Extension Practitioners Research Articles

The Moderating Effect of Monitoring on The Relationship Between Adverse Selection and Decision-Making Involving Escalation Situations: An Experimental Study

The streams of research on adverse selection and escalation of commitment are still inconclusive and limited by only manipulating adverse selection in 2 conditions, namely the presence and absence of adverse selection. Meanwhile, the literature shows that adverse selection will always exist in agency contracts even though the information asymmetry mechanism has been modified. This study considers adverse selection manipulation into two levels: high and low. This research investigates the moderating effect of supervision on the impact of adverse selection and commitment escalation. This research used an experimental method with a 2 x 2 factorial design between subjects. This study involved undergraduate accounting students as extension practitioners. The test results show that different levels of adverse selection impact levels of commitment escalation. The research also indicates that supervision is quite effective in filtering the impact of adverse selection on commitment escalation behavior

Economics of Adoption of Improved Oil Palm Production Technologies in South East, Nigeria

This study was focused on the economics of adoption of adoption of recommended oil palm production technologies in south east, Nigeria. There is global paucity of research on the economics and adoptability of oil palm production technologies in developing countries with only few extension projects in Nigeria. The supply of oil palm products, which is a major staple food in Nigeria, has not matched up with the demand. It is expected that increase in adoption of oil palm production technologies will scale-up oil palm production and reduce poverty and increase food safety net in Nigeria. The importance of oil palm in National and World Food Economics underscores the need for the intensification of research efforts on the crop. The failure of the current palm oil output to meet domestic demand and leave a surplus for export in spite of the available technologies to boost production could be attributed to slow rate of the expansion and exploitation of the existing plantings. This is as a result of failure to accept and use available oil palm development and management technologies, the adoption of which would have brought about optimal yield increase. This study would provide current information that will help guide farmers in decision-making, agricultural extension practitioners, researchers and the government in formulating functional policies towards finding solution to sustainable agricultural development in Nigeria. Also, institutions and organizations such as the ADPs, NIFOR, Universities etc and students involved in oil palm research and improvement may find the work handy. The study was carried out using a proportional random sampling of oil palm farmers. Data were collected and analyzed descriptively using percentages, frequencies, tables, etc. The major findings of this study are that adoption of oil palm production technologies in the study areas is low but profitable; funds/capital are important in adoption of recommended oil palm production technologies, and that household size and cost of innovation are important variables that affect adoption. In view of this, encouragement of farmers with large household size to participate actively in adoption of oil palm production technologies, the provision of credit/input to farmers, are among the recommendations made.

Kurdistan Rural Information System Platform, as a New Rural Innovation Paradigm: Local Decision-Makers Perspective

Background: This study aimed to achieve objectives through SWOT analysis and focus group discussion, identifying internal and external factors through the local decision-makers in Kurdistan Region, to explore the way to describe and analyze Kurdistan Rural information System Platform (KRISP). Problems with information in rural areas still exist in the Kurdistan region administration. The aim of this study is an attempt to develop a digital platform that will help rural communities realize their full potential and contribute to a resilient and successful digital future. The primary objectives of this project are how to design and implement an agricultural information system to collect rural data from various areas by various farmers and make it available online so that future users may eventually search for and obtain the essential data. The first category is concerned with knowledge sharing, information exchange, self-improvement, and self-improvement for grassroots extension practitioners. The study made use of qualitative data, with fixed questions. for the analysis. The achievement of primary data was also collected using a FGD’s implemented in Sulaimani governorates. The period of data collection from different study areas starting from June 2023 to September 2023 and were used in this study to collect qualitative data from a variety of government sectors (decision-makers) from various organizations were included in group discussions and gatherings to address the issues highlighted in this study.

