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High quality of life in rural areas represents the key prerequisite for sustainable rural development. In addition to ensuring that the young will remain in these areas, it also indicates rural vitality and plays a key role in rural development policies and local development strategies in all countries. The aim of this article was to examine the extent to which the quality of life in rural Serbia was adapted to the needs of young people in order to ensure their stay in rural areas. Using a semi-structured questionnaire and an online and telephone survey, the author asked 118 agricultural extension officers from all agricultural extension services in Serbia to express their opinions on this issue. The agricultural extension officers evaluated quality of rural life and its adaptability to the needs of the young using a Likert scale ranging from 1 (not adapted) to 5 (highly adapted). The average score for Serbia was 2.4, which indicates that quality of life is slightly adapted to the needs of the young. Quality of life was rated higher (moderately adapted) only in the area of Belgrade, while in the other areas it had the average values for Serbia (slightly adapted). Despite the significant differences between the regions regarding the achieved level of economic development, the Kruskal-Wallis test showed that these differences did not have an influence on the agricultural extension officers' evaluation of the analyzed variable (p=0.239).

The water economics course offered at the University of Waterloo provides students from the Department of Economics and other schools and departments across campus the opportunity to learn more about the application of economic theory, concepts, models, and methods to global water challenges. Students are prepared for real-world challenges by linking theory to practical examples. They are brought “into the field” through visits to local wastewater treatment facilities and real-world practical assignments. Emerging trends and water policy challenges in need of reconciliation with economic theory and methods are addressed. The practical examples make abstract water management challenges in the water economics literature real for students. Collaboration with other disciplines and sectors, as increasingly required in the water domain, is emphasized to effectively inform economically efficient water management. The annual course evaluation shows that economics students value especially the applied and interdisciplinary nature of the course.

AgEcon Search (AES), the digital library for agricultural and applied economics, promotes diversity and equity in scholarly communication by bringing socioeconomically and geographically diverse perspectives into classrooms around the world. Freely available materials in AES can be used in place of textbooks or expensive journals from commercial publishers that are inaccessible in many classrooms due to cost barriers. AES promotes diversity in scholarly communications (bibliodiversity) as demonstrated by content such as theses from Africa providing diverse geographic perspectives, and journal articles reflecting gender perspectives or discussing rural issues in lower-income countries. AES also promotes equity in publishing, hosting papers from 88 organizations and publishers (including 33 journals) in the Global South, elevating and disseminating their content via indexes like Google Scholar and RePEc. These publications expose research by authors who may find it difficult to publish in commercial journals, but whose ideas can enrich the experience for students by introducing perspectives from and about regions outside the Global North. AES content promotes diversity and equity by offering agricultural and applied economics instructors and students free, open access (OA) to over 170,000 current and historical working papers, conference papers, journal articles, theses, and government documents from 71 countries on six continents.

IN THIS ISSUE: Notes from the Department Head; A Conversation with Jason Kerwin; Spotlight: Eliza Endres; Outstanding Alumni Award Recap; Spotlight: Charlotte Ambrozek; Scholarships & Fellowships; Easter Family Scholarship

Smallholder rice farmers in four target provinces surrounding Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia face problems of crop failures and low yields due to biotic and abiotic factors and a lack of suitable seeds and technologies. This paper reviews the status of rice production in the four areas and discusses the approaches to foster wide-scale dissemination and adoption of high-yielding, stress-tolerant rice varieties (STRVs) with resistance to biotic factors and tolerance to drought or floods. Baseline and endline surveys were conducted as well as extensive linkages with stakeholders, capacity-building activities, quality seed production at institutional level, field demonstration, and seed dissemination. The study summarizes data from 1,220 baseline respondents on demographic details, varietal use, knowledge assessment, and needs. The survey showed an aging profile, of which almost 25 percent are women, use of traditional and modern varieties with low yields of 2.5 t/ha, abiotic stress occurrence, and that only 14 percent of farmer respondents have heard about STRVs. In 30 months, training activities, varietal information, and diffusion of seeds reached 13,080 farmers. Results from 339 field trials showed the yield advantage of 1.0 to 1.5 t/ha of STRVs compared with those of farmer’s varieties. An endline survey from 424 farmers in 2018 showed recognition for government extension, better awareness of STRVs, high willingness to adopt STRVs at 92.4 percent of the respondents, preferred varietal traits, and additional training activities are needed. The barriers to adoption that were identified were concerns on low market price and marketability. Participatory trials and farmers’ field days were effective for early adoption as the visual performance of STRVs increased interest among farmer groups. Key government agencies are needed to promote and sustain registered seed production, availability of STRVs, and crop suitability. The support of the Royal Government of Cambodia and its new seed policy address problems on seed quality and availability.

