Agricultural Services Research Articles

Sharing and Co-Creating Value: Innovation in Platform-Based Agricultural Service Models Driven by Service Demand Collaboration—A Case Study of the JN Life

Platform-based agricultural service models have increasingly become a primary approach to agricultural socialized services in China. This study investigates a service-demand-driven platform-based agricultural service model through the case of JN Life initiated by nine ecological farms. Based on the theory of value co-creation, it traces the development of the JN platform ecosystem across three phases: emergence, formation, and expansion. The study examines how farm members and key stakeholders of the JN platform actively collaborate throughout these phases, transitioning from value propositions to institutional arrangements, resource integration, and achieving value co-creation. This process is referred to as an endogenous (vs. exogenous) platform-based agricultural service model. The findings provide valuable insights into advancing the sustainable development of ecological farms and agricultural socialized services, as well as enhancing collaborative innovation in the platform ecosystem.

Understanding the Barriers and Knowledge Gaps to Climate-Smart Agriculture and Climate Information Services: A Multi-Stakeholder Analysis of Smallholder Farmers’ Uptake in Ghana

Understanding the Barriers and Knowledge Gaps to Climate-Smart Agriculture and Climate Information Services: A Multi-Stakeholder Analysis of Smallholder Farmers’ Uptake in Ghana

Main characteristics of French farms adopting cereal–legume intercropping: A quantitative exploration at the national and local levels

CONTEXTCereal–legume intercropping is a diversification practice that offers many advantages, especially in low-input systems. However, its adoption remains low on European farms, as technical and economic barriers hinder its development. In recent years, an increase in the proportion of arable land cultivated with cereal–legume intercrops has been observed in France. Three areas in particular – in Western, Eastern and Southern France – seem to be particularly dynamic. OBJECTIVEThis study aimed (i) to identify the main farm characteristics associated with the presence of cereal–legume intercrops at the national level in France and (ii) to highlight more specific characteristics that could explain the particular dynamics observed in each focus region. METHODSWe analysed data from the 2020 French Agricultural Census for 43,968 farms representative of the French arable crop, livestock, and mixed crop–livestock farming systems. Through a literature review, we identified key factors linked to the presence of cereal–legume intercrops and related them to 42 variables in the census. At the national level, the most important of these variables were identified and interpreted using a balanced random forest and a classification and regression tree (CART). We tested the CART obtained at the national level in the Western, Eastern, and Southern areas and conducted a random forest analysis for each area to identify local particularities. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONAt the national level, the presence of cereal–legume intercropping was strongly linked to organic farming and the presence of livestock, especially ruminants. These intercrops were prevalent on farms with high feed autonomy for the cattle and sheep. Additionally, they were commonly observed on farms with grain storage, possibly indicating feed autonomy, on-farm transformation, or marketing outside of agricultural cooperatives. The belonging to a farm machinery cooperative was also strongly associated with cereal–legume intercropping, likely because these cooperatives give farmers access to specific machinery and provide opportunities for knowledge exchange regarding their practices. Similar characteristics were identified at the local level; organic farming was pivotal in the Western and Eastern areas, followed by feed autonomy for cattle. In the Southern area, however, on-farm grain storage capacity was dominant, likely due to longstanding efforts to achieve feed autonomy. SIGNIFICANCEThis exhaustive study on French farms identified key farm characteristics strongly linked to cereal–legume intercrops adoption. This insight is critical for promoting this practice, whether through national public policies or local farming support services. The methodology proposed can be easily reproduced to investigate other farming practices at different spatial scales.

An Analysis of Farmer Awareness for Banana Production from a Technological and Geographic Perspective in Indapur Tahsil of Pune District, India