Improving public extension practitioners’ technical farm management knowledge and service delivery: Evidence from small-holder farmers in Thulamela Municipality of South Africa

Improving public extension practitioners’ technical farm management knowledge and service delivery: Evidence from small-holder farmers in Thulamela Municipality of South Africa

Digital Economy: ICT Framework for Farming Information Dissemination and Management in DRC By IJISRT

The agricultural sector is increasingly becoming both knowledge-intensive and techno-intensive. Generally speaking, agriculture sector is dynamic, farmers actively seek timely, accurate and relevant information to keep up with daily challenges. These challenges will significantly grow as a result of climate change that causes changing rainfall patterns and extreme weather events including, more frequent droughts and floods. ICTs has been instrumental for information broadcasting to farmers. Policy makers, extension practitioners, scholars and development agencies including, NGOs are advocating ICTs as a tool to foster smallholder farmers productivity, efficiency and performance through information including, new variety of seeds, fertilizer, livestock breeds, emerging diseases, vaccines, farming technologies, use of pesticides as well as market information. In addition, they enable large hub of know-how and sharing opportunity between agriculturalists, investors and entrepreneurs. Most African countries are essentially agrarian economies and agriculture turns out to be livelihoods of hundreds of millions households as well as a key driver of the economic development. However, most farmers in the Democratic Republic of Congo – especially smallholder farmers – perform below their potential. Many governments and scholars have developed innovative solutions related agricultural practice. The challenge is to enable information dissemination by large numbers of smallholder farmers. The study aims to propose a framework and policies for farmers to share information through ICTs. It used both quantitative and qualitative methods. The case study design is applied where empirical data was collected using questionnaires, interviews, documents analysis, and group discussions with farmer groups. Based on the research objectives, it was discovered that ICT policies is quasi-inexistent in agricultural sector. The government provides no agricultural information to farmers. In terms of ICT access, 36% of farmers own a telephone. 58% use basic feature phone while 42% of the respondents use smartphone. 66% of farmers would like to be provided information by a mobile phone. 63 % of farmers would prefer to have information in video format while 34 % in audio format. 95% of respondent strongly agree that ICT can improve their farming condition.

How to Build and Sustain a Transdisciplinary Community-based Exercise Program for Older Adults

We have built a community-based program called Stay Strong, Stay Healthy, which helps older adults improve muscle strength and flexibility while reducing fall risk. This report details lessons learned and keys to success for Extension practitioners. First, maximize the potential of your state’s Extension framework by building a program that centers around your target population and is fun and easy to implement. Second, partner with researchers who can help to improve program effectiveness and logistical feasibility on larger scales. Lastly, continue to evaluate and adapt based on feedback from those who utilize and implement the program.

The Role of ICT in Effective Dissemination of Extension Information among Women Livestock Farmers in North West Region of Cameroon

Over the past years, extensive efforts have been made throughout the world to provide female farmers with effective, suitable technology, training, and information. As a result, positive effects are beginning to show in agricultural production and family welfare. But the successes are limited at a time when public sector investments in agricultural research and extension are under pressure, when ever-greater demands are being placed on rural women in the face of rapid social transformation and in an increasing number of areas, when evidence of environmental degradation is growing. ICTs are now being used to provide basic solutions to farmers and are increasingly being supported by extension practitioners for use in agricultural production and marketing systems. This paper is intended to investigate the role played by ICT in the dissemination of effective extension information among women livestock farmers in the North West Region of Cameroon. Primary data were collected through the use of structured questionnaires, observations, focus groups and interview guides. Secondary data were obtained from books, journals, research projects and scientific articles. These provided the necessary quantitative and qualitative data that were used to draw conclusions. Multi stage sampling techniques were used to select the female farmers for the study. Four hundred (400) questionnaires were administered randomly to collect data from the communities. The women were examined using different channels like media, phone calls, friends, and agricultural technicians. The results from the study shows that, the media seemingly are doing a great job in disseminating of appropriate agricultural information. Therefore, 40.5% of the farmers get information from the media or magazines but only (7.8%) get information through phone calls. The findings of this study can go a long way to help policy makers in planning and designing need-based information infrastructural system for rural farmers.

Extension Practitioners Perception and Constraints on ICT Use in Southwestern Nigeria

The study examined the perception and constraints of extension practitioners on utilization of communication technologies in southwestern Nigeria. This was necessitated by the need to ensure a practicable, vibrant, and efficient extension service delivery in the study area. 124 public and 41 non-public extension practitioners were selected through a three staged sampling procedure. Questionnaires were used to elicit vital information on their perceptions on ICT use, constraints faced during ICT use and other components. These were analyzed using descriptive statistics, mean difference, PPMC, and independent sample t-test. The results showed that (61.0%) of respondents from non-public organizations fell within those with favorable perception level. Also, (64.50%) of respondents had high level of constraints to ICT access. Moreover, (58.10%) of respondents from the public organizations’ encountered high level of constraint to ICT use. Result showed that respondents from the public extension organizations were more constrained in access to (14.10 ± 3.17) and use of ICT tools (10.84 ± 3.30) and were significant. The study has implications for providing functional ICT tools to the respondents for effective extension delivery. Agricultural extension service organizations should organize more frequent in-house trainings on the benefits of ICT use in relation to their extension work.

