Behavior Of Farmers Research Articles

Incorporating heterogeneity in farmer disease control behaviour into a livestock disease transmission model.

Human behaviour is critical to effective responses to livestock disease outbreaks, especially with respect to vaccination uptake. Traditionally, mathematical models used to inform this behaviour have not taken heterogeneity in farmer behaviour into account. We address this by exploring how heterogeneity in farmers vaccination behaviour can be incorporated to inform mathematical models. We developed and used a graphical user interface to elicit farmers (n=60) vaccination decisions to an unfolding fast-spreading epidemic and linked this to their psychosocial and behavioural profiles. We identified, via cluster analysis, robust patterns of heterogeneity in vaccination behaviour. By incorporating these vaccination behavioural groupings into a mathematical model for a fast-spreading livestock infection, using computational simulation we explored how the inclusion of heterogeneity in farmer disease control behaviour may impact epidemiological and economic focused outcomes. When assuming homogeneity in farmer behaviour versus configurations informed by the psychosocial profile cluster estimates, the modelled scenarios revealed a disconnect in projected distributions and threshold statistics across outbreak size, outbreak duration and economic metrics.

Adoption of Agronomic Practice Wise Green Technologies Utilization Behaviour of Trichy and Madurai District Farmers in Rice-Based Ecosystem

The current study was carried out in Madurai and Trichy districts of Tamil Nadu. Two blocks from each district were chosen. For this study, a total sample size of 240 people was used. More than half (60.00%) of the farmers had fully adopted the seed treatment practices in which 62.50 per cent of Trichy district farmers had fully adopted and more than half (57.50%) of Madurai district farmers had fully adopted the above practices. More than three-fourths (83.33%) of the farmers had fully adopted in which 86.66 per cent followed by 80.00 per cent of Trichy and Madurai district farmers had fully adopted the application of farm yard manure respectively. Exactly half of the Trichy district respondents (50.00%) had fully adopted summer ploughing followed by 52.50 per cent of Madurai farmers.

Information Acquisition Ability and Farmers’ Herd Behavior in Rice–Crayfish Coculture System Adoption

Rice–crayfish coculture systems (RCSs) have been widely promoted in China as an efficient circular agriculture model that can simultaneously improve rice quality, raise the efficiency of utilization of resources, and increase farmers’ incomes. However, the herd behavior of farmers in the adoption of the rice–crayfish coculture system warrants more attention, as the rational adoption of this system by farmers is a prerequisite for achieving the above objectives. This paper analyses the formation mechanism of farmers’ herd behavior based on information cascade theory. Using micro-survey data from 603 farmers in China and a bivariate probit model, we examine the existence of herding effects in the adoption of RCSs by farmers and the inhibitory effect of information acquisition capability on herd behavior. To address possible endogeneity issues, we also conducted a robustness test using the IV-probit model. Furthermore, we tested for between-group differences in agricultural income between farmers with herding adoption and non-herding adoption. The study reveals that the larger the number of prior adopters, the higher the probability of blind adoption behavior by farmers, indicating the existence of a herd effect. Information acquisition ability could significantly inhibit the herd behavior of farmers in the adoption of RCSs. We also found that farmers’ herd behavior in the adoption of these systems was not economically rational. Based on the research findings, we proposed several constructive suggestions for policy perfection.

Social Status and the Behavior of Palm Farmers in Community Life

Social status is a level or the position of a person in a society as derived from the level of education, level of employment, level of income and wealth and expenses. Social status is often directly proportional to the behavior of rice farmers. For instance, The spread of agricultural innovations in the countryside depends on the nature of the innovation and the type of societal decision-making. If individual innovation decision-making is more dominant, the positive relationship between social status and the rice field farmer’s behavior is acceptable, but if collective decision-making is more dominant, the spread of innovation depends on the suitability of the rice field farmer’s innovations for village communities. This study aims to look at the determinants of social status and observe the relationship between social status and the behavior of rice farmers in their social liveslife in Taman Fajar Village, Purbolinggo District, East Lampung Regency. This study used a qualitative research method with a descriptive approach. The population were rice farmers in this area. Data collection was done using observation, interviews, and documentation techniques. The results of this study indicate that there is a significant influence on the social status and behavior of rice farmers in society. This means that the higher the yields the rice farmers obtain, the more positive impact they can have on society, one of which is giving alms to people in need.
 Keywords: Social Status, Peasant Behavior, Community.