The Indapur tehsil an arid climate region is gaining recognition as a prime location for banana cultivation. The identification of water sources, fertile soil, favourable climate, and income resulted in a shift towards cultivating bananas. This research identified a gap between the practices of farmers and modern agricultural techniques. The study is the first to survey farmers' understanding of geography, farming techniques, challenges faced, and factors for successful production in the region. Data was gathered from 270 banana farmers in various villages using qualitative and quantitative research methods, official documents, and on-site observations. The findings indicated that the farmers displayed a good understanding of drip irrigation and the use of liquid fertilizer through this method. Farmers showed a moderate understanding of soil quality, organic farming, tissue culture plantlets, banana variety selection, year-round farming, and crop protection. Factors such as land ownership, gender of the family head, family size, age, education, farming experience, subsidies, crop insurance, and access to information influence modern agricultural practices which is evident in the perception index. The perception index also highlights the necessity for focused attention on aspects such as application of agrochemicals to leaves, bunch feeding, the use of humidity sensors in irrigation, mulching, crop rotation, diseases caused by fungus, intercropping, cold storage, and ISO certification. Dry environments and the adoption of plantlets grown through tissue culture can reduce the risk of pest and disease issues. Rise in fertilizer and raw material cost, price fluctuations, commissions, middlemen’s dishonesty, domestic and export market support and labour costs are major issues. It is recommended to offer awareness programs and training on modern farming techniques and banana export, along with strengthening of farmers organizations and communication channels. The findings will provide important information to support sustainable banana farming for researchers, farmers, policymakers, and agricultural services.

The Impact of Agricultural Machinery Services on Food Loss at the Producer Level: Evidence from China

Reducing food loss can improve environmental sustainability, resource use, and food security. Agricultural machinery services have considerable advantages in enhancing the adaptability and competitiveness of farms, but little is known about its potential for addressing food loss. Here, this work attempts to reveal a strong yet under-discussed connection between agricultural machinery services and food loss. Using survey data covering 483 corn farmers in the Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning provinces of China from October to December 2024, this study examined the extent to which participation in agricultural machinery services reduced food loss. Our results confirmed the existence of this significant causal effect and estimated 0.864% and 0.862% reductions in weight and value losses in response to a 1% increase in the purchase of agricultural machinery services. The possible mechanisms driving this relationship, including factor allocation optimization and technology introduction, were further verified. A variety of robustness tests were conducted to validate the strength and reliability of the empirical results and address endogeneity issues. Also, to better contextualize the heterogeneous effects of agricultural machinery services on food loss, the differences across production links, land fragmentation, and service quality were explored. By highlighting the important roles of agricultural machinery services in reducing food loss, our analysis contributed to contemporary debates about the long-term linkage between the wide popularization of agricultural machinery services and achieving food security, particularly providing insights for developing countries.

Enhancing Rural Economic Sustainability in China Through Agricultural Socialization Services: A Novel Perspective on Spatial-Temporal Dynamics

Rural economic development faces significant challenges in the context of rapid urbanization and agricultural transformation, particularly in developing countries like China. Agricultural socialization services (ASSs) play a crucial role in promoting rural economic sustainability by enhancing household income and fostering regional development. This study investigates the impact of ASSs on rural economic sustainability in China from both temporal and spatial perspectives, employing the entropy weight method, double fixed effects model, and Spatial Durbin Model. Analyzing panel data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2011 to 2021 reveals significant positive effects of ASSs on rural income, along with spatial spillovers to neighboring regions. The results highlight regional heterogeneity in the impact of ASSs, with the eastern region benefiting from local spillovers, while the central and western regions gain from intensification and scale effects. These findings suggest that policymakers should adopt region-specific ASSs strategies, such as facilitating technology transfer in the eastern regions while leveraging intensification and scale advantages in the central and western regions, to optimize the effectiveness of agricultural support measures. Moreover, the relationship between ASSs and rural income exhibits a non-linear trend across various urbanization stages, implying that ASS policies should be tailored to the specific challenges and opportunities associated with different levels of urbanization to maximize their impact on rural economic sustainability. These findings underscore the importance of optimizing ASSs, tailoring policies to local conditions, and harnessing the role of ASSs in the urbanization process to promote inclusive rural development and foster sustainable rural economic growth.

