Download or read book Social Networks and Farmers Willingness to Adopt New Agricultural Technologies written by Maria Quinhentos and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ABSTRACTThe agricultural sector is a major driver for socio-economic development of Mozambique. Agriculture is practiced by about 80% of the countrys working population, and the majority of the production is done by small-scale farmers. However, the productivity of staple food remains very low and is considered below the potential compared to other African countries. The use of improved seeds is crucial for increasing agricultural productivity. It is recognized that the use of improved seed may improve smallholder farmer crop productivity, income, and livelihoods. However, the uptake of improved seed in Mozambique is very low and the productivity of crops remains low. New technologies are being developed and strategies are needed to increase adoption. Social networks are fundamental for information and resource acquisition, and the adoption of new technologies. Social networks can help farmers to obtain improved seed and contribute to higher rates of adoption.This research investigated the effect of social networks on information acquisition and willingness to adopt a newly-introduced low-phosphorous (low-P) bean variety in rural Mozambique. The study draws on data from an ex-ante baseline socioeconomic survey of 289 farmers in six villages in three rural provinces in Mozambique that was conducted in 2008-2009 by the Mozambican Agricultural Research Institute (IIAM) and Penn State University (PSU) under a McKnight Foundation project. Bivariate logit models were estimated to examine the effects of social networks and other factors on 1) famer willingness to adopt a new low-P bean variety, specifically the meso-American black bean (a small variety adapted to low-P soils and with faster cooking time), and 2) on information acquisition on improved seed varieties from weak ties sources for the total sample and for men and women farmers separately. Farmer willingness to adopt the low-P bean was assessed under the condition that a buyer can be assured. The male and female information models were limited to households in which both household decision-makers were interviewed. Results indicate that social networks in general have positive effects on farmers information acquisition and willingness to adopt the new low-P beans. Results show that 84% of farmers were willing to adopt the new low-P bean variety and 50% acquired information on how to get improved seed from their weak ties (eg, NGOs, traders, etc.). The results indicate that the oldest farmers are less likely to be willing to adopt the new low-P bean variety as compared to the youngest farmers. Further, farmers with larger farms are found to be more likely to be willing to adopt the low-P bean than farmers on smaller farms. The effect of participation in off-farm activities is negative and statistically significant, suggesting that farmers participating in off-farm activities are less likely to willing to adopt meso-American low-P beans. The effect of economic networks is positive and statistically significant as well, suggesting that farmers with economic ties are more willing to adopt the new low-P beans. Finally, village location in relation to an IIAM research station has positive influences on willingness to adopt; farmers in IIAM-influenced villages in the provinces of Zambezia and Niassa were more likely to be willing to adopt the new low-P bean variety compared to farmers in the non-IIAM influenced village in Tete Province. There were no statistical differences between the non IIAM influenced villages in Niassa and Zambezia Provinces and that in Tete Province. Findings show that effect of farmer gender (male) is positive and statistically significant at the .05 level, suggesting that men are more likely to acquire information from weak ties compared to women in the villages. The results also show that older men and women farmers are less likely to acquire information from weak ties compared to the youngest farmers. Household size is found to positively affect information acquisition from weak ties, with larger household more likely to access information on improved seed from NGOs, traders, etc. A negative effect of farm size on information acquisition from weak ties was also found. The results suggest that farmers with smaller farms were more likely to acquire information from weak ties than farmers with larger farms. At the same time, farmers on the larger farms are more likely to adopt, an interesting result. The coefficient for access to credit was positive and statistically significant for the full sample and for men. The results suggest that men farmers with access to credit are more likely to acquire information from weak ties than those with no access to credit. The credit variable was not significant for women farmers, likely due to low levels of credit receipt among them. Access to credit is important for information acquisition.The estimated models also showed that men participating in off-farm activities are more likely to acquire information from weak ties than those not participating in off-farm activities. The result may indicate that off-farm jobs provide conduits to information from weak ties. While farmers with off-farm engagement were less likely to adopt the new bean variety, they are more likely to access information on improved crop varieties than their counterparts. Additional research is needed. Further, the coefficient for clubs that influence agricultural decisions is positive and statistically significant for the full sample and for women. The results suggest that women in clubs that influence their agricultural decisions are more likely to acquire information from weak ties than women who are not in clubs. Also, location closer to an IIAM research station can positively influence information acquisition for both men and women. The results from this study support the recommendation that villages farther from established research stations be targeted for interventions to provide farmers with knowledge on the new low-P varieties of the common bean. The results also suggest that smallholder farmers in Mozambique obtain improved seed from different sources, including strong ties (informal sources) and weak ties (formal sources). Both sources play a role in seed dissemination; through introduction of new seed and through seed sharing/exchange. It is recommended that both weak and strong ties be strengthened as sources of improved seed. There are limitations to this research that will be overcome in future phases of the project. Foremost is that one of the dependent variables of this study is willingness to adopt the new low-P beans. One of the drawbacks of asking willingness instead of actual uptake of seed is that farmers may be more likely to say yes with the expectation to receive free seed. Future research on the actual adoption in the future is encouraged.