Spheres of transformation: exploring personal, political and practical drivers of farmer agency and behaviour change in the Netherlands

Sustainability transitions research increasingly engages with agency and individual actor perspectives to explain complex system change. This paper introduces the spheres of transformation framework to study how and why 21 Dutch farmers, interviewed in the winter of 2020/2021, transform their business models towards sustainability. This framework is composed of three spheres: the personal (values and worldviews), the political (institutions), and the practical (everyday outcomes). Our results show that the interactions between spheres harbour the greatest potential for transformation as well as the greatest barriers, especially when all three spheres intersect. We furthermore identify individual actors’ personal characteristics that are significant in transformations. We conclude that the spheres of transformation framework is a suitable middle-range framework for the study of agency and behaviour in sustainability transitions that bridges between local and global transition models, and that policymakers and researchers should consider all three spheres when engaging individual actors in efforts to make sociotechnical systems more sustainable.

Factors Affecting Farmers' Capacity in Handling Harvest and Post-Harvest Mango Export Commodities Gedong Gincu

The aims of this study were (1) to determine the effect of stakeholder roles and direct access to information on farmer capacity in harvest and postharvest handling, and (2) to determine the influence of the role of stakeholders and access to information on the capacity of farmers in handling harvest and postharvest through. The research was conducted in Majalengka Regency with the central areas of Majalengka District and Panyingkiran District. The time of the research was carried out in August 2023. The determination of the sample was carried out by census on 30 farmers who had supplied gedong gincu mangoes to exporters. Data analysis used path analysis with the independent variable the role of stakeholders and access to information with the dependent variable being the farmer's capacity in handling harvest and postharvest through farmer behavior. data analysis using path analysis. The results of the analysis show that there is an influence on the role of stakeholders and access to information on the variable capacity of farmers in handling harvest and postharvest directly or through farmer behavior. The first path equation is Y = 0.391 + 0.517 + 0.796 and the second path equation is Y = 0.336 + 0.420 + 0.445 + 0.630. The effect of stakeholder roles on farmer capacity directly or indirectly is 0.500, the effect of information access on farmer capacity is 0.662 and the influence of farmer behavior on farmer capacity is 0.420

Electricity - Saving Behavioral Intention of Farmers

The study applied the Theory of Planned Behavior - TPB (Ajzen, 1991) and the Norm Activation Model - NAM (Schwartz, 1977) to demonstrate the affecting factors on behavioral intention in energy saving of farmers in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Research data were collected from 204 farmer households using electricity in four provinces: Tien Giang, Dong Thap, An Giang, and Kien Giang. Applying the structural equation modeling (SEM), the study has pointed out the affecting factors mentioned above, including personal ethical standards, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, perceived benefit, attitude, product quality, and energy policy. Besides, the study has shown that the intention to save electricity positively impacts the electricity-saving behavior of farmers

Conceptualization of Farmers’ Water Conservation Intention and Behavior through the Lens of Economic Man Worldview: Application of Structural Equation Modeling

Although different worldviews have been presented to analyze the conservation behaviors of farmers, limited empirical evidence exists for the use of the economic man worldview to analyze farmers’ water conservation behaviors (WCBs). Therefore, the conceptualization of farmers’ water conservation behavioral intentions through the lens of this worldview was the primary objective of this survey. To this aim, the extended planned behavior theory (PBT), which is the main theory of the economic man worldview, was employed. The study population was 36183 Iranian farmers, 380 of whom were interviewed in-person in the form a cross-sectional survey research design. An estimation of sample size was performed via the Krejcie and Morgan Table. Moreover, the distribution of the sample size was carried out by a multi-stage random sampling method. Validity and reliability, which are undeniable features of questionnaires in social and psychological sciences, were examined using different quantitative and qualitative indices. The obtained results indicated that the effect of intention towards water conservation (IWC) on WCB was positive and significant. Therefore, this research supports the main assumption of the PBT and the economic man worldview. However, according to the results, the power of IWC’s effect on WCB is not very significant. In addition, the variance explanation of WCB as the fundamental dependent variable is not very high. It can be mentioned that the economic man worldview has a relative and moderate power to analyze the WCBs of farmers. Hence, it is suggested that some variables, including moral norms, environmental concerns, and environmental values, are used to develop and increase the explanatory power of the PBT in future studies. This study is the first study of the applicability of the economic man approach in analyzing farmers’ WCBs. It could be used to open a new research window for future and interested researchers to conduct successful interventions in the field of water conservation.

