Adoption Of Modern Technologies Research Articles

The Contributions of Public Libraries to Satisfy Intellectual Curiosity of Rural Inhabitants in West Bengal: An Indian Case Study

Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate the contributions of public libraries to the satisfaction of the intellectual needs of rural inhabitants in West Bengal, India. The study applied a quantitative survey method with the help of a well-structured questionnaire. Questionnaires were distributed among to the users (students, officers/professionals, self-employed individuals, businessmen, jobseekers, retired persons, and housewives) of 45 rural public libraries in five selected districts of West Bengal. The study found that the largest group of respondents belonged to the students and jobseekers categories, who visit the rural public libraries for seeking academic and job-related information. Many students from humble backgrounds were solely dependent on public libraries because they have procured some textbooks from middle school up to graduation level. Jobseekers were mostly consulting the Career Guidance Section of the library to prepare for various competitive exams. The study also revealed that public libraries have been trying to satisfy the intellectual and informational needs of the rural inhabitants by providing various services and facilities. Respondents have further reported that public libraries should adopt modern technologies and provide ICT-based library services as well. The outcome of this study would help to develop and upgrade the public library collection, services, and facilities in developing countries in a way that reflects patrons’ stated needs.

Understanding transient technology use among smallholder farmers in Africa: A dynamic programming approach

AbstractThis article studies the causes and effects of transient use of agricultural technology. Most existing studies have assumed that adoption of modern technology is irreversible, and widely ignored the switching between technologies that is often observed in practice. To more fully understand the pattern of agricultural technology adoption, this article takes switching behavior into account and develops a dynamic switching model to analyze transient technology use. The conceptual model is then calibrated and simulated using dynamic programming, and numerical results show that relative profitability, switching costs, and farmer's foresight are important influences on the pattern of transient technology use. Switching costs play a key role in preventing farmers from adopting new technologies, even when they appear otherwise profitable, and can cause farmers to switch back to traditional technologies, even when the move appears otherwise irrational. Also, smallholder farmers, differentiated based on their perception of switching costs and future economic conditions, exhibit heterogeneous decision rules and adoption patterns. Therefore, policies targeted at increasing technology adoption will be more effective if they differentiate specific types of farmers.

The impact of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) farming on the survival of honeybees (Apis mellifera) in Nyamakate Communal Area, northern Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT The impact of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) farming on the survival of honeybees (Apis mellifera) was investigated through the documentation of mortality of honeybees, the number of trees cut and planted, and agrochemicals used in tobacco farming in Nyamakate Communal Area, Hurungwe District, northern Zimbabwe. The study was conducted in the wet season, i.e. between December 2017 and March 2018 using a stratified random sampling design to sample tobacco farmers and apiculturists. Honeybee mortalities across five sampled villages were significantly different (Kruskal–Wallis χ2 test = 74.54, df = 4, p < 0.05). The survey recorded 14 different agrochemicals that tobacco farmers used in tobacco farming, although the local regulator banned five of them in the 2018 and 2019 agriculture season. All five villages recorded an estimated 5,220 indigenous trees that were cut to cure tobacco whereas 483 Eucalyptus trees were planted as part of ongoing reforestation efforts in the district within the study period. It was concluded that tobacco farming negatively impacts honeybees through reduced forage and nesting sites (resulting from deforestation) and increased mortalities from the use of toxic agro-chemicals. There is a need for legislative alignment to ensure effective law enforcement on compliance. Government and partners need to encourage tobacco farmers to plant fast-growing indigenous trees for afforestation and adopt modern technology such as the use of solar-powered tobacco curing barns.

