Combinations of information sources and the output and risks in high-value rice: evidence from shrimp–rice co-culture systems

Agricultural information is essential to effective farming activities and related decisions, however, farmers need to find the best sources of agriculture information. Despite numerous sources of information, rice farmers still find it challenging to identify convenient information sources due to time and cost effectiveness. The purpose of this study was thus to examine the level of rice farmers’ awareness about the sources of agricultural information in Bunkure, Kano State, Nigeria -West Africa. The study adopted a descriptive research design and targeted 2,203 households with a sample size of n = 220 heads of farmers’ household. The sample size determination was based on Krejcie and Morgan sample size determination table for ±5% precision and 95% confidence levels. The study utilized Questionnaire, for data collection. The instruments were pilot tested to ensure it measures the expected objectives. Data on farmers’ demographic profile were analysed descriptively using frequencies and percentages then translated on tables and graphs. While the study objective was analysed quantitatively based on the study design. The study findings revealed that the sources of agricultural information farmers in Bunkure were aware of included agricultural agents at 31%, radio 19%, farmer association 16%, agricultural show 12%, and TV 6%, farmers groups 4%, newspaper 3%, Facebook 3%, agricultural database 2.6%, library 2.4% and internet 2.4%. The study also found that information awareness had significant association with agricultural productivity at 0.05 (1-tailed) (r = 0.278, n =634, p<1268). The study concludes that most of the rice farmers in Bunkure, Kano State, Nigeria are aware of multiple sources of agricultural information and awareness of sources of agricultural information is essential for these rice farmers to improve their production and profitability. The study thus recommends that the government and other stakeholders should use a participatory approach in involving rice farmers in Bunkure, Kano State.

The literature reports that trust in information sources (ISs) is an important determinant of farmers' adoption of sustainable environmental practices. However, few in-depth studies have focused on the differences in trust among different ISs in heterogeneous farmers' green behavior. Therefore, it is challenging for heterogeneous farmers to design efficient and differentiated information strategies. This study proposes a benchmark model to explore differences in trust in different ISs in the application of organic fertilizers (OFs) to farmers at different scales. A total of 361 farmers of a geographically indicated agricultural product in China were evaluated to understand their trust in different ISs when adopting OFs. The results identify the differentiation of heterogeneous farmers' trust in different ISs when considering green practices. Specifically, large-scale farmers' green behavior is more likely to be influenced by trust in formal ISs (strength-weakness ratio of 1.15 for the effect of two ISs), whereas small-scale farmers' green behavior is strongly influenced by trust in informal ISs (strength-weakness ratio of 4.62 for the effect of two ISs). This difference was mainly caused by differences in farmers' information acquisition ability, level of social capital, and preference for social learning. The model and findings of this study can aid policy-makers in designing effective and differentiated information interventions for different types of farmers to maximize their adoption of sustainable environmental practices.

The research was aimed to recognizing the reality of the response of agricultural extension workers in the governorate of Nineveh for the sources of agricultural information , and its relation with Independent importance of each source from the view point of the agricultural extension workers , specifying the newness of the sources and their application, the need of them by the agricultural extension workers finding the correlation between the reality of the response of the agricultural extension workers (Nineveh governorate) for the sources of agricultural information and the independent variables which are represented by ( gender, scientific qualification, personal experience, specialization and contacting with farmers in rural areas). That was done by a questionnaire designed for collecting data it included three alternatives for measuring agricultural information sources (thirteen sources for information). After making sure that the question face validity, reliability has been measured using the method (alpha- chronbmch) where the stability coefficient was (0.83). The research covered all those working in agricultural extension in the agricultural offices and departments of the agricultural directorate of Nineveh and whose number is (430) agricultural employees distributed on (32) agricultural offices including the centre agricultural department. After excluding (30) employees for the reliability sample, a random simple sample was chosen consisting of (128) agricultural employees representing (32%) of the total number of the workers. Results revealed that the average of response of agricultural ten extension workers to be on a medial scale by (59%), (personal expertise, magazines and guiding bulletins) the first stages with percentage weight ranged from (80,46% - 84,2%) according to the reality of the response of agricultural extension workers for the sources of agricultural information, results revealed concerning the newness of information that the agricultural magazines and personal experience have got the first ranks compared with other sources with percentage weight ranged from (70,78% - 70,46%), as for the application of new ideas (training courses and personal experience) have occupied the first ranks compared with other information sources with percentage weight ranged from (83,20% - 77,96%), as for the need to source, results have revealed that the (training courses, references and scientific books) have occupied the first ranks with percentage weight ranged from ( 80,78% - 80,64%) and it has become clear that there is an abstract and correlation between the scientific qualification and the reality of the response of the agricultural extension workers for the sources of agricultural information, also results indicate that there is no significant correlation between the reality of the response of the agricultural for extension workers the sources of agricultural information and ( age, job experience, specialization and communicating with farmers in rural areas).