Mapping Research Contributions on Agricultural Extension in India

Agricultural Extension is vital for sustainable farming development and food systems. During the past decades, several agricultural extension modelshave been implemented in India. The present study emphasises on the scientific contribution of agricultural extension researchduring the last decade (2011-2020). Bibliometric techniques have been employed to the secondary data for analysing 145 articles to identify relevant themes, collaboration patterns, topics under study and major journals for publication. It was observed that the research on agricultural extension has been increasing in recent years. The journals that have published the articles have highlighted multi-disciplinary research to address the challenges of the discipline. The central thematic area of research in the domain was new extension methodologies for technology transfer,applying information and communication technologies (ICTs) in farming and climate-change based research in extension. Probably, this might be the first bibliometric study to offer exhaustive information on extension research in India. The findings of the study will aid academics and decision-makers in formulating plans and strategies for better extension approaches for agricultural development. Agricultural extension practitioners may also use those findings for reorienting advisory services at the grassroots level.

Farmers and pastoralists’ socio-cultural interaction: mitigating conflicts in rural communities for livelihood development in Nigeria

Pastoralists and farmers’ activities guarantee food security while the pastoral systems have been the focus of conflicts in recent times in Nigeria. Much work has been done to explore the causes and effects of such conflicts from the farmers’ perspectives; hence this study approached it from the pastoralists’ viewpoint. The study examined the socio-cultural influence of interactions between pastoralists and farmers of the host communities in Nigeria. A three-stage random sampling procedure was used to select 121 pastoralists while data was collected using an interview schedule. Findings showed that 68.6% of the sample owned above 16 cattle and the annual income of 47.1% of the sampled pastoralists range from 100,000-500,000 Naira for over 16years. The factors triggering conflicts between pastoralists and their farmer hosts included: destruction of farmers' crops by herds, cattle rustling by thieves, sexual harassment involving their women, and harassment by the host community. This study also showed a relatively poor socio-cultural integration in intermarriage, understanding and speaking of host communities' language. Age, marital status, herd size, education level and income influenced the integration of pastoralists into host communities. The study concluded that there is a strong need for inter-marriages between pastoralists and farmers in furtherance of integration of the pastoralists with the socio-cultural values of the farmers. This can be achieved by engaging extension workers who will provide requisite enlightenment, education and training to the pastoralists. It thus becomes imperative for stakeholders to foster an enabling environment for improved social integration to assuage the rising conflicts. The study is novel as it documents the nexus between socio-cultural interaction and conflicts; with implication for capacity building, education and training on conflict resolution for livestock extension practitioners.

Toward Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Outreach and Engagement in Extension Education: Expert Consensus on Barriers and Strategies

Barriers to the successful implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) education and outreach initiatives are being documented across higher education institutions as DEI policies and protocols are gaining attention. Despite growing attention to promote DEI in higher education institutions, there remains a need to examine barriers preventing DEI efforts in a systematic way, particularly in Extension education contexts to formulate strategies to promote DEI. We present an expert, consensus-based framework to identify the most salient barriers to successful DEI implementation in Extension. We also discuss opportunities for Extension practitioners to overcome salient barriers with tailored mitigation strategies.

Assessing the SNAP Consumer Environment at Farmers Markets

The SNAP at Farmers Market Environmental Assessment was developed as a tool for market managers to examine SNAP participant accessibility for redeeming SNAP benefits at farmers markets. By completing the SNAP at Farmers Market Environmental Assessment, the tool can serve as a guide for providing practical next steps for market improvement. Extension practitioners and researchers, including SNAP-Ed staff, can use the assessment tool to support policy, systems, and environment change efforts that promote access to local, high-quality foods by SNAP consumers, the redemption of SNAP benefits, and potentially increased sales at farmers markets.