Investigating the Causes of Poor Cost Control in Iraqi Construction Projects

Controlling cost in construction projects is an essential issue. This study investigates the most critical problems that cause weakness in cost control in Iraqi construction projects. The quantitative technique was used by conducting a survey directed to professionals who work on construction projects. One hundred and sixty-four questionnaire forms were distributed to private sector companies, government companies, and government institutions, and the responses were subjected to the required statistical analysis. The results indicate that the most influential factors are the weakness in keeping up with the use of modern concepts, methods, and technologies, the delay in receiving the amounts due for work done from the owner, fluctuations in market prices, the lack of knowledge and the inefficient use of currently available tools and technology, and the security situation in the country. The results indicate that the Iraqi construction projects suffer from weakness in cost control, which causes them to stop or delay their delivery, and this needs serious and quick solutions. One of the most important solutions is the adoption of modern technologies and their inclusion in the construction sector and the development of special systems for managing costs that are appropriate to the Iraqi construction environment.

Technology Adoption by Small Holder Fish Farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria

New technologies in aquaculture are seen as an important route out of poverty and means to ensure rural development and food security in most of the developing countries in Africa including Nigeria. Numerous initiatives have been directed at technological innovation and transfer but the rate of adoption of these technologies has remained low in African continent leading to low aquaculture production and therefore inadequate to achieve transformational change envisaged to impact food security. This study therefore aims at examining the factors that influence fish farmer’s perceptions, and behaviors toward adoption of modern technology and to determine the perceived effect of adopted technologies on farmers’ production and food security. A multi stage sampling technique was used to select 200 respondents’ base on ADP zoning. Primary data was collected with the aid of well-structured questionnaires administered to the sampled fish farmers while secondary data was obtained from the internet, textbooks, journals etc. The questionnaire was used to obtain information on the socio economic characteristics of the fish farmers, their level of adoption of technology in aquaculture, the impact of the technology adopted and their challenges. Descriptive analysis (mean, frequency distribution, simple proportion and percentage) and inferential analysis (Chi square and Multiple linear regression Analysis) was used to analyze the data obtained. The gender distribution shows that 88% of the respondents were male with mean age of 43.6± 8.972 years, 67% have tertiary education while the household size of 4-6 members with mean 6.05±2.406 was in the majority. Only 13.5% were into fish farming as primary occupation while 67% had fish farming as secondary occupation. The size of fish farm shows that 54.5% of the respondents have less than 0.5 hectares’ size fish farm. The result of the Chi-squared analysis shows that there is a significant association between adoption of recommended aquaculture production technologies and educational level (X2 = 16.12, p&lt;0.05), marital status (X2 = 15.94, p&lt;0.05) and occupation (X2 = 13.12, p&lt;0.05). High cost of acquisition of technology with mean value of 2.850 was identified as a major limiting factor to Technology adoption followed by poor access to capital with mean value of 2.825. The result of the regression analysis show that the determinants of adoption of aquaculture production technologies were age, educational status, fishing experience and income. These coefficients were positive and statistically significant for the fish farmers at 10%. To facilitate uptake of technologies and good practices by fish farmers, cost of acquisition of technology should be reduced, low cost adaptive technology should be encouraged while access to capital should be facilitated.

Exploring the value of ICT in warehouse management at the electricity company of Ghana, Takoradi

This study sought to examine the effectiveness of Information Technology in warehouse management using the Electricity Company of Ghana, Takoradi as a case study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data from the respondents from ECG in Takoradi. Public procurement and supply chain officers and other staffs from various departments were employed for the study. The data collected were analyzed by using percentages, relative importance index, mean score and median. The findings revealed lack of technology is a key challenge of stock control in organization productivity in Electricity Company of Ghana at Takoradi. The organization does not have adequate inventory control measures in place. Training of staffs at the organization helped them to comply with the rules and regulations for stock control. The organization has adequate warehouse space to hold additional stock. The organization has stock control systems available. However, performance contracts are impediments to works. Also, internal and external controls are rarely monitored. It is therefore recommended that there should be proper distribution planning to enhance organizational productivity in the state corporations, especially ECG. The public organizations should have internal assessment when planning. The distribution planning should ensure timely delivery. The organization should ensure that the participatory planning is adequate. The study proposes the need for investigating on appropriate ways to increase formalization of information technology adoption in order to enhance adoption of modern technologies in inventory management as a tool to boost performance. The study concludes that Electricity Company of Ghana should invest more in modern technologies for example enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems in order to achieve system integration, minimize communication costs, enhance efficiency and increase sharing of information which will eventually lead to improved performance.