Yaw system restart strategy optimization of wind turbines in mountain wind farms based on operational data mining and multi-objective optimization

The wind resources of mountain wind farms are affected by more complex terrain than are found at flat wind farms. Wind turbine (WT) failures caused by frequent operation of the yaw system occur often in mountain wind farms, resulting in significantly reduced economic benefits over the WT life cycle. Considering the problem of frequent yaw motions of WTs in mountain wind farms, this study introduces multi-objective optimization theory into the yaw system restart strategy optimization of WTs for the first time and proposes an optimized yaw system restart strategy with wind speed segmentation in the wind speed region below the rated wind speed. The yaw behavior of mountain wind farms in southern China is analyzed from multiple perspectives; a segmentation scheme of wind speed intervals for yaw control was determined from the results. The Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II (NSGA-II) is used to optimize the control parameters for each sub-interval with the goals of minimizing yaw operation time and maximizing energy generation. A set of Pareto solutions is obtained and evaluated with the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method to produce the optimal solution. The simulation results indicated that after the WT adopts the optimized yaw system restart strategy in the wind speed region below the rated wind speed, the number of yaw motions is decreased by 82.9%, with only a slight decrease in energy generation. The optimization method proposed in this study can significantly reduce yaw operation time with minimal loss of energy generation, which provides a new approach to balancing the relationship between reducing the WT failure rate and ensuring power generation efficiency and is expected to significantly improve the economic benefits to wind farms.

Interplay of Knowledge and Behavior in Environmentally Friendly Pest Control: A Study from Bantul, Indonesia

This study investigates the correlation between farmers’ knowledge and behavior concerning environmentally friendly pest control in Bantul, Indonesia, a significant rice production area challenged by pest and disease. The objective was to assess the farmers’ understanding and behavior in applying Integrated Pest Control (IPC) techniques, determine the contributing factors to their knowledge level, and ascertain the relationship between knowledge and behavior. Employing a quantitative descriptive approach, the research encompassed 120 purposively selected farmers across four districts. Linear regression and Spearman correlation were used for data analysis. The findings indicate that both the knowledge and behavior of farmers regarding IPC were moderately rated. Factors such as farmers’ group activities, workshop participation, individual perceptions, and land size were found to influence the farmers’ knowledge level. Furthermore, a correlation was discerned between farmers’ knowledge and behavior in implementing eco-friendly pest control. The study underscores the necessity of targeted interventions to enhance farmer education and advocacy, as these can influence pest control behavior, ultimately promoting sustainable farming practices.

Effectiveness of agricultural counseling methods during the covid-19 pandemic to increasing rice production in Maros District

The effectiveness of agricultural extension is an extension effort to achieve maximum results by utilizing existing resources. The implementation of Agricultural Extension during the Covid-19 pandemic is shown through the methods used so that it has a direct or indirect impact on the behavior of farmers in terms of increasing knowledge, attitudes, and skills so that their rice production increases. This study aims to determine the application of agricultural extension methods that are effectively used during the Covid-19 pandemic. The population of this study was all members of the farmer group located in Maros district. Sample determination using a method with a purposive sampling system. The data analysis method is qualitative descriptive analysis. The results of the study found that an effective agricultural extension method during the Covid-19 pandemic was an individual counseling method.