Download or read book Social Network Analysis written by Christina Prell and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2011-10-26 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We live in a world that is paradoxically both small and vast; each of us is embedded in local communities and yet we are only a few 'links' away from anyone else in the world. This engaging book represents these interdependencies' positive and negative consequences, their multiple effects and the ways in which a local occurrence in one part of the world can directly affect the rest. Then it demonstrates precisely how these interactions and relationships form. This is a book for the social network novice learning how to study, think about and analyse social networks; the intermediate user, not yet familiar with some of the newer developments in the field; and the teacher looking for a range of exercises, as well as an up-to-date historical account of the field. It is divided into three clear sections: 1. historical & Background Concepts 2. Levels of Analysis 3. Advances, Extensions and Conclusions The book provides a full overview of the field - historical origins, common theoretical perspectives and frameworks; traditional and current analytical procedures and fundamental mathematical equations needed to get a foothold in the field. Available with Perusall—an eBook that makes it easier to prepare for class Perusall is an award-winning eBook platform featuring social annotation tools that allow students and instructors to collaboratively mark up and discuss their SAGE textbook. Backed by research and supported by technological innovations developed at Harvard University, this process of learning through collaborative annotation keeps your students engaged and makes teaching easier and more effective. Learn more.
Download or read book Evaluating the Impact of Social Networks in Rural Innovation Systems An Overview written by Ira Matuschke and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2008 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Farm Profits and Adoption of Precision Agriculture written by U.s. Department of Agriculture and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-02-15 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Precision agriculture (PA) and its suite of information technologies-such as soil and yield mapping using a global positioning system (GPS), GPS tractor guidance systems, and variable-rate input application-allow farm operators to fine-tune their production practices. Access to detailed, within-field information can decrease input costs and increase yields. USDA's Agricultural Resource Management Survey shows that these PA technologies were used on roughly 30 to 50 percent of U.S. corn and soybean acres in 2010-12. Previous studies suggest that use of PA is associated with higher profits under certain conditions, but aggregate estimates of these gains have not been available. In this report, a treatment-effects model is developed to estimate factors associated with PA technology adoption rates and the impacts of adoption on profits. Labor and machinery used in production and certain farm characteristics, like farm size, are associated with adoption as well as with two profit measures, net returns and operating profits. The impact of these PA technologies on profits for U.S. corn producers is positive, but small. Keywords: Crop production information technologies, precision agriculture, variablerate technology, soil tests, global positioning system maps, guidance systems.
Download or read book Communicating with Farmers Through Social Networks written by Ariel Ben Yishay and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018 written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2018-09-14 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New evidence this year corroborates the rise in world hunger observed in this report last year, sending a warning that more action is needed if we aspire to end world hunger and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030. Updated estimates show the number of people who suffer from hunger has been growing over the past three years, returning to prevailing levels from almost a decade ago. Although progress continues to be made in reducing child stunting, over 22 percent of children under five years of age are still affected. Other forms of malnutrition are also growing: adult obesity continues to increase in countries irrespective of their income levels, and many countries are coping with multiple forms of malnutrition at the same time – overweight and obesity, as well as anaemia in women, and child stunting and wasting.
Download or read book Farmer Behaviour Agricultural Management and Climate Change written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2012-03-05 with total page 87 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study examines the broad range of factors driving farm management decisions that can improve the environment, including drawing on the experiences of OECD countries.
Download or read book Stimulating agricultural technology adoption Lessons from fertilizer use among Ugandan potato farmers written by Nazziwa-Nviiri, Lydia and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2017-02-17 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the context of a growing population in an already densely populated area, agricultural yields will need to increase without putting additional stress on the environment. The adoption of modern inputs by smallholders is an important ingredient of agricultural transformation. In this study we explore plot-level, household-level, and institutional-level characteristics associated with agricultural technology adoption behavior among smallholder farmers. The aim is to uncover correlations that can guide the design of policies and incentives that are likely to increase adoption. We explicitly differentiate between fixed costs that are likely to affect the decision to use the technology and variable costs that are more relevant for the decision regarding use intensity. In addition, we examine how the importance of each of these characteristics differs with asset status. To do so, we use data from about 1,880 potato plots cultivated by 500 randomly selected potato growers in southwestern Uganda. We first categorize households into poorly endowed and well-endowed asset classes based on their access to productive assets. We then estimate double-hurdle models for take-up and use intensity of fertilizer for each group. The results show that the factors associated with the decision to use fertilizer are often different from those associated with the decision about how much fertilizer to use and that the characteristics correlated with fertilizer adoption differ between asset-poor and asset-rich farmers. For instance, asset-poor female-headed households are less likely to use fertilizer, but if they do, they use more of it than male-headed households. Our results also suggest fertilizer packaging and distribution are important factors in fertilizer adoption decisions due to their impact on costs related to both indivisibilities and uncertainty about the quality. We derive a range of policy recommendations.