The study sought to describe the use and effectiveness of various sources of information as employed by agriculture extension in Sindh to disseminate the agricultural technology. Farmers perceived that neighboring farmers, and agricultural suppliers were very much effective sources of agricultural information and they used these sources always for obtaining information about latest agricultural products. In addition, farmers perceived that training/seminar, farmer field schools, and demonstration, radio, and face to face were effective approaches of technology transfer. Extension and research personnel perceived that they used radio “almost always” basis. In addition, they perceived that the radio, television and agricultural suppliers are “much effective” sources of information. Both extension and research personnel on average perceived mass media (publications, radio, TV and Audio-visual aids), farmer field school, demonstration and face to face as “effective” approach to technology transfer.

Women farmers constitute the vast majority of agricultural producers in Tanzania; however, it is not clear where they obtain information on modern farming innovations. Knowing these sources will enable the government and international aid organizations to more effectively channel information for increased productivity, leading to national food security, increased incomes for farm families and promoting gender parity in Tanzania. This study, which was carried out among 300 women farmers in Hai and Kilosa districts of Kilimanjaro and Morogoro regions respectively, aimed at identifying their sources of agricultural information. The theory that guided this study was Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations, especially Rogers and Shoemaker’s Source-Message-Channel-Receiver-Effect (SMCRE) model. The study, which yielded a high response rate of 96%, found that radio and agricultural extension workers were the primary sources of agricultural information for women farmers. Therefore, the researchers recommend that the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives (MAFC) should focus on community radio as the primary source of information dissemination to farmers and supply rural households with solar-powered radios free of charge or at subsidized cost. The finding that extension workers are women farmers’ second main source of information on farming innovations also defeats the general contention that male extension workers are inaccessible to female farmers. A peculiar finding was that even though women farmers have access to mobile phones they do not use them to obtain agricultural information, perhaps, because the MAFC does not have a system for farmers to call in for information.

Information communication technology is energetic for rural transformation and plays a great role in agricultural development. However, there are factors affecting farmers’ use of information. This study focused on determinants of various agricultural information sources. Household survey from 165 respondents and multi-stage sampling techniques were used. Multivariate probit model regression output shows that social participation and distance are significantly related with the use of all information sources at different significance levels. Age, extension contact, education, sex, credit access, land size, non/off-farm income and farm income are significant with the use of different information sources at different significance levels. The Wald test (χ2 (56) = 101.39, p = 0.000) is significant, which indicates that MVP model fits the data. LR (χ2 (6) = 232.942, Prob > χ2 = 0.0000) indicates the goodness of fit of the model. For more use of agriculture-related information, Ministry of Agriculture and NGOs need to intervene in rural agricultural programs.

Mobile phones are one of the most important ICTs that contribute to farmers’ adoption of agricultural innovations around the world, this study was conducted to identify the factors influencing mobile phone usage as a source of agricultural information for farmers in Sharqia Governorate, Egypt. A random sample of 355 respondents was interviewed during the period from January to April 2021. The results showed the diversity of sources that farmers depend on to obtain agricultural information such as fertilizer and supplies dealers, experienced farmers, relatives, and neighbors which were the main sources of agricultural information for respondents. Results indicated that only 9.9% of the respondents had a high mobile phone usage as a source of agricultural information, while 69.3% of them had a low degree of usage. A negative statistically significant relationship was found between the total degree of respondents' use of mobile phones as a source of agricultural information and their age at a 0.01 level of significance. while the relationship was positive with variables such as educational level, farm size, possession of a smartphone, and membership in social organizations. The mobile network's weak coverage in the village, lack of knowledge about agricultural applications, lack of knowledge about mobile phone operation, and the high cost of internet services were at the forefront of these problems facing the surveyed farmers who use mobile phones for agricultural purposes. Therefore, this study recommends the agricultural extension to make greater efforts to spread the use of ICT tools, including mobile phones technology among farmers.