Factors correlating to the success rate of agricultural extension in improving sustainability (a case study at BPP Tanjung Beringin, Tanjung Beringin Subdistrict, Serdang Bedagai Regency)

Agricultural extension has a vital role in improving the sustainability of farming businesses, developing the people’s economy, increasing agricultural production, and changing the behaviour of farmers, especially toward their environment. The average productivity and the increase in annual average production of lowland rice in Tanjung Beringin Subdistrict were quite good and prospective. This study purposed to determine the main tasks implementation of agricultural extensionists in the Agricultural Extension Centre of Tanjung Beringin, to know the success rate of the main tasks implementation, and to analyse the correlation between the socio-economic characteristics of extensionists on the success rate in implementing their tasks. The research sample was determined by census methods, all extensionists were interviewed. The analysis method used was the Spearman Rank Correlation Test. The results showed that: The main tasks implementation of agricultural extensionists went finely, following the main tasks determined; The success rate of the main tasks implementation of agricultural extensionists was 87%, or in high-performance criteria; There was a significant correlation between the duration of education, the duration of being an extensionist, and the duration of extensionists’ working time with the success rate of their tasks, meanwhile the age and number of family dependents had an insignificant correlation.

Positive behaviors of farmers that preserve the farm environment from the risks of pollution at Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate

Positive behaviors of farmers that preserve the farm environment from the risks of pollution at Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate

Emerging themes and approaches in plant virus epidemiology.

Plant diseases caused by viruses share many common features with those caused by other pathogen taxa in terms of the host-pathogen interaction, but there are also distinctive features in epidemiology, most apparent where transmission is by vectors. Consequently, the host-virus-vector-environment interaction presents a continuing challenge in attempts to understand and predict the course of plant virus epidemics. Theoretical concepts, based on the underlying biology, can be expressed in mathematical models, and tested through quantitative assessments of epidemics in the field; this remains a goal in understanding why plant virus epidemics occur and how they can be controlled. To this end, this review identifies recent emerging themes and approaches to fill in knowledge gaps in plant virus epidemiology. We review quantitative work on impact of climatic fluctuations and change on plants, virus and vectors under different scenarios where impacts on the individual components of the plant-virus-vector interaction may vary disproportionately; the continuing sometimes discordant debate on host resistance and tolerance as plant defense mechanisms, including aspects of farmer behavior and attitudes to disease management that may affect deployment in crops; disentangling host-virus-vector-environment interactions as these contribute to temporal and spatial disease progress in field populations, computational techniques for estimating epidemiological parameters from field observations, and the use of optimal control analysis to assess disease control options. We end by proposing new challenges and questions in plant virus epidemiology.

Influences on Farmer Behavior in Integrated Pest Management: IPM Knowledge, Local Wisdom, and Motivation in Palu City

Influences on Farmer Behavior in Integrated Pest Management: IPM Knowledge, Local Wisdom, and Motivation in Palu City

Diet of the fortified settlement communities in Lithuania from 1000 cal. BC to 200 cal. AD

The fortified settlements in Lithuania attest to a long-term phenomenon representing the behaviour of early farmers after the adoption of crop cultivation ca. 1300–1250 cal. BC. Hitherto, the subsistence economy and diet of this population were primarily understood via zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical analyses, however, understudied are the food residues in pottery. In this paper, we present the first results of stable isotope analysis on 209 charred organic residues sampled in pottery from nine sites. The food remains in pottery consisted of δ13C and δ15N values inherent for terrestrial sources with indications of millet consumption during the Late Bronze Age (1100–500 cal. BC). By comparison to the data from earlier periods, a significant dietary change in the local population ca. 1000 cal. BC was distinguished. Furthermore, 34 new AMS 14C dates acquired during this research allowed to better understand the chronology of fortified settlements. Our results provide the earliest evidence for the spread of this type of site in Lithuania and demonstrate the significance of the Daugava River basin during the early stages of this process.

Farmers' perception of the ecosystem services provided by diurnal raptors in arid Rajasthan.