Economic analyses are essential in water management and allocation among sectors and regions that face water scarcity. State and local agencies in charge of water management in California play a major role in making appropriation decisions and designing policies on such issues. Economic decisions are even more critical with the predicted, more frequent water scarcity due to population increases and climate change impacting water resources. Since most of the staff members in these agencies are non-economists, they may lack the skills to develop accurate analyses and make economic decisions on water management. In addition, university graduates, to be placed in water agencies after graduation, often lack an economic background from the various courses offered on water issues. For those reasons, we present in this paper the building blocks and content of a water economics and management course targeted toward university upper-level non-economist students while providing details on the weekly course content and learning assignments. In addition, we evaluate course achievement results from a learning assessment survey, comparing the knowledge and understanding gained between the first and last week of the course.

Academic economists have many insights to contribute to water management at all scales. These contributions need to be placed in local institutional contexts and reconciled with insights from other disciplines if they are to affect policy, action, and evaluation. Case studies offer a useful way to organize different lines of thinking in the classroom or the field. This article reviews these factors—academic vs. practical perspectives; economic vs. other disciplines—and provides a framework for teaching water economics by building problem-based case studies., Request Teaching Notes/Supplemental Materials: https://form.jotform.com/91565767216163

USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) conducts high-quality, objective economic research to inform and enhance public and private decision making on emerging issues in agriculture, food, the environment, and rural America. Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials covers key food and agricultural indicators and illustrates the scope of ERS’s work through a series of charts and maps. This booklet provides a sample of those maps and charts available on the ERS website at www.ers.usda.gov/essentials. Organized into nine topics, Charting the Essentials anticipates questions, such as: How much do agriculture and related industries contribute to the U.S. economy? What economic forces are shaping rural America? What are the top destinations for U.S. agricultural exports? What percent of income do U.S. households spend on food? Charting the Essentials provides a resource for public officials, researchers, educators, students, journalists, and anyone looking for current information on these topics. Visit the ERS website where you can view and download these charts and maps, as well as a variety of reports and other products, such as Charts of Note and Amber Waves online magazine.

In view of land’s vital importance as a foundation of societal livelihood and its position being at the heart of social and political interests and conflicts, increasing number of universities in Africa have been launching and expanding formal educational and research programs since the last two decades. The ongoing expansion of land governance educational and research programs are mainly driven by the need for the overall socio-economic development reforms at continental level in Africa. It is obvious that academia plays the leading role in producing and providing competent graduates that will in time contribute to the processes of land reform. As a responses and input to the reform process, East African countries where this study has focused on have been giving high attention and dedication to open and incorporate educational or training programs in the field of land governance. However, studies to examine and evaluate the contents and quality of the curricula in addressing inclusive land governance are limited at continental as well as at regional level. Thus this study is aimed to review the land governance related curricula launched in the higher education institutes of Eastern Africa Region (Eastern African Land Administration Network) from the point of addressing the issue of inclusive land governance. A desk review approach and qualitative content analysis method was employed to achieve the objective of the study. Finally, this review shows that there is a clear limitation or gap to incorporate topics related to inclusive land governance principles in the existing curricula. This clearly implies that the existing land governance challenges and social and political conflicts are partly attributed to the gaps in the existing curricula or educational programs launched at national and continental level. Thus, this review calls for universities in Africa to highlight the importance of incorporating topics on inclusive land governance and related issues in the review process as a means to manage land in a just, conflict-free land sustainable manner., African Journal on Land Policy and Geospatial Sciences, Vol 5, No 3: May 2022

Cowpea, which is produced primarily in West Africa, is valued locally for its agronomic benefits in dryland farming, nutritional content, and contribution to the livelihoods of farming families. Many feel that more investment in cowpea research and development is needed for the crop to achieve its economic potential. Cowpea has long been labelled a ‘women’s crop’. We tested whether this is the case in Mali by exploring five indicators with a combination of primary and secondary databases, and interpreting our results in the context of the regional literature. We conclude that, in Mali, cowpea is better characterised as a ‘women’s enterprise’. Men are more likely than women to plant cowpea as either a primary or secondary crop and tend to plant larger areas, with cowpea intercropped. In drier agro-ecologies, women are more likely to grow cowpea than other crops. Although subsample sizes are very small, women cowpea growers appear to earn more on average from selling the harvest from their individual plots than do men. Women represent 99% of traders of processed cowpea products in the open-air markets we surveyed. In the production segment of the value chain, investments to facilitate women’s access to improved cowpea seed and local markets would support their commercial orientation. Investments in women’s trade in processed cowpea products, including the provision of credit, storage, and training in organisational capacity, would enhance their incomes and their livelihoods.