Although outgrower scheme facilitates farmers’ collective action in agri-food value chain market participation, evidence of its impacts on farm performance and welfare is still limited. We examine the determinants and impact of outgrower scheme collective market participation on farm performance and household welfare in northern Ghana, using a multinomial endogenous switching regression (MESR) model to account for selectivity bias. The empirical findings show that participants in collective input and output markets as well as the joint markets outperform nonparticipants in terms of farm performance (commercialization and net farm income) and household expenditure, with the highest gains associated with joint market participation. We also observed that factors such as gender, age, extension service, credit, transaction cost, and awareness of outgrower scheme significantly influence farmers’ inclusion in group marketing. The findings suggest that policies that facilitate farmers’ access to agricultural inputs and output markets in collective action should be implemented through public–private partnerships to enhance farm performance and the livelihood of farmers.


 
 
 
 ABSTRACT
 The research was aimed to recognizing the reality of the response of agricultural extension workers in the governorate of Nineveh for the sources of agricultural information , and its relation with Independent importance of each source from the view point of the agricultural extension workers , specifying the newness of the sources and their application, the need of them by the agricultural extension workers finding the correlation between the reality of the response of the agricultural extension workers (Nineveh governorate) for the sources of agricultural information and the independent variables which are represented by ( gender, scientific qualification, personal experience, specialization and contacting with farmers in rural areas). That was done by a questionnaire designed for collecting data it included three alternatives for measuring agricultural information sources (thirteen sources for information). After making sure that the question face validity, reliability has been measured using the method (alpha- chronbmch) where the stability coefficient was (0.83). The research covered all those working in agricultural extension in the agricultural offices and departments of the agricultural directorate of Nineveh and whose number is (430) agricultural employees distributed on (32) agricultural offices including the centre agricultural department. After excluding (30) employees for the reliability sample, a random simple sample was chosen consisting of (128) agricultural employees representing (32%) of the total number of the workers. Results revealed that the average of response of agricultural ten extension workers to be on a medial scale by (59%), (personal expertise, magazines and guiding bulletins) the first stages with percentage weight ranged from (80,46% - 84,2%) according to the reality of the response of agricultural extension workers for the sources of agricultural information, results revealed concerning the newness of information that the agricultural magazines and personal experience have got the first ranks compared with other sources with percentage weight ranged from (70,78% - 70,46%), as for the application of new ideas (training courses and personal experience) have occupied the first ranks compared with other information sources with percentage weight ranged from (83,20% - 77,96%), as for the need to source, results have revealed that the (training courses, references and scientific books) have occupied the first ranks with percentage weight ranged from ( 80,78% - 80,64%) and it has become clear that there is an abstract and correlation between the scientific qualification and the reality of the response of the agricultural extension workers for the sources of agricultural information, also results indicate that there is no significant correlation between the reality of the response of the agricultural for extension workers the sources of agricultural information and ( age, job experience, specialization and communicating with farmers in rural areas).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The purpose of this research was to assess the use of mobile phones as sources of agricultural information by smallholder tobacco farmers in Zimbabwe. The study’s findings inform the policy makers by providing deeper insights which may be useful to both national and international initiatives aimed at mobile phones for development (M4D). The study provides greater nuances to the people into the understanding of the implications of mobile communication technologies to assist in the achievement of development initiatives. A survey approach was used in conducting this research, in which questionnaires, interviews and focus groups were the data collection tools. A sample of 175 smallholder tobacco farmers from Hurungwe District in Mashonaland West province (Zimbabwe) was selected for data collection, along with 4 agricultural experts for conducting focus group discussions. The research bases on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model; consequently, a positivist research philosophy was adopted for this research. A mixed method (triangulation) was used. The results show that 85.51 % of smallholder tobacco farmers use their mobile phones to access agricultural information. Some of the major highlights are that there is no relationship between farmers’ use of mobile phones in agriculture and their socio-economic characteristics. The findings also confirm that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions have positive influences on the Behavioural Intention (BI) of Zimbabwean farmers to use mobile phones as sources of agricultural information.