Achieving Scale Collectively

Many firms in developing countries could be too small to adopt modern technology embodied in expensive production machines. This paper shows that rental market interactions allow these small firms to increase their effective scale and mechanize production. We conduct a survey of manufacturing firms in Uganda, which uncovers an active rental market for large machines between small firms in informal clusters. We then build an equilibrium model of firm behavior and estimate it with our data. We find that the rental market is quantitatively important for mechanization and productivity since it provides a workaround for other market imperfections that keep firms small. The rental market also shapes the effectiveness of development policies to foster mechanization, such as subsidies to purchase machines. Overall, our results point to the importance of taking into account firm‐to‐firm interactions within informal clusters to understand technology adoption in low income countries: focusing on the small scale of firms in isolation might be misleading.

Proposing a methodology to measure and develop BIM maturity in Syria

In the last decade, the projects of the Architectural, Engineering, and Construction Industry (AEC) in Syria faced endless difficulties and problems, in addition to the intense competition between the construction sector companies. This prompted many companies to want to adopt best practices to reach their goals, therefore any work organization should have a clear vision of what it wants to achieve, for what purpose, and how? Building Information Modeling (BIM) around the world has proven its ability to solve all the problems facing engineering projects. Unfortunately, AEC companies despite all that great value did not use BIM. For many reasons, mainly: there is no comprehensive descriptive approach that explains how to apply it and a mechanism that shows how to measure and develop it within companies, in addition to their fear of adopting modern technologies that push them to need new engineering competencies because of not realizing its importance. The purpose of this research is to propose a methodology to measure and develop BIM maturity in Syria in general. In addition, to assess the level of maturity of our institutional BIM through the BIMM maturity matrix in particular. This is done by applying the most important models for measuring maturity around the world on a number of Syrian AEC companies in the private and public sectors. Analyzing the performance of BIM in it, comparing the results, and assessing the level of institutional maturity. Then conducting analyses and comparisons based on these conclusions and making additional recommendations and proposals to develop the matrix in accordance with practical reality in order to reach the optimal and integrated level for construction projects

Constrains and determinants for improvement of rural livelihood in the coastal community of Bangladesh

Agriculture farmers face abundant risk for crop cultivation at rural area of Bangladesh. About 85% of population in coastal region of Bangladesh, Dumki upazila, related to agriculture for livelihood directly or indirectly. To mitigate the problem facing by the farmers, there are available a lots of climate smart technologies. However, different demographic, socio-economic, production, management and post-harvest determinants influences the adoption of these modern technologies. This study focuses on the identification of farmer’s socio-economic condition, their knowledge, attitude, and perception on improvement of existing livelihood based on selected personal and demographic variables. Both primary and secondary data has been collected from different sources to fulfill the objectives. The results of this study indicated that the farmer’s age, education level and farming experiences significantly influence the adoption of modern technologies. Farmer’s knowledge, perception and attitude differ on different demographic condition like, age, sex, education, farm size, farming year. Results also showed that lacking of quality seeds, lacking/high price of labor and other inputs for crop production hastens the adoption of modern technologies. This study provides some recommendation which might impacts on betterment of farmers’ occupational condition by establishing proper policy and legislation both in local and national level. Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. 2021, 7 (4), 348-358

Technology-Performance Nexus during Covid-19: A Case of Commercial Banks from Selected South Asian Economies

Technology acceptance affects performance of employees in emerging organizations. This study explores the relationship between technological transformation and performance of the employees of commercial banks from selected Asian economies during Covid-19 pandemic. We also analyze the effect of moderators; training, supervisor support and incentives on this relationship. We have tested the hypotheses by means of the survey of 400 employees of commercial banks from selected South Asian economies of Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Pakistan. The Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression techniques are utilized to investigate the research problem. The identity theory and social learning theory reflects that the individuals get satisfied while relating themselves with the objectives of organization and the goals of nation. Further, they participate in the organizational and national development through technical innovation process if provided with supervisory support, training and incentives. This study recommends to executive management to adopt modern technology for sake of the higher objectives of firms’ performance in a Post- Covid depressed economies.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF CHARCOAL PRODUCTION IN SOUTH GEM SUB-COUNTY, SIAYA COUNTY, KENYA