Securing cyber-physical robotic systems for enhanced data security and real-time threat mitigation

The convergence of data security and operational efficiency across various sectors, such as manufacturing, industry, logistics, agriculture, healthcare, and internet services, has been significantly enhanced using robotic-driven platforms and protocols. Notably, there has been a notable uptick in sophisticated cyberattacks targeting corporate and industrial robotic systems. These attacks are activated following the integration of the Internet of Things, the Internet, and organizational networks, as industrial units are interconnected. This study has formulated security-oriented criteria-based indicators for cyber-physical systems (CPS), encompassing industrial components and embedded sensors responsible for processing information logs and procedures. In this research, a robust security framework based on attack trees has been introduced, strategically focusing on addressing critical exploitable vulnerabilities rather than attempting to cover all CPS devices comprehensively. The systematic categorization of each physical device and its associated integrated sensors has been accomplished via data from logs and an information repository contained within a sensor index device library.

Effects of Integrated Soil Fertility Management Technologies on the Productivity of Sorghum in the Drier Parts of Upper Eastern Kenya

Declining soil fertility amid the devastating effects of climate change is a threat to the state of food security in developing countries like Kenya. Enhancing production intervention through sustainable farming practices like integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) technologies has been promoted. However, there is a dearth of knowledge revealing the efficacy of such technologies, especially in dry regions of the country. Therefore, this study evaluated the effect of integrated soil fertility management technologies on sorghum productivity in the drier parts of Upper Eastern Kenya. Data was collected from 370 sorghum farmers using a semi-structured questionnaire. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (percentages) and Propensity Score Matching (PSM). The initial PSM stage revealed that various socioeconomic and institutional aspects (subsistence farming, access to extension services, perception of innovations, road infrastructure, ISFM awareness and ISFM costs) influence the adoption decision of ISFM. Further, the findings reveal that farmers who adopted ISFM technologies recorded increased sorghum productivity. Hence, the productivity of adopters was better than that of non-adopters. Improving adoption, therefore requires the facilitation of agricultural institutions and service providers who are key in imparting vital knowledge and creating awareness of productive technologies such as ISFM. Similarly, the results have wider policy effects for agriculture, especially in places where ISFM may be very important for long-term food security and agricultural productivity.

Indigenous Knowledge on Shifting Cultivation and Sustainable Agriculture

Indigenous knowledge on shifting mountainous farm management of Arfak farmers is the original culture of Arfak people, held firm passed down to generations. This can be seen in the agricultural activities of Arfak farmers who are still applying indigenous knowledge to this day. Modernization can affect the existence and can also be a threat to the indigenous knowledge of Arfak farmers. The low level of education of farmers, the oral transfer of indigenous knowledge and the absence of written documentation of indigenous knowledge are the causes of indigenous knowledge being swept away in the flow of modernization. Apart from that, the existence of indigenous knowledge is increasingly threatened by the development of plantations and urban areas. Especially the increasing demand for land for plantations, infrastructure, settlements and mining. Based on data from the West Papua Agriculture Service, in 2017 plantation development reached 53,806 ha and mining reached 89,256 ha in the Arfak Mountains. Agricultural modernization and industrialization will certainly reduce shifting cultivation and the value of indigenous knowledge. The high biodiversity makes Arfak Mountains a conservation area and makes this region a center of highland vegetable production in West Papua. In 2021, agricultural sector contributed 33.61% to growth Arfak Mountains Gross Regional Domestic Product. This study aims to describe how Arfak farmers apply their indigenous knowledge, namely the concept of igya ser hanjob in managing land to support sustainable agricultural activities. This research uses qualitative approach with inductive methods and case study techniques to document the knowledge and experience Arfak farmers selected with the snowball technique. Data was collected through interviews and observations. This study found that sustainable land management in agricultural activities is based on the ecological concept of the Arfak people, namely igya ser hanjob. This concept regulates appropriate management areas for agriculture and ensures environment sustainability and family food. This ecological concept was socialized for generations Arfak farming family. However, in reality there is a threat of landslides in agricultural areas due to socio-economic and ecological changes in mountainous farming are of Arfak community.