This study examined the use of radio and television as sources of agricultural information among poultry farmers in Egbeda Local Government area of Oyo State. Sixty farmers from 4 villages namely: Egbeda, Erunmu, Olode and Owobale were selected for this study. Primary data were collected from the respondents by interview and a 5 point rating scale was used to determine the level of use of radio and television as sources of agricultural information among the respondents based on 4 programmes on radio and television stations covering the area. The findings show that the respondents' level of use of these media was on the average. Also, the various use of information obtained from these media ranged from acquiring new skills and knowledge to getting information on input. The average age and years of formal education of the respondents were 38.7 years and 10.8 years respectively. Also thirty seven percent had a very high level of cosmopoliteness and 51.7% had production size of less than 500 birds. A significant relationship was also established between respondents' level of production and their level of use of radio and television at 5 percent confidence interval. With increased agricultural programmes and increased information on poultry management on the existing programmes, there is a high tendency of increased use of radio and television for overall development of agriculture and national food security. Key Words: Radio; television; agricultural information; poultry Moor J. Agric. Res. Vol.4(1) 2003: 164-169

Using Digital Media to Promote Kidney Disease Education

Credibility of agricultural information sources affects the adoption of new or improved agricultural practices by farmers. Credibility refers to perceived trustworthiness accorded to a source by its audience at any given time and situation. Therefore, Credible sources of agriculture information play major role in diffusion of agriculture innovations. This study was carried out in Nainital district of Uttarakhand state with specific objective to explore the relative credibility of information sources as accorded by the farm women of the region. A sample of 120 farm women was selected by PPS (Probability proportional to size) sampling method. The agriculture information sources were categorized into three broad heads namely personal localite, personal cosmopolite and mass media. It was found that majority (62.5%) of respondents had „medium‟ credibility towards agriculture information sources followed by 20 per cent having low credibility and only 17.5 per cent had high credibility to different agriculture information sources. It was further found that family members, KVK officials and newspaper were considered as the most credible sources of agricultural information among personal localite, personal cosmopolite and mass media sources.

This study assesses sources of information for vegetable farmers in urban part of Accra, Ghana. One hundred vegetable farmers in the study area were sampled and interviewed using structured questionnaires. Findings revealed that urban vegetable farming is regarded as the business of men. Most of the urban vegetable farmers use radio as a source of agricultural information. Farmers use information on agrochemicals acquired in applying fertilizer, weedicides and pest control. A challenge to the urban vegetable farmers in Accra is poor public relations on the part of agricultural extension agents. The study recommends that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture roll out a programme to educate urban vegetable farmers on the various sources of agricultural information and sponsor adult education programmes in the local languages on national radio and television for farmers to help them make use of different sources of agricultural information effectively.

Information plays an important role in enhancing agricultural development. Agricultural extension exchange information with farmers to improve their production, however, farmers use other sources to access the information they need to improve their production. However, their access to agricultural information may be hindered by some socio-economic characteristics. Therefore, the current study identified the effects of farmers’ socioeconomic characteristics, their sources of agricultural information and the constraints they face in accessing agricultural information. A proportionate sample of 120 respondents was selected randomly from the participants. The data was collected through a pre-tested questionnaire and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to perform statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentages were used. On the basis of to what extend different information sources were used by farmers the rank order was used. Further, bivariate analysis was used to test the level of association among selected variables. The results show that the majority of the respondents were over the age of fifty and were males. Most of the respondents went up to high school level of education. More respondents had a land size of up to five hectares. Further, the results showed that there existed a significant relationship between respondents’ age, education and their sources of information. The results further revealed that fellow farmers and extension staff were the major sources of information. However, distance from the extension staff and lack of awareness of new technology were identified as the constraints that the respondents face in accessing agricultural information. The results of the study therefore reveal that there is a need for farmers to access relevant and timeous agricultural information to improve their production.