Charcoal production is a source of income to many rural dwellers in Kenya. There are, however, several social, economic and environmental cost associated with its production. This study was conducted to assess the impact of charcoal production and the level of adoption of sustainable forest management practices in the South Gem Sub-County, Siaya County, Kenya. Data were collected through questionnaire administration on 377 respondents in 6 village, key informant interviews with officials of four Government Departments, and field observations. Land use maps for years 1998, 2008 and 2018 were used to determine changes in land use in the Sub-County. Findings indicated that charcoal production was being carried out with traditional earth kilns largely by relatively young adults, 70.3% of whom were in the 20 – 39 years age, 60.6% of whom had no more than primary education, and 59% of whom were male. Some of the tree species commonly used for charcoal production had been depleted. Majority (55 %) of the respondent charcoal producers had a relatively low monthly income of Ksh. 1000-3000. Coughing was mentioned by 38% of the respondent producers as a common health challenge. Notable environmental impacts included soil erosion, loss of forest cover and biodiversity, and change in micro-climate. However, the adoption of sustainable forest practices and modern charcoal production methods had started. This trend may eventually help in ameliorating the noted negative impacts. To facilitate the adoption of modern technology, it was recommended that the charcoal producers be encouraged to form co-operative associations.

A Study on the Impact of Schemes and Programmes of Government of India on Agriculture to Increase Productivity, Profitability, Financial Inclusion, and Welfare of Farmers to Transform them into Modern Society

Purpose: The foremost intent of this research article is to create awareness about various schemes for the productive sector of agriculture. Through this study, the level of performance of these agricultural schemes and programmes were analysed that will be helpful for the attainment of financial inclusion. Hence it is necessary to know about various schemes and their making to connect the beneficiaries. Agriculture is the basic source of food supply, production, processing, promotion and distribution. Agricultural products contribute to Gross Domestic Product (G.D.P.) and generate employment in rural areas. They transform the lives of the farmers in modern society. The government of India has introduced Minimum Support Price (MPS), MIF, PMKSY, PMFBY, e-NAM, PM-KISAN, PMJDY, PM-KUSUM, PKVY, NAMS, and MGNREGS. The mobile app KisanSuvidha and innovative programmes like Kisan Rail, KrishiUdaan double the farmers’ Income (DFI). These help in transforming village economy, coverage of irrigation, crop insurance, and stabilizing the income. They also ensure financial support, flow of credit and Direct Benefit transfer of subsidies and funds to beneficiaries. Adopting modern technology, farm-based activity, poultry, dairy, forestry, beekeeping and with the support of SHGs which will directly impact productivity, profitability, financial inclusion, and the welfare of farmers in the 21st century and development of the country’s economy. Design/ methodology/approaches: This study is all about the theoretical concepts based on analysis of various schemes and interconnect. Findings and results: This study reveals that the effectiveness of various agricultural programs and also identifies the benefits and beneficiaries of these schemes. Under this research, various financial services, subsidies, funds released, online platform for agricultural products, funds for micro-irrigation, and so on benefits provided by the government of India were studied. Originality/value: Analysed the various schemes and compelled its beneficiaries and develop a modern to achieve financial inclusion and economic growth through the study. Type of Paper: Research Analysis.

Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors Influencing Uptake of Striga Weed Control Technologies in Kenya

Over the years, new technologies have been tested and introduced to control Striga in maize producing areas but adoption has remained low. The study done in 2013, determined the demographic and socioeconomic factors that influenced the adoption of Striga control technologies in Kisumu West, Bumula and Teso South sub counties of Western Kenya. Through Multi stage sampling technique, 40 households were selected per sub county for questionnaire administration; to gather information on demographic profiles of the sample population, type of fertilizer and seed variety used, income of the household, source of credit facilities and challenges faced in weed control. Chi square test at P&lt;0.05 and logistic regression analysis, using R software was used to determine the relationship between demographic and socioeconomic factors and uptake of Striga control technologies. Farmers cited high cost, poor availability of improved varieties and lack of adequate knowledge as reasons for non-adoption of the Striga control strategies. Farmer’s age, education, land size and hiring of labour were found to significantly influence the adoption of the Striga control technologies. The low levels of adoption of modern technology indicate that they were not meeting farmers’ expectations, thus, researchers should put into consideration farmers’ education, age, land size and ability to high labour in their planning for an informed technology adoption. In addition, alternative options should be extended to farmers who are not able to use expensive technologies.

ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION ON PRODUCTIVITY OF PLANTAIN FARMERS IN NIGERIA

Sub-Saharan Africa has been plaque with food insecurity due to lack of adoption of modern technology to improve their productivity. Technology is the systematic application of scientific or other organized body of knowledge to practical purposes. This includes new ideas, inventions, innovations, techniques, methods and materials. Since increasing agricultural productivity is critical to meeting the continues rise in demand for food, agricultural technologies will play immense role in increasing the production of food. As a result, it is useful to examine the adoption of technologies among farmers. A multistage sampling technique was used for the selection of five hundred and fifty - six plantain farmers. The data were collected through the administration of a well-structured questionnaire on a cross-section surveyed of plantain farmers. The result of the study shown that educating the plantain farmers in Nigeria will enable them adopt new technologies which will enhance their productivity.

Potential Role of Technology Innovation in Transformation of Sustainable Food Systems: A Review

Advanced technologies and innovation are essential for promoting sustainable food systems (SFSs) because these technologies can be used to answer some of the critical questions needed to transform SFSs and help us better understand global food security and nutrition. The main objective of this study is to address the question of whether technological innovations have an impact on the transformation of SFSs. There are certain innovations including agricultural land utilization, food processing, production systems, improvement in diets according to people’s needs, and management of waste products. This study provides an overview of new technologies and innovations being used with potential to transform SFSs. Applications of emerging technologies in digital agriculture, including the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence and machine learning, drones, use of new physical systems (e.g., advanced robotics, autonomous vehicles, advanced materials), and gene technology (e.g., biofortified crops, genome-wide selection, genome editing), are discussed in this study. Additionally, we suggest eight action initiatives, which are transforming mindsets, enabling social licensing, changing policies and regulations, designing market incentives, safeguarding against undesirable effects, ensuring stable finance, building trust, and developing transition pathways that can hasten the transition to more SFSs. We conclude that appropriate incentives, regulations, and social permits play a critical role in enhancing the adoption of modern technologies to promote SFSs.

Adoption of Climate Smart Agriculture by Communal Livestock Farmers in South Africa

The importance of adopting modern technology in agriculture, especially in a changing climate, cannot be underestimated in Africa. The aim of this review was to highlight the past and the status quo with regard to the adoption of current farming practices in relation to climate-smart agriculture (CSA) by communal livestock farmers in South Africa. The impact of animal agriculture on climate change was also deliberated. Different internet search engines and databases, like Google Scholar, EBSCO Host, Science Direct, etc., and peer-reviewed articles, books, and government and academic reports were employed to provide information to adequately address the aim. Keywords like “the impact of climate smart agriculture on communal livestock farmers”, “communal livestock in South Africa”, “communal farming and technology adoption”, etc. were used for the search. Various issues pertaining to the impact of animal agriculture on climate change, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and implementing CSA in livestock farming were extensively discussed. The findings indicated that there is limited research on the adoption of CSA by communal livestock farmers in South Africa. The review concluded that strategies to adopt modern technology in communal areas should address the issues to enhance knowledge of farmers and all stakeholders, through increasing awareness, trainings, and skills programs. The government should build local capacity in innovative and affordable water and agricultural solutions, and reliable financial mechanisms should be in place to implement innovative sound technologies in communal areas.