Environmental impacts of urban growth and land use changes in tropical cities

Urban centers across the globe are undergoing rapid land use changes due to population growth, economic development, and urbanization. These changes have a profound impact on environmental dynamics and urban livelihoods. This study investigates land use changes and their environmental implications on urban livelihoods in Iwo, Nigeria. The research explores the patterns and drivers of land use changes over the past four decades and evaluates their effects on environmental quality and urban livelihoods. A combination of remote sensing and survey methods was employed. Landsat images from 1982 to 2023 were analyzed using supervised classification techniques to map changes in land cover categories such as built-up areas, vegetation, farmland, bare land, and water bodies. Additionally, a survey was conducted with 550 residents, selected through simple random sampling, to identify the key drivers of urban expansion from the residents’ perspectives. Descriptive analysis revealed that most respondents had lived in Iwo for over 30 years, with many engaged in farming, trading, and civil service. Factor analysis was used to identify significant variables driving urban growth. The results indicate a substantial increase in built-up areas, from 9.30 km2 in 1982 to 30.69 km2 in 2023, alongside a significant decrease in vegetation cover. Farmland area showed an increasing trend, while bare land decreased. Key drivers of urban growth identified include religious activities, availability of land resources, small-scale businesses, government initiatives, and educational institutions. The environmental implications include deforestation, reduced green spaces, increased surface runoff, and pollution, which affect air quality, water resources, and biodiversity. This study highlights the importance of sustainable urban planning to balance growth with environmental preservation and social equity. The implementation of green infrastructure, effective waste management, and comprehensive urban planning policies is crucial to enhancing resilience and quality of life in Iwo.

Implementation of Complex Proportional Assessment Method in Determining Prioritization of Beneficiary Groups Fish Seeds in Lhokseumawe City

The fisheries sector in Lhokseumawe City has an essential role in the regional economy, but the limited allocation of fish seed assistance requires an efficient and objective decision-making system (SPK). This research applies the Complex Proportional Assessment (COPRAS) method to prioritize groups of fish seed aid recipients. COPRAS was chosen because it can handle quantitative and qualitative criteria and produce a clear ranking of alternatives. The system evaluates criteria such as pond area, number of members, pond condition, and group age. The results showed that the Tani Mandiri group had the highest utility value = 1, while Tani Maju Berkah obtained the lowest value = 0.655. The COPRAS method effectively provided accurate and transparent recommendations in determining beneficiaries. Implementing this system is expected to help the Lhokseumawe City Marine, Fisheries, Agriculture, and Food Service Office allocate fairer and more targeted assistance, as well as increase the fisheries sector's productivity in the area. This research also contributes to developing technology-based decision-making systems to support government policies.

Research on Government Regulation, Agricultural Socialization Service and Green Treatment Behavior of Mushroom Residue by Mushroom Farmers—Based on Research Data from Gutian County, Fujian Province, China

Research on Government Regulation, Agricultural Socialization Service and Green Treatment Behavior of Mushroom Residue by Mushroom Farmers—Based on Research Data from Gutian County, Fujian Province, China

Adoption of Orange-Fleshed Sweetpotato (OFSP) Technologies in Southern Ethiopia

Addressing malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency in Ethiopia necessitates innovative, food-based solutions such as biofortified crops. This study assesses the adoption rates of Orange-Fleshed Sweetpotato (OFSP) and examines the factors influencing adoption among project participants, non-participants, and counterfactual households in the former Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ (SNNPs) region. Primary data were collected in 2023 through a survey of 990 households across six districts, and logistic regression was employed to identify key determinants of adoption. The findings reveal OFSP adoption rates of 53% among participants, 56% among non-participants, and 42% among counterfactual households, with significant variation across regions. Factors positively influencing adoption include household education, proximity to health centers and OFSP multiplication sites, frequent extension contact, and access to agricultural services. This study underscores the potential of newly released OFSP varieties to enhance food security and resilience in malnutrition-prone areas. The comparable adoption rates between participants and non-participants highlight significant spillover effects from long-term interventions, suggesting widespread community benefits. However, the limited adoption of complementary OFSP package components points to the need for enhanced training programs and streamlined technology dissemination strategies. These findings contribute to understanding how biofortified crops can be scaled effectively to improve food security and nutrition, offering valuable insights for policy and program design.