In this small posthumous review-tribute, Rafael Cartay (professor and researcher at the Universidad de Los Andes–ULA, Venezuela, and at the Technical University of Manabí-UTM, Ecuador) writes in memory of Armando Scannone and Ruben Santiago, two pillars of gastronomy and the culinary arts in Venezuela., Universidad de Los Andes-ULA, Venezuela Universidad Técnica de Manabí-UTM, Ecuador

Engaged learning projects can effectively complement Extension programming goals and course learning objectives that enrich the outcomes for both components. A cooperative business management class at Cornell University provides an evaluation of the fundamental principles, structure, finance, and governance associated with the cooperative business model. In so doing, students analyze contemporary issues facing modern cooperatives. In collaboration with extension programming surrounding cooperative enterprises, contemporary issues are emphasized through projects with actual cooperative businesses. Cooperatives have included farmer-owned, customer-owned, and worker-owned businesses. Students benefit from applying principles learned in class, while cooperatives benefit from the fresh, new perspectives they receive from people outside their organization. Both value the highly interactive nature of this engagement and to which work plans and expected deliverables can and often do change throughout the course of the projects. This paper synthesizes the opportunities and obstacles associated with developing and administering engaged learning projects from the learned experiences of the class instructor, professional Extension staff, and cooperative industry clients. Recommended best practices are elucidated to better inform faculty interested in implementing this dynamic approach to extension and classroom education.

The issue of employer power is underemphasized in the development literature. Thedefault model is usually one of competitive labor markets. This assumption matters for analysis and policy prescription. There is growing evidence that the competitive labor markets assumption is not valid for developing countries. Our objective in this paper is to review this evidence, to present theoretical and policy perspectives which follow from it, and to highlight areas for further research.

The present study aimed to provide a systematic model for the management of an information system for rural entrepreneurship training in Ilam province, Iran. The research used a descriptive methodology performed by the Delphi technique. The sample was taken by the purposive technique in which 15 experts including faculty members, executives, and experts were selected to participate in three Delphi rounds. At the end of round 3, the final model was confirmed by the panel to be composed of seven components (data collection, data storage, data quality control, data analysis, data dissemination, documentation, and data sharing and application) and 22 sub-components. The results showed that to use an information management system for entrepreneurship training, it is first necessary to specify the required data on rural areas (about economic, social, cultural, infrastructural, and ecological aspects) before their collection. For the sake of storage, the data should be inputted in a system specifically designed for the management of the entrepreneurship training information system. Based on the results, quality control, data analysis, dissemination, documentation, and sharing should be performed by the Governor’s Office of Economic Coordination.

[EN] The configuration of the social network of knowledge transfer in digital transformation (DT) in the Andalusian olive sector is analysed using Social Network Analysis techniques. The results indicate that universities and technology companies are the main knowledge emitting agents, while olive growers and cooperatives are the main receiving agents. The social network of DT has a high potential for the creation of social capital, however, most of the interactions established between actors are of very low intensity, which could lead to some actors being isolated from knowledge in DT., [ES] La configuración de la red social de transferencia de conocimiento en transformación digital (TD) del sector olivarero de Andalucía es analizada mediante el uso de técnicas de Análisis de Redes Sociales. Los resultados indican que las universidades y las empresas tecnológicas son los principales agentes emisores de conocimiento, mientras los olivareros y las cooperativas son los principales agentes receptores. La red tiene un alto potencial para la creación de capital social, aunque la mayoría de las interacciones son de intensidad muy débil, lo que podría conllevar a que algunos actores queden aislados del conocimiento en TD., Los autores agradecen el apoyo económico recibido del Instituto de Investigación y Formación Agraria y Pesquera (IFAPA) a través del proyecto de investigación “Transformación digital del sector oleícola en Andalucía: Análisis sistémico, estructural y funcional para impulsar su desarrollo (digitalOli)” (PR.AVA.AVA2019.009), cofinanciado al 80 % por el Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, dentro del Programa Operativo FEDER 2014-2020.

