Search

The study was conducted in Uttar Pradesh, India to assess the relationship between ICT tools and socio-economic variables of farmers. The ex-post-facto research design and multi-stage random sample technique were used. The data was collected through personal interviews with farmers. The total sample size of the study was 120 farmers. The study data were analyzed with correlation, multiple regression, and path analysis. The coefficient of determination (R2) revealed that 79.90 per cent of the total variation in the utilization of ICT tools by the farmers was explained by the selected independent variables. The path analysis was used to assess the total effect, which was decomposed into direct, indirect, and residual effects. The variable education (0.358) exerted the highest direct effect, while the total indirect effect of extension contact (0.493) was on the utilization of ICT tools by the farmers. The residual effect was 0.201, which means that 20.10 per cent of the variance could not be explained due to exogenous variables. Overall, the study suggests that education and extension contact are crucial factors that affect the utilization of ICT tools by farmers in Uttar Pradesh for agricultural purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was conducted with a sample of 120 sericulture farmers in Kamrup district of Assam in three development blocks viz. Bongaon, Boko and Chayani Borduwa. The study revealed that majority (43.33%) of the respondents belonged to middle age group, 36.67% were illiterate, 45.83% belonged to small size family and 69.17% had pucca house. In case of operational land holding majority (34.17%) of the respondents possessed small size of land holding, 33.95% had annual income ranging from Rs.75,001-1,00,000, 75.00% had medium level of extension contact, 61.67% had moderate level of risk bearing ability, 59.17% had moderate level of decision-making ability and only 23.33% had received training. Most of the respondents (35.00%) practiced "Sericulture +paddy+plantation crops" followed by "Sericulture+paddy+piggery" (15.83%) and "Sericulture+paddy+fruits" (12.50%) as their livelihood options. Education, family size, house type, operational land holding risk bearing ability and decisionmaking ability have significant relationship on livelihood options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adoption of improved agricultural technologies can help achieve the two Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of no poverty and zero hunger by 2030. This study investigates the determinants of farmers' adoption of hand tractors in the HKH region of Pakistan using binary logit model. We also examine what facilitates and what impedes the adoption of hand tractor adoption using key informant interviews. Results show that household head education, farming experience, knowledge of hand tractor use, access to credit, extension contact, and trust in technology positively affect the adoption of hand tractor; however farm size is negatively related. The findings reveal that ethnic conflicts, political conflicts, elite capture in decision making, unavailability of functional community-based entities, weak extension-farmers contact, as well as weak inter- and intra-community linkages are key barriers affecting hand tractor adoption. Similarly, observed changes on neighbors’ fields, experiencing hand tractor on trial basis, communication networks, risk observations, and trust propensities motivate hand tractor adoption in the study region. Thus, to effectively disseminate improved agricultural technologies, policymakers should consider these factors.

The study was conducted with a sample of 120 sericulture farmers in Kamrup district of Assam in three development blocks viz. Bongaon, Boko and Chayani Borduwa. The study revealed that majority (43.33%) of the respondents belonged to middle age group, 36.67% were illiterate, 45.83% belonged to small size family and 69.17% had pucca house. In case of operational land holding majority (34.17%) of the respondents possessed small size of land holding, 33.95% had annual income ranging from Rs.75,001-1,00,000, 75.00% had medium level of extension contact, 61.67% had moderate level of risk bearing ability, 59.17% had moderate level of decision-making ability and only 23.33% had received training. Most of the respondents (35.00%) practiced “Sericulture +paddy+plantation crops” followed by “Sericulture+paddy+piggery" (15.83%) and “Sericulture+paddy+fruits” (12.50%) as their livelihood options. Education, family size, house type, operational land holding risk bearing ability and decision-making ability have significant relationship on livelihood options.