Download or read book Social and Economic Networks written by Matthew O. Jackson and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2010-11-01 with total page 519 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Networks of relationships help determine the careers that people choose, the jobs they obtain, the products they buy, and how they vote. The many aspects of our lives that are governed by social networks make it critical to understand how they impact behavior, which network structures are likely to emerge in a society, and why we organize ourselves as we do. In Social and Economic Networks, Matthew Jackson offers a comprehensive introduction to social and economic networks, drawing on the latest findings in economics, sociology, computer science, physics, and mathematics. He provides empirical background on networks and the regularities that they exhibit, and discusses random graph-based models and strategic models of network formation. He helps readers to understand behavior in networked societies, with a detailed analysis of learning and diffusion in networks, decision making by individuals who are influenced by their social neighbors, game theory and markets on networks, and a host of related subjects. Jackson also describes the varied statistical and modeling techniques used to analyze social networks. Each chapter includes exercises to aid students in their analysis of how networks function. This book is an indispensable resource for students and researchers in economics, mathematics, physics, sociology, and business.
Download or read book A New Era for Irrigation written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1996-10-21 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Irrigated agriculture has played a critical role in the economic and social development of the United Statesâ€"but it is also at the root of increasing controversy. How can irrigation best make the transition into an era of increasing water scarcity? In A New Era for Irrigation, experts draw important conclusions about whether irrigation can continue to be the nation's most significant water user, what role the federal government should play, and what the irrigation industry must do to adapt to the conditions of the future. A New Era for Irrigation provides data, examples, and insightful commentary on issues such as: Growing competition for water resources. Developments in technology and science. The role of federal subsidies for crops and water. Uncertainties related to American Indian water rights issues. Concern about environmental problems. And more. The committee identifies broad forces of change and reports on how public and private institutions, scientists and technology experts, and individual irrigators have responded. The report includes detailed case studies from the Great Plains, the Pacific Northwest, California, and Florida, in both the agricultural and turfgrass sectors. The cultural transformation brought about by irrigation may be as profound as the transformation of the landscape. The committee examines major facets of this cultural perspective and explores its place in the future. A New Era for Irrigation explains how irrigation emerged in the nineteenth century, how it met the nation's goals in the twentieth century, and what role it might play in the twenty-first century. It will be important to growers, policymakers, regulators, environmentalists, water and soil scientists, water rights claimants, and interested individuals.
Download or read book Leveling with Friends written by Nicholas Magnan and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Technology-driven gains in agricultural productivity and profitability can dramatically improve quality of life for the rural poor in developing countries. Extension efforts to disseminate agricultural technologies typically assume that farmers learn from early adopters who catalyze the diffusion process. This research was undertaken to understand how information about a new agricultural technology is transmitted through social networks, and what effect information gained through social networks has on technology demand at the household level. The technology in question is laser land leveling (LLL) -- a resource-conserving technology -- which we introduced in eastern Uttar Pradesh, India as part of the study. Using an experimental auction, we obtain farmers' willingness-to-pay for the technology and identify potential adopters. We then randomly select half of these farmers to actually receive LLL services on their land, creating random variation in the number of adopters in each farmer's social network. We conduct a second auction one year later with the same sample of farmers and estimate network effects on farmers' updated willingness-to-pay. Four main results emerge: First, exposure to LLL through networks occurs primarily through visits to adopting farmers' fields. Second, having a first-generation adopter in a farmer's network increases the farmer's valuation of LLL by nearly 30 percent on average. Third, the network effects on demand are importantly conditioned on benefits associated with LLL, which implies that learning -- rather than mimicry -- is driving increases in demand. Fourth, network effects are strongest between poor farmers.