Farmers are the most important stakeholders in wildlife conservation in the agricultural landscape. Understanding the farmer's perceptions, attitude, behaviour, and knowledge toward conservation is critical in developing an effective conservation programme in human-dominated landscapes. We conducted semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 373 farmers to understand the farmer's perception of ecosystem services provided by diurnal raptors in the arid region of Rajasthan from July 2020 to February 2021 and from August 2021 to January 2022. We grouped ecosystem services and disservices into larger categories and estimated the correlation between them, finding that disservices are negatively correlated with benefits. Raptors were perceived as beneficial for their role in controlling rodents and pests, but negatively for poultry predation. In addition, we built a binomial generalised linear model with a logit function to better understand the factors that influence farmers' perceptions of raptors (positive or negative). We observed that males and females have different attitudes toward the ecosystem services provided by raptors. It is critical to understand social perceptions in order to conserve species that are rare on a global scale but may face negative perceptions on a local scale. Our study connects ecological information with socio-demographic factors, which can be useful in developing policy measures for raptor conservation.

Investments, subsidies and financial constraints in Estonian agriculture

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the determinants of investment decisions of Estonian farms after the transition to market economy and accession to the European Union (EU), in the period 2006–2019.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs Estonian Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) individual farm-level data from the period 2006–2019, and standard and augmented accelerator investment models. Generalised methods of moments (GMM) and bias-corrected least-squares dummy variables (LSDVC) regressions were used to estimate parameters of these models.FindingsIn the considered period, farm investments were positively affected by sales growth, investment subsidies and the cash flow. Decomposition of cash flow into volatile, market income related part, and more stable, farm subsidies related part indicated that investments do not depend on market income part of cash flow. Instead, the stable part of the cash flow (farm subsidies) had a significant and positive effect on investments. This suggests that credit rationing could be present in the EU agriculture, and it depends on the farm subsidies not market income of farms.Originality/valueDespite the wealth of literature on the investment behaviour of farmers, this article is the first attempt to decompose farm cash flow into stable (farm subsidies) and volatile (market income) parts to explain the role of subsidies as a part of cash flow in credit rationing.

Relationship Between Farmer Characteristics and Farmer Group Dynamics with The Success of Farmer Empowerment Programs Through Agricultural Technology and Information

Extension activities managed by farmers as a process of changing the behavior, mindset and attitude of farmers from traditional subsistence farmers to modern farmers with agribusiness insight through continuous learning are carried out with a learning by doing approach that focuses on developing managerial capacity, leadership and entrepreneurship of key actors in order to realize reliable agribusiness entrepreneurs. This study aims to examine how the relationship between farmer characteristics and group dynamics on the success rate of agricultural technology and information programs in the Tunas Walahir II Farmer Group, Pakapasan Hilir Village, Hantara District, Kuningan Regency from July to September 2022 with a sample of 25 farmers. This study used descriptive quantitative methods with data collection techniques through interviews. The data in this study is in the form of primary and secondary data. The analysis activities use the Spearman Level Correlation Coefficient Test (rs). The results showed that there was a real relationship between the characteristics of farmers (area of arable land and farming experience) with the success of agricultural technology and information programs, while the age of farmers and the level of education of farmers had no real relationship with the success of agricultural technology and information programs. There is a clear relationship between the dynamics of farmer groups and the success of agricultural technology and information programs.

Income Effect of E-commerce Adoption Behavior of Navel Orange Farmers in Southern Jiangxi Province

With the continuous development of e-commerce in rural areas, the income effect of e-commerce has become a hot topic. Based on this background, this paper investigated the e-commerce adoption of navel orange farmers in southern Jiangxi Province, obtained 68 farmers' micro-data, and analyzed the income increasing effect of e-commerce adoption behavior by using multiple T-test and multiple regression analysis. It is found that the planting income and total household income of farmers who participate in e-commerce are higher than those who do not adopt e-commerce, and the adoption behavior of farmers has a significant and positive impact on their own income. In addition, factors such as education level, entrepreneurial experience, work experience, gift expenditure, network and logistics accessibility of navel orange growers in southern Jiangxi have a greater impact on the adoption behavior of e-commerce, which in turn affects the income increase effect of e-commerce and promotes the income increase of navel orange growers. In view of this, the paper puts forward some feasible suggestions such as improving the e-commerce infrastructure in the concentrated area of navel orange cultivation in southern Jiangxi Province, strengthening the publicity of the benefits of e-commerce, enabling farmers to have a deeper understanding of e-commerce, strengthening the introduction of e-commerce professionals, and improving the education mechanism of e-commerce in the area of navel orange cultivation.