Recycling nitrogen from liquid digestate via novel reactive struvite and zeolite minerals to mitigate agricultural pollution

Recycling nutrients is of paramount importance. For this reason, struvite and nitrogen enriched zeolite fertilizers produced from wastewater treatments are receiving growing attention in European markets. However, their effects on agricultural soils are far from certain, especially struvite, which only recently was implemented in EU Fertilizing Product Regulations. In this paper, we investigate the effects of these materials in acid sandy arable soil, particularly focusing on N dynamics, evaluating potential losses, transformation pathways, and the effects of struvite and zeolitic tuffs on main soil biogeochemical parameters, in comparison to traditional fertilization with digestate. Liming effect (pH alkalinization) was observed in all treatments with varying intensities, affecting most of the soil processes. The struvite was quickly solubilized due to soil acidity, and the release of nutrients stimulated nitrifying and denitrifying microorganisms. Zeolitic tuff amendments decreased the NOx gas emissions, which are precursors to the powerful climate altering N2O gas, and the N enriched chabazite tuff also recorded smaller NH3 emissions compared to the digestate. However, a high dosage of zeolites in soil increased NH3 emissions after fertilization, due to pronounced pH shifts. Contrasting effects were observed between the two zeolitic tuffs when applied as soil amendments; while the chabazite tuff had a strong positive effect – increasing up to ∼90% the soil microbial N immobilization – the employed clinoptilolite tuff had immediate negative effects on the microbial biomass, likely due to the large quantities of sulphur released. However, when applied at lower dosages, the N enriched clinoptilolite also contributed to the increase of microbial N. From these outcomes, we confirm the potential of struvite and zeolites to mitigate the outfluxes of nutrients from agricultural systems. To gain the best results and significantly lower environmental impacts, extension practitioners could give recommendations based on the soils that are planned for zeolite application.

Nexus between the invisibility of agricultural extension services and rural livelihoods development: Assertions from rural farming communities

Agricultural extension is one of the essential services that are offered by the South African Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development (DALRRD), to facilitate agricultural development in rural communities. The significance of agricultural extension is that it offers new knowledge to farmers and allows space for growth through various interventions such as agrarian transformation and improving livelihoods through the promotion of agriculture as a vehicle for ‘pro-poor’ economic growth. However, there is a concern that extension services are invisible in resource-restricted and previously marginalised rural communities. The study presented in this paper examined farmer’s experiences with extension practitioners and the impact of a lack of extension services on the development of impoverished rural communities. The researchers adopted a qualitative design wherein six focus group discussions were held to gather data from the farmers. Data were analyzed using ATLAS.ti22, a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS). Four themes of extension services that have a direct linkage to livelihood development, namely, the impact on rural livelihoods, production challenges, marketability, and economic impact, and the invisibility of extension services, were the central point of discussion.

PREVALENCE AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACTORS OF EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING PRACTICE AMONG MOTHERS WITH CHILDREN 0–6 MONTHS AT FINOTE SELAM TOWN, NORTHWEST ETHIOPIA: A COMMUNITY-BASED CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Objective: This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding practice and its associated factors among mothers with children 0–6 months at Finote Selam town, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted on (n=415) women with children 0–6 months derived using simple and multistage sampling techniques. Data have been analyzed using univariate, binary, and multivariate logistic regression. Results: The prevalence rate of exclusive breastfeeding practice in the study area was 67%. Results display that the vulnerable groups, such as mothers being illiterate, low-income group, and lived in rural regions, have come on a double burden of death throughout delivery and have much fewer practices of breastfeeding in comparison with different moms of children aged 0–6 months due to the fact that the respondents have variations in socioeconomic traits and how the way they’re under the different cultural influence. Conclusion: This study might allow policymakers, medical sociologists, and health extension practitioners to broaden extra powerful all-rounded interventions to minimize the poor exercise of exclusive breastfeeding.

Open Science, Open Data, and New Opportunities for Cooperative Extension

The array of problems presented to Extension professionals is broad and growing in number and complexity. As Extension has demonstrated its adaptability in addressing these issues, new ways of working have emerged. Access to an expanding pool of scientific reports and data can potentially provide Extension professionals with the greater tools and knowledge they need to collaboratively engage with their communities. However, a key challenge and possible impediment will be access to rapidly emerging research and data. Open science and open data can broaden the evidence base available to Extension educators, and the emerging field of data science offers new tools to help Extension stakeholders make data-informed decisions. A new data-sharing partnership among Canada, Mexico, and the United States may serve as a model for other countries’ rural advisory services and national Extension systems. Fully implementing this expanded role for Extension will require resources to establish a National Community Learning Network and a national data commons as well as advocacy for open access policies at all levels of government. As abstract as open science and open data may seem to local and regional Extension practitioners, equal access to scientific knowledge and underlying research data is not only imperative for local community engagement but also integral for locally appropriate decision-making. Widening access to research and data directly supports the democratization of science and Extension. Opening scientific research and providing effective access to publicly financed data will become essential platforms for university engagement and Extension. It is critical for Extension professionals to understand the analytic powers and emerging policies that easily-accessed research and data can bring to collaborative community engagement.

