. Teachers of students in the control group did not participate in the curriculum implementation, but those students were exposed to lectures about biodiversity issues. The results indicate that students who were exposed to the new curriculum demonstrated a higher level of knowledge about water conservation and performed recommended behaviors more often than students in the control group.     

Social Network Structures among Groundnut Farmers

Abstract

Purpose: Groundnut farmers in East Africa have experienced declines in production despite research and extension efforts to increase productivity. This study examined how social network structures related to acquisition of information about new seed varieties and productivity among groundnut farmers in Uganda and Kenya.

Design/methodology/approach: Data came from face-to-face interviews with a sample of 491 farmers randomly selected from a larger frame purposefully selected to represent farmers who had worked with researchers and farmers who had not, and to represent both male and female farmers. We used social network analysis to visualize and interpret patterns of farmers' networks with regard to information sources, productivity supports and local group affiliations.

Findings: Ugandan farmers primarily used weak ties with researchers and extension agents as sources of information. In contrast, Kenyan farmers used strong ties with close associates. For farmers in both countries weak ties were least associated with productivity. Strong ties, natural factors and farmers' own experience with new varieties were most associated with productivity. The majority of farmers had ties to local groups to strategically pool risks and access available resources.

Practical implications: Visualizing farmers' social networks enables policy-makers and change agents to identify relevant social relationships that could be utilized strategically to increase the capacities of poor farming communities.

Originality/value: The study demonstrates that important differences in social network structures can exist among farmers in similar geographic regions producing similar crops.     

Extension Strategies for Poverty Alleviation: Lessons from China and India

Abstract

This paper discusses the transition from a national focus on food security during the last half of the 20th century to an emerging strategy on helping small-scale farm households increase farm income to reduce rural poverty. The basic proposition is that if extension is going to help increase farm incomes and rural employment, then it must shift from being a ‘supply-driven’ to a more ‘market-driven’ extension system. This shift requires at least three major institutional changes. First, extension must give higher priority to high-value, labor-intensive crops/products where there is real demand in domestic and/or export markets. Second, small-scale producers must get organized into groups to achieve economies of scale and to become linked with the ‘value chains’ that supply these markets. Third, extension planning and decision-making must become decentralized to determine the most suitable crops and/or enterprises vis-à-vis the interests and resources of different farmer groups, in light of agro-ecological conditions and available markets for different products.