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This publication is intended to provide information about Floridians’ expected outcomes associated with complying with irrigation restrictions so educators and communicators (e.g., Extension professionals and conservation coordinators) can integrate this information into outreach. Written by Laura Warner, Sravani Pasula, Dharmendra Kalauni, Jamie Loizzo, and Sadie Hundemer, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, August 2024.

This publication discusses Florida residents’ awareness and perceptions of irrigation restrictions to illuminate the processes that support or prevent their compliance with these policies. Written by Sravani Pasula, Dharmendra Kalauni, Laura Warner, John Diaz, Ange Asanzi, James Harmon, Deirdre Irwin, and Robin L. Grantham, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, May 2024.

This publication explains Florida residents’ current involvement in requesting wildlife-friendly landscape maintenance (WFLM) and the perceived barriers and motivators associated with this behavior using the concept of stages of change. Written by Laura A. Warner, Dharmendra Kalauni, John M. Diaz, Emily Marois, Adam Dale, and Jaret Daniels, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, April 2024.

The purpose of this study was to determine how social norms and definitions of the self in terms of individualism-collectivism related to engagement in a public-sphere behavior, encouraging others to conserve water. To achieve this, we examined the public sphere behavior of encouraging others to conserve water through the lens of the Theory of Planned behavior. Data were collected from residents in Florida, USA. Cluster analysis was used to assign respondents to individual subgroups according to five variables: horizontal individualism index, vertical individualism index, horizontal collectivism index, vertical collectivism index, and behavioral intent. Then, group membership was used as the independent variable to compare subjective and descriptive norms, personal norms, attitude, perceived behavioral control, demographic characteristics, past and current behavior. Of the resulting two clusters, the Interdependent Conservation Advocates had greater identification with collectivism indices and had stronger intent to encourage others to conserve water, as compared to the Unconnected Bystanders. The former subgroup also reported significantly more positive subjective norms, descriptive norms, personal norms, attitudes, and perceived behavioral control. Perceived behavioral control marked the greatest practical difference between the groups. Interventions targeting this public sphere behavior should foster values of collectivism and increase perceived behavioral control by improving people's ability to encourage others to conserve water.

In the United States, the green industry is a billion-dollar sector that generates millions of employment opportunities annually. Green industry professionals, homeowners, and renters all play important roles in deciding how to design and maintain urban and residential landscapes. Decades of research have shown a need to accommodate wildlife and pollinator conservation efforts in urbanized landscape design and maintenance. The studies summarized in this publication were designed to evaluate the perceptions of green industry professionals and consumers regarding wildlife-friendly landscape maintenance practices to develop insights for future landscape conservation efforts that protect wildlife in Florida’s and the US’s rapidly expanding urban areas. This publication is intended for program planners, educators, Extension agents, green industry professionals, policymakers, and researchers working to promote pollinators and biodiversity in urban and residential landscapes.

Water quality impaired by excess nutrients has been linked to negative effects on human health, the environment, and the economy. Residential septic systems (i.e., onsite sewage treatment) contribute to these excess nutrients. Conversion from a septic system to a sewer system (hereafter referred to as S2S) is one way to mitigate pollution from excess nutrients. There are voluntary and mandatory S2S conversion programs throughout and beyond Florida. While there are multiple benefits of making such a change, S2S conversion is a complex and costly process. This document was developed to aid environmental management professionals, policymakers, and communication and education professionals (e.g., Extension agents) in understanding residents’ perceptions pertaining to S2S conversion. More details on the study presented in this document are available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115651.

Internationalization of higher education’s agricultural disciplines is essential to account for agrifood system trends toward globalization and multiculturalism. Professional and academic associations can play a formative role preparing graduate students for their agricultural careers. Guided by socialization theory, this needs assessment explores graduate students’ perceived needs, expectations, and ideas to optimize engagement with associations focused on international agriculture. A convergent mixed methods design integrated and contrasted quantitative and qualitative data from an online survey—filled by 26 student participants—and qualitative data from a virtual fishbone focus group with seven participants. Students’ perceptions appear responsive to trends toward globalized food systems and demonstrate their desire for socialization to gain internationally focused capacities and connections to opportunities in a variety of global agricultural areas. Findings indicate associations geared toward internationally oriented scholarship and academics should expand to better encompass international development practice. Doing so would provide greater insight into practitioners’ priorities and facilitate alternative career pathways for graduate students interested in practice. Additionally, findings point to needs for student mentoring and communication efforts focused on equitable and inclusive engagement with first generation students and students in developing countries who may be financially inhibited from traveling for in-person socialization activities.