Digitization of agricultural extension system for effective management of emergency in Nigeria


 
 
 This paper presents challenges facing agricultural extension system in Nigeria most especially, during crises and emergencies, which necessitate the adoption of digitizing extension systems as a basis for improving farmers’ access to extension services during emergencies. The emergence of ICTs has given rise to digitization, which is the delivery of agricultural advice via audiovisual messages (video), interactive voice response (IVR) and short message services (SMS) among others. Efforts should be made by the stakeholders in agricultural extension to digitize the country's extension system by capitalizing on the existing enthusiasm among extension practitioners, and farmers using lessons of best practices from elsewhere.
 
 

A Review of Climate-Smart Agriculture Technology Adoption by Farming Households in Sub-Saharan Africa

Climate change is a major constraint to the progress of Africa’s agriculture, food, and nutrition security; its effect is tied to geographical position and driven by the limited adaptive capacity of the agricultural households. The most vulnerable stakeholder group are the smallholder farming households with limited resources and knowledge of adaptation and mitigation techniques. Sub-Saharan Africa owns more than 60% of the world’s arable land with over 85% of the farmers being smallholder farmers, who are predisposed to various risks. This paper analyzes the adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) processes and technologies by smallholder farming households in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study used mixed methods and an integrative literature review. This review indicated that the knowledge of CSA technologies by smallholder farmers in Africa is increasing and, thus, concerted efforts to continuously generate CSA technology would contribute to the desired positive outcome. To accelerate the pace of adoption and use of the technologies, the linkage of farmers, researchers, and extension practitioners is needed. Measures should also be put in place to ensure that CSA actions are implemented using bottom-up approaches.

Analyzing Precision Agriculture Adoption across the Globe: A Systematic Review of Scholarship from 1999–2020

Precision agriculture (PA) is a holistic, sustainable, innovative systems approach that assists farmers in production management. Adopting PA could improve sustainable food security and community economic sustainability. Developing an understanding of PA adoption attributes is needed in order to assist extension practitioners to promote adoption and better understand the innovation adoption phenomena. A systematic review of literature was conducted to investigate attributes that foster PA adoption. Thirty-three publications were examined, and four themes were found among the reviewed publications. The results were interpreted using Rogers’ diffusion of innovations framework to address the research objectives. Relative advantage and compatibility were two dominant attributes needed to strengthen the adoption of PA, and the complexity attribute was rarely communicated to promote the adoption of PA. The systematic review indicated the rate of farmer’s PA adoption does not occur at the highest potential levels due to inadequate communication of PA attributes from change agents to farmers. Extension field staff need professional development in communicating the five PA adoption attributes to farmers in order to improve PA adoption and enhance local sustainable food security. Thus, authors recommend future complexity studies from agricultural extension specialists’ perspectives to comprehend demonstratable approaches to motivate farmers’ adoption of PA.

The relationship between farmers’ quality of life and their leadership competencies

This quantitative study sought to explore Pennsylvania farmers’ perceptions of their quality of life during their busiest farm season and its relationship with farmers’ self-leadership and ability to lead others’ competencies. The convenience, unrestricted, self-selecting, and chain-referral sampling approaches were used to collect online data. The final data set included responses from 59 farmers. The overall mean score for self-leadership competencies was 3.93 (SD = .48), ability to lead others’ competencies was 3.96 (SD = .50), and farmers’ quality of life was 3.49 (SD = .69). A significant positive association found between farmers’ quality of life and self-leadership competencies (r = .64 p = .001), and ability to lead others’ competencies (r = .24 p = .013). Approximately 43 % of the variance in overall farmers’ quality of life was explained by farmers’ self-leadership and ability to lead others’ competencies. Extension practitioners should develop a leadership program for farmers that will address the following areas: farmers’ work-life balance during busy season and difficult conversations with farm employees.