This paper, seeks to empirically establish the complementarity or otherwise between the decision to adopt improved soybean variety and the decision to participate in extension service training. The paper departs from the traditional binary dependent regression model (probit and logit) with extension treated as one of several covariates and instead model the binary outcomes of the decisions to adopt improved varieties, and access to extension services simultaneously using bivariate probit model. Data for the study is from 1432 farmers across the three regions of northern Ghana to jointly model the determinants of access to agricultural extension services and adoption of improved soybean variety (Jenguma). We found a positive correlation between the decisions to adopt improved soybean variety (Jenguma) and access to agricultural extension services. The implication is that, the decision to adopt the variety is interrelated with access to agricultural extension services. Hence, access to agricultural extension services is complementary to the decision to adopt new soybean varieties. Findings also indicate that, the decision to adopt improved soybean varieties is influenced by younger, less educated farmers with large farms and ownership of parcels. Given that agricultural extension service is a public good, we recommend that the government of Ghana allocates more human, financial, and technical resources to the extension services to enhance the delivery of extension services to farmers so as to improve the adoption of productivity enhancing technologies

These are Author’s guidelines that should exhaustively follow by all the authors of articles, reviews and other documents who wish to publish in Agroalimentaria Journal. They are available in English, as well as in Spanish, French and Portuguese (this link), updated at June 2021., Comité Editorial Revista Agroalimentaria Centro de Investigaciones Agroalimentarias "Edgar Abreu Olivo" (CIAAL-EAO) Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Sociales (FACES), Universidad de Los Andes (ULA), Venezuela

The present study aimed to determine extension requirements for slow food (SF) and to provide a model for SF extension in Iran condition. The study employed the systematic approach of grounded theory for model development. The statistical population was composed of all key experts of SF extension of which 15 individuals were selected as the sample by the purposive sampling technique. Data were collected by semi-structured interview method and analyzed by the systematic approach of grounded theory through the three stages of open, axial, and selective coding. The reliability of the findings was checked by members matching and peer review. For members matching, four participants of the final report reviewed the first stage of analysis and the derived categories. The results of the analysis showed that 169 initial codes derived at the first stage of open coding were narrowed to 37 codes and were finally grouped into six categories. It was tried in the research to use SF extension experts’ views to answer the question as to how a model can be presented for SF extension by grounded theory. This model is based on a rational pattern that includes the causes and factors underpinning SF, contexts, supporting conditions in the SF model, strategies, and consequences of people’s lack of tendency towards developing an SF-based lifestyle. People’s awareness and knowledge were emphasized by both previous research and the experts interviewed here. The results show that people’s participation in decision-making has a significant impact on the SF model and all individual citizens should be covered by the training programs to reach sustainable food diets.

The purpose of this study was to design a model for student empowerment to reduce academic burnout in the agricultural higher education system in Iran. The statistical population was composed of 10 higher education experts in the qualitative phase. In the quantitative phase, 200 students were selected by the Krejci-Morgan table. The sampling method was purposive in the qualitative phase and random in the quantitative phase. The experts (participants) mentioned seven indices as the main factors for model evaluation. Furthermore, the relative coefficient value of each index was determined by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Model fitting results showed that RMSEA was equal to 0.096, and as this value was less than 0.1, it indicated that the mean squared error of the model was applicable and the initial model was acceptable. Likewise, FIGFI, CFI, and NFI were more than 0.9, indicating that the measurement model of the indices was propitious. The model evaluation and the assessment of the difference between the means of indices illustrated that empowering students would have a significant impact on reducing academic burnout in the agricultural higher education system in Iran. The significance level was estimated at less than 0.01. The impact was B=0.46 for future orientation, B=0.51 for the level of access to information, B=0.52 for emotional exhaustion, and B=0.57 for depersonalization.

Índice acumulado del año 2021 (Vol. 27, Nº 52 y Nº 53), Cumulative index 2021 (Vol. 27, Nº 52 and Nº 53)

In this issue: Notes from the Department Head, Frances Homans; CFFM Outreach with Historically Underserved Producers, Robert Craven; Alumni Spotlight Interview with Misty Heggeness; Take a Trip to Spain with Undergraduate Anna Mayer; Checking in with Colette Salemi.