Mapping the barriers of AI implementations in the public distribution system: The Indian experience

With increasing digitization, private organizations have started adopting modern technology to improve the effectiveness and transparency of their system. In countries like India, where most public services are under government control, technology adoption is nascent due to various obstacles. The study considered artificial intelligence (AI) the most popular technology and identified 18 critical adoption barriers in India's public distribution systems (PDS). The study is further extended to find the contextual relationship among barriers using interpretative structural modeling (ISM) and prioritize them using the analytical network process (ANP) method. The study identifies lack of trust in technology, lack of AI literacy, and political issues as significant barriers to AI adoption in PDS. The hybrid methodology used in this study proposed five different strategies for effective and smooth implementation of AI in PDS, which would help the policymaker plan the same.

Machine learning - based framework for construction delay mitigation

The construction industry, for many decades, has been underperforming in terms of the success of project delivery. Construction delays have become typical of many construction projects leading to lawsuits, project termination, and ultimately dissatisfied stakeholders. Experts have highlighted the lack of adoption of modern technologies as a cause of underproductivity. Nevertheless, the construction industry has an opportunity to tackle many of its woes through Construction 4.0, driven by enabling digital technologies such as machine learning. Consequently, this paper describes a framework based on the application of machine learning for delay mitigation in construction projects. The key areas identified for machine learning application include "cost estimation", "duration estimation", and "delay risk assessment". The developed framework is based on the CRISP-DM graphical framework. Relevant data were obtained to implement the framework in the three key areas identified, and satisfactory results were obtained. The machine learning methods considered include Multi Linear Regression Analysis, K-Nearest Neighbours, Artificial Neural Networks, Support Vector Machines, and Ensemble methods. Finally, interviews with professional experts were carried out to validate the developed framework in terms of its applicability, appropriateness, practicality, and reliability. The main contribution of this research is in its conceptualization and validation of a framework as a problem-solving strategy to mitigate construction delays. The study emphasized the cross-disciplinary campaign of the modern construction industry and the potential of machine learning in solving construction problems.

Demographic and Socio-Economic Status of the Farmers of North Eastern Part of Country: A Case Study

A socio-economic study of farmers from Siaha district was conducted with the objectives to know the socio-economic status of Siaha district farmers, to study the availability of resources, to locate the specific socio-economic weaknesses in their production organization, and to find the constraints that inhibit the popularisation and adoption of modern technologies. Siaha district is comprised of numerous hills and valleys and is rich in vegetation and forests. Jhum cultivation is still widely practiced as the traditional farming system. The cropping pattern of the Siaha district is characterized by the predominance of rice as the lead crop. Agricultural crops account for more than 65 percent of the gross cropped area which indicates the prevalence of subsistence agriculture and lack of crop diversification. It was observed that these farmers are socio-economically backward. Agriculture of the primary source of livelihood for the overwhelming majority of the farmer’s population. It is mandatory to identify and quantify the socio-economic factors which are key factors that are inhibiting their growth and development.

How Technological Trends Innovated the Spirit of Entrepreneurship among Businessmen: A Systematic Review

Aim: To understand deeply how the trend of technology has motivated entrepreneurs to become entrepreneurs who have a high entrepreneurial spirit through a review of dozens of international publications interested in discussing technology trends and implications for business people with a high entrepreneurial spirit. Method: Search for data electronically on several Google scholar-based data and other literary sources. Then we analyze the data by involving data coding, evaluation, in-depth interpretation, and concluding the principle of all data that is valuable and reliable. We emphasize secondary data from several international publications focused on the theme of this study. Result: The positive impact of technology trends on business success through the spirit of referring to technology-driven business governance and entrepreneurship has colored the findings of this study. The skills and enthusiasm of the impact of technology trends on business people are evident in adapting business people to the adoption of modern technology across businesses and in various service and goods industries. Conclusion: These findings have become the basis for many groups such as industry, education, and policymaking in many countries.