Orthodox tea is one of the high-value agriculture commodities having enormous potential of export to international market. Nepal offers suitable climate, soil, and topography for profitable production of the orthodox tea having exceptional flavor, aroma, and taste. The study was designed to analyze the production trend, annual growth rate, export and import, and prospects of the Nepali orthodox tea. Findings showed that production of tea is in increasing trend with an average annual growth rate of 9.55%. Despite possessing ample opportunity in domestic and international markets, yet country only produces little amount of orthodox tea. Further, 90% of the total produced orthodox tea was imported primarily to India which has been one of the factors for not being able to receive optimum premium as compared to other tea exporting countries like China and India. Thus to revitalize tea subsector, it is recommended to focus on improving tea productivity with proper mechanization, establishing tea processing industries, easy and reliable certification, price intervention, market recognition, and enhancing diplomatic relations for easy market accessibility and duty-free trade.

With increasing incidence of drought and scant rainfall it has now become mandatory for farmers to opt to techniques like water harvesting to fulfil the demand of water for farming. The study was focused on the role of water harvesting on vegetable based income diversification of farmers in Tansen Municipality of Palpa. Altogether 120 water harvesting technology adopters were chosen using purposive and simple random technique to collect household level data from personal scheduled interview. In addition, focus group discussions (FGD) with farmer groups and key informant interviews (KII) with enablers were also conducted. Comparison between commercial and non-commercial farmers was carried out on different parameters using chi square test, t test and descriptive statistics. Findings revealed with the adoption of almost all farmers had changed their cereal based cropping pattern to vegetable based cropping pattern after they adopted water harvesting technology due to which vegetable share in total income was higher (47.6%) than cereal (2.03%). Average income from vegetable per household was NRs. 185,654 which was significantly higher in commercial farmers. Accessibility to road was also a major determinant of type of water harvesting structure adopted by farmers, its type and capacity. Income from vegetable, cereals and total income were significantly higher among farmers having direct access to road than farmers who did not. The benefit cost ratio, net present value and internal rate of return of plastic pond was 7.78, NRs. 422,185 and 135%, respectively implying that adoption of water harvesting was highly beneficial at farm level.

Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) is a new concept for Nepalese farmers. Most of the farmers are unaware of it and have not adopted the practices. The study aimed to find out the factors that affect the awareness of GAP among banana growers in Chitwan, Nepal. Altogether, 103 households from Khaireni, Kalika and Ratnanagar Municipalities and Bharatpur Metropolitan City were chosen for the study by stratified random sampling technique. The collected data was then analyzed using SPSS and Stata software. The binary logit regression model was used for analyzing the effect of different variables on the awareness of GAP among banana growers. The findings revealed that, education and training had a significant effect (at 1% level of significance) on the awareness of GAP. Based on the findings, training programs related to GAP are suggested to increase the awareness of GAP among banana growers.

Large cardamom is a high-value spice crop grown commonly in mid-hills of Nepal. Price disparity coupled with production challenges are major immersing concerns in growth and development of this sub-sector. The study was designed in January 2019 to assess production scenario and marketing of large cardamom in Bhojpur district of Nepal. Altogether, 120 large cardamom growers and 20 traders were selected using purposive sampling technique. Data were analysed using SPSS and Ms-Excel. Cobb-Douglas production function was used to estimate the factor share to the total output production. Findings revealed that more than 45% of total annual household income was attributed by cardamom itself. Overall benefit and cost ratio was found greater than unity (1.467). Cobb-Douglas production function showed that all cardamom-growing farmers were experiencing increasing returns to scale. Higher producer’s share (90.32%) was found when farmer sell their large cardamom directly to the exporter while least producer’s share (69.21%) was found in domestic market channel with large number of intermediaries. Increase in marketing margin, marketing costs and decrease in marketing efficiency and producers’ share were observed with increase in number of marketing intermediaries and vice-versa. About 55% of the large cardamom exporters believed that the Indian market was the most responsible factor for export price determination. From study, it is recommended to strengthen market or price intervention by concerned authority and also it is high time to identify possible routes to potential international markets (besides India) to receive competitive higher price.

This study was designed to understand the current state of wildlife-friendly landscape maintenance practices and the associated barriers and motivations among Florida green industry professionals. A Delphi technique to achieve consensus, along with descriptive survey questions, was used to facilitate feedback from Florida-based green industry professionals and Extension professionals. The expert panel identified 55 wildlife-friendly landscape activities, 25 barrier items, and 25 motivator items. Descriptive findings showed that green industry professionals believe, on average, Florida residents request wildlife-friendly maintenance services less frequently than wildlife-friendly landscape services are offered by Florida green industry professionals. Consensus findings demonstrated the barriers with the greatest agreement were a lack of public awareness about wildlife-friendly landscaping, its ecological and environmental benefits, professional focus on profit, homeowner association (HOA) regulations, and demand for formal landscape aesthetics. Consensus findings also revealed Florida green industry's major motivators were clients' demand for native, Florida-Friendly plants and wildlife-supporting landscapes, the desire to promote the company as wildlife-friendly, and public interest in native and Florida-Friendly Landscaping. Extension professionals, along with policymakers, educators, and program planners should reduce the identified barriers and expand on the motivators to encourage green industry professionals to engage in landscape maintenance activities that support wildlife.