Evidence from Fogera district in Ethiopia on configuration of farmer's information literacy conditions that explain better productivity performance of the horticultural crops

Asmiro Abeje Fikadu,Girma Gezimu Gebre

doi:10.1186/s40066-021-00299-5

Asmiro Abeje Fikadu, Girma Gezimu Gebre

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40066-021-00299-5

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Abstract

BackgroundThe combinational/configurational effects of the agricultural information literacy indicators are believed to have an influence on the productivity performance of the horticultural crops. Previous studies have emphasized the contributions of the net-effect of each information literacy condition of smallholder farmers on the productivity performance of the horticultural crops. Yet, these studies failed to make qualitative analysis on configurational effects of the agricultural information literacy conditions.MethodsThe study addresses the qualitative questions that are outside the scope of the conventional variable-oriented method. It aims to disentangle the causal complexity that links with productivity performance in Fogera district of the Amhara region, Ethiopia. A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) of 80 smallholder farmers was conducted through a simple ransom sampling technique from two kebeles of Fogera district to examine the combinational effects of agricultural information literacy condition on the productivity performance instead of individual net-effect.ResultsThe results of the fsQCA model indicated that a combination of two or three conditions include the high levels of farm organizational, farm record-keeping, and farming skills to be consistently sufficient to attain high productivity performance of horticultural crops. These configurations help to seek relevant policy information and make policy strategies on the horticultural sector to improve its productivity performance.ConclusionThus, improving the joint information literacy effects of the farmers regarding their organizational, farm recording, and farming skills should give due attention by governmental and non-governmental organizations that work to improve the productivity performance of the horticultural crops.

Highlights

The combinational/configurational effects of the agricultural information literacy indicators are believed to have an influence on the productivity performance of the horticultural crops
The majority of the Ethiopian smallholder farmers have either uneducated or low level of formal education. Those smallholder farmers have an excellent experience in farming skill and farm organizational skills to cultivate horticultural crops and other agricultural activities because their average value of these two causal conditions is approached to three
The substantive knowledge of the link between information literacy and productivity performance of the horticultural crops tells us that causation is more complex or combinatorial; it is unlikely to identify the impact of the causal conditions on the outcome variables through conventional quantitative methods rather it is better to use the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) approach

Summary

Introduction

The combinational/configurational effects of the agricultural information literacy indicators are believed to have an influence on the productivity performance of the horticultural crops. Previous studies have emphasized the contributions of the net-effect of each information literacy condition of smallholder farmers on the productivity performance of the horticultural crops. Increasing the level of food production may involve more extensive and intensive use of agricultural information, land, labor, fertilizer, water, and other agricultural inputs. It requires designing and implementing sound agricultural policies, strengthening rural institutions, and promoting agricultural research. The Ethiopian government has made massive efforts to increase horticultural crop yield since 2010 [23] This is because horticulture sector plays a significant role in job creation, income generation, improving nutritional status, poverty alleviation, and closing gender gaps in the country. It helps to maintain an ecological balance since its diverse species across locations [15]

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