Growing concerns about the environmental costs of agricultural production have given new impetus to the promotion of sustainable agricultural production technologies that can reduce soil erosion and the excessive use of agricultural chemicals. Although numerous policies have been implemented to popularize soil testing and formulated fertilization technologies in China, the diffusion of the technology among large-scale farmers (LSFs) has been addressed only rarely. We used a two-stage controlled function model to control for endogeneity and selection bias in contacting extension staff to assess the effect of an extension contact on technology adoption behavior by LSFs, Propensity Score Matching techniques are also utilized to analyze the effects of extension contact on the rice yields and nutrient use amount. Empirical results from Jiangsu and Jiangxi provinces show that extension contact plays a crucial role in promoting soil testing and the adoption of formulated fertilization technologies; LSFs' adoption raises rice yields, however, the impact of extension contact on reducing nutrient use amount does not pass the significance test. The findings add to the theoretical literature on technology extension, and we used them to suggest policies to encourage tailored agricultural extension systems by constructing rural technological extension networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed to examine the determinants of farmland degradation in the West Guji Zone. The study employed data collected in 2020 from a sample of 385 farm households selected using a simple random sampling technique. An ordered probit model was run to examine the association of explanatory variables with the severity of farmland degradation. Farm plot assessment results indicate that most farm plots were categorized as slightly degraded, followed by moderate, non-degraded, and severe degradation statuses. The study indicated that the main causes of farmland degradation were intensive cultivation without fallow, deforestation, high precipitation, overgrazing, steep slopes, and wind. The ordered probit results revealed that age of household heads, number of plots, and slope of the farmland positively and significantly influenced the severity of farmland degradation, while sex of household heads, soil conservation status, family size, education, land-to-labor ratio, and extension contact were negatively and significantly associated with the severity of farmland degradation. Therefore, the study suggests the provision of training to farming households, promotion of cost-effective modern feed resources and homemade biogas, implementation of a participatory management approach, scaling-up existing land management practices, ensuring the sustainability of natural resource use, and a close linkage between farmers and extension agents to minimize farmland degradation.

This paper aimed to examine the determinants of farmland degradation in the West Guji Zone. The study employed data collected in 2020 from a sample of 385 farm households selected using a simple random sampling technique. An ordered probit model was run to examine the association of explanatory variables with the severity of farmland degradation. Farm plot assessment results indicate that most farm plots were categorized as slightly degraded, followed by moderate, non-degraded, and severe degradation statuses. The study indicated that the main causes of farmland degradation were intensive cultivation without fallow, deforestation, high precipitation, overgrazing, steep slopes, and wind. The ordered probit results revealed that age of household heads, number of plots, and slope of the farmland positively and significantly influenced the severity of farmland degradation, while sex of household heads, soil conservation status, family size, education, land-to-labor ratio, and extension contact were negatively and significantly associated with the severity of farmland degradation. Therefore, the study suggests the provision of training to farming households, promotion of cost-effective modern feed resources and homemade biogas, implementation of a participatory management approach, scaling-up existing land management practices, ensuring the sustainability of natural resource use, and a close linkage between farmers and extension agents to minimize farmland degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural Extension Services (AES) aim to improve farming knowledge that helps in increasing crop production and the technical efficiency of paddy farmers in Bangladesh. The purposes of this study are to measure the impact of an AES, namely, the Blue Gold programme, on the technical efficiency and production level of the Boro paddy farmers in southwest rural Bangladesh. A total of 122 paddy farmers were interviewed, employing a random sampling method. To analyse the technical efficiency of the farmers, the Cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier model was employed. The findings show that the mean technical efficiency levels of the participants and non-participants are 95% and 82%, producing 162.74 and 136.48 maunds per hectare, respectively. The findings are indispensable for devising strategies for environment-friendly agricultural activities and rural economic development in Bangladesh.

Growing concerns about the environmental costs of agricultural production have given new impetus to the promotion of sustainable agricultural production technologies that can reduce soil erosion and the excessive use of agricultural chemicals. Although numerous policies have been implemented to popularize soil testing and formulated fertilization technologies in China, the diffusion of the technology among large-scale farmers (LSFs) has been addressed only rarely. We used a two-stage controlled function model to control for endogeneity and selection bias in contacting extension staff to assess the effect of an extension contact on technology adoption behavior by LSFs, Propensity Score Matching techniques are also utilized to analyze the effects of extension contact on the rice yields and nutrient use amount. Empirical results from Jiangsu and Jiangxi provinces show that extension contact plays a crucial role in promoting soil testing and the adoption of formulated fertilization technologies; LSFs’ adoption raises rice yields, however, the impact of extension contact on reducing nutrient use amount does not pass the significance test. The findings add to the theoretical literature on technology extension, and we used them to suggest policies to encourage tailored agricultural extension systems by constructing rural technological extension networks.

Adoption of improved agricultural technologies can help achieve the two Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of no poverty and zero hunger by 2030. This study investigates the determinants of farmers' adoption of hand tractors in the HKH region of Pakistan using binary logit model. We also examine what facilitates and what impedes the adoption of hand tractor adoption using key informant interviews. Results show that household head education, farming experience, knowledge of hand tractor use, access to credit, extension contact, and trust in technology positively affect the adoption of hand tractor; however farm size is negatively related. The findings reveal that ethnic conflicts, political conflicts, elite capture in decision making, unavailability of functional community-based entities, weak extension-farmers contact, as well as weak inter- and intra-community linkages are key barriers affecting hand tractor adoption. Similarly, observed changes on neighbors' fields, experiencing hand tractor on trial basis, communication networks, risk observations, and trust propensities motivate hand tractor adoption in the study region. Thus, to effectively disseminate improved agricultural technologies, policymakers should consider these factors., (© 2023 The Authors.)