Download or read book Determining Factors and Impacts of Modern Agricultural Technology Adoption in West Wollega written by Merga Challa and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2014-09-16 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Master's Thesis from the year 2013 in the subject Agrarian Studies, Wollega University (School of graduate studies), language: English, abstract: This study analyzed factors affecting modern agricultural technology adoption by farmers and the impact of technology adoption decision on the welfare of households in the study area. The data used for the study were obtained from 145 randomly selected sample households in the study area. Binary logit model was employed to analyze the determinants of farmers’ decisions to adopt modern technologies. Moreover, the average effect of adoption on household incomes and expenditure were estimated by using propensity score matching method. The result of the logistic regression showed that household heads’ education level, farm size, credit accessibility, perception of farmers about cost of the inputs and off-farm income positively and significantly affected the farm households’ adoption decision; while family size affected their decision negatively and significantly. The result of the propensity score matching estimation showed that the average income and consumption expenditure of adopters are greater than that of non-adopters. Based on these findings it is recommended that the zonal and the woreda leaders extension agents farm and education experts, policy makers and other development oriented organizations have to plan in such a way that the farm households in the study area will obtain sufficient education, credit accessibilities and also have to train farmers to make them understand the benefits obtained from adopting the new technologies. These bodies have also to arrange policy issues that improve farm labour participation of household members and also to arrange the ways in which farmers obtain means of income outside farming activities.
Download or read book Economics of Land Degradation and Improvement A Global Assessment for Sustainable Development written by Ephraim Nkonya and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-11-11 with total page 695 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume deals with land degradation, which is occurring in almost all terrestrial biomes and agro-ecologies, in both low and high income countries and is stretching to about 30% of the total global land area. About three billion people reside in these degraded lands. However, the impact of land degradation is especially severe on livelihoods of the poor who heavily depend on natural resources. The annual global cost of land degradation due to land use and cover change (LUCC) and lower cropland and rangeland productivity is estimated to be about 300 billion USD. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) accounts for the largest share (22%) of the total global cost of land degradation. Only about 38% of the cost of land degradation due to LUCC - which accounts for 78% of the US$300 billion loss – is borne by land users and the remaining share (62%) is borne by consumers of ecosystem services off the farm. The results in this volume indicate that reversing land degradation trends makes both economic sense, and has multiple social and environmental benefits. On average, one US dollar investment into restoration of degraded land returns five US dollars. The findings of the country case studies call for increased investments into the rehabilitation and restoration of degraded lands, including through such institutional and policy measures as strengthening community participation for sustainable land management, enhancing government effectiveness and rule of law, improving access to markets and rural services, and securing land tenure. The assessment in this volume has been conducted at a time when there is an elevated interest in private land investments and when global efforts to achieve sustainable development objectives have intensified. In this regard, the results of this volume can contribute significantly to the ongoing policy debate and efforts to design strategies for achieving sustainable development goals and related efforts to address land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Download or read book Enabling Agri entrepreneurship and Innovation written by Catherine Chan and published by CABI. This book was released on 2017-02-14 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agricultural entrepreneurs in conflict and post-conflict regions face special challenges; not just everyday personal risks, but also the difficulties of building small businesses when real or threatened violence can disrupt business growth cycles and economic security. Alongside establishing secure institutions, building a secure economy is rightly seen as the best way for conflict-torn regions to establish a peaceful future. But current agricultural entrepreneurship training and development starts from an assumption of peace, meaning that it is not always fit for purpose. The result is sub-optimal program design and inefficient use of resources. A product of a collaboration of experts in the fields of agri-business, agricultural marketing, and international development, this book gives officials and agencies developing entrepreneurship programs the practical real-life examples they need.
Download or read book The Economics of Risk written by Donald J. Meyer and published by W.E. Upjohn Institute. This book was released on 2003 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Annotation This book contains a collection of papers that address various aspects of risk, including riskmanagement and how it is applied to decisionmaking and the impact of risk on markets
Download or read book Engendering Agricultural Research Development and Extension written by Ruth Meinzen-Dick and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Social Networks and Diffusion of Agricultural Technology written by Dessalegn Molla Ketema and published by LAP Lambert Academic Publishing. This book was released on 2010-02 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ethiopia has been implementing a resettlement program, starting from 2003 in different parts of the country by mobilizing people from the drought-prone areas to the relatively unpopulated fertile low land areas. However, when communities relocate from their point of origin to resettlement site, they lose their social capital (mutual support, social networks) and this is especially true in case of women. Social networks have important role in accessing and using technology and play crucial role in facilitating diffusion of technology. So, this book reports the roles of social networks in facilitating or hampering technology diffusion in resettlement areas and has been intended to throw light on the existing formal and informal social networks among re-settlers. This book is expected to contribute to the understanding of social networks which will help design appropriate and relevant interventions by the agricultural research, extension and other development process aiming at benefiting the majority of Ethiopian farmers.