The effects of adopting large farms’ agricultural mechanization services on agricultural productivity

ABSTRACT Using data from 2,000 farm households in Henan province in China, this study investigates the relationship between large farms’ provision of agricultural mechanization services (AMS) and agricultural productivity. The statistics show that 75.02%, 74.12%, and 73.79% of farm households adopt large farms’ AMS for ploughing, sowing, and harvesting, respectively. The empirical results indicate that the development of large farms’ AMS significantly reduces agricultural productivity. Further analysis reveals that it not only induces smallholder farms to rent out their land, thereby reducing their agricultural income, but also increases their preference for renting out land. Additionally, we find that the machinery assets owned by large farms are of poorer quality than those owned by professional service providers, as demonstrated by the positive impact of the number of combine harvesters owned by professional service providers on farm productivity. Our analysis suggests that, with the structural transformation of the AMS market, Chinese agriculture may experience a period of low efficiency. The government should work on improve the quality of large farms’ machinery assets and compensate for the loss of efficiency caused by smallholder farmers’ incomplete exit from agriculture.

The Impact of Farmland Transfer on Urban–Rural Integration: Causal Inference Based on Double Machine Learning

Urban–rural fragmentation represents a significant challenge encountered by nations globally, particularly in both developing and developed contexts, during the modernisation process. This study examines the effects of rural land system reform on facilitating integrated development between urban and rural areas. The analysis of the impact of the 2010 liberalisation of the land transfer policy employs a dual machine learning model, utilising provincial-level data from China spanning 2005 to 2022, to address the limitations of traditional causal inference models while ensuring estimation accuracy. The findings indicate that the reform of the rural land system significantly enhances integrated urban–rural development, particularly in demographic, economic, and ecological dimensions. The mechanisms encompass the facilitation of extensive land and agricultural service operations, the development of new business entities, the migration of rural labour, and the enhancement of agricultural capital. Furthermore, notable disparities exist in the effects of reforms across various regions, particularly concerning urban–rural integration development and land transfer levels. The policy effects of land transfer exhibit a marginally diminishing trend. The influence of land transfer on urban–rural integration varies with economic development levels, demonstrating a nonlinear relationship, with the most pronounced effects observed in regions with moderate economic development. Additionally, the policy effects of land transfer differ based on geographic location. The impact of land transfer policies varies across geographic regions, with the central region exhibiting the most significant effect, followed by the north-eastern region, the western region, and the eastern region, which shows the least effect. This study provides a reference for advancing the reform of the marketisation of land factors, improving the efficiency of land resource allocation, and regionally and in multiple layers advancing the reform of the rural land system.

Agricultural Innovation as a Determinant of a Sustainable Transition in Rural Territories: Evidence from Costa Rica

The predominant economic activities in rural territories are agriculture, tourism, and ecosystem services, with agriculture being the predominant one. The agricultural sector faces several critics regarding its sustainability and structural difficulties for innovation. Yet, some innovations in line with bioeconomy and the use of digital technologies in agriculture have potential to reconcile economic and environmental goals. Therefore, this research aims to determine the contribution of innovations in the agricultural sector to the sustainable transformation of rural territories in Costa Rica. This is achieved using a case study methodology, covering cases representative of more than 95% of the agriculture production of the country. Finding that these trends of innovation can foster the sustainability of the sector and rural territories while improving economic outcomes; that the biggest impact of these innovations is when the two trends, digital technologies and bioeconomy, are combined; and that the forms of governance play a paramount role in the democratization of innovation, especially for medium and small-sized producers, and in their diffusion within the territory.

Recurring crises, resilient workers? Biographical-relational resources in worker livelihoods

The impact of shocks and crises on workers and workers’ crisis coping strategies are issues of global concern and have generated a rich literature on resilience and sustainable livelihoods. Drawing on insights from social reproduction theory and biographical-narrative research, we draw lessons for the resilience literature from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on workers in a high-outmigration area of Eastern Europe. The area had some of the highest mortality and lowest vaccination rates in the European Union and is heavily dependent on remittances from work in German, Italian, and British agriculture, construction, and cleaning and care services. We use biographical interviews to show how respondents’ coping capacity builds on previous experiences of crisis and on social relationships and care arrangements at work and home, which are both sources of support and vulnerability; and we discuss why young workers in sectors deemed ‘essential’ during the pandemic were particularly vulnerable. By showing how care arrangements translate into both support and pressure, our findings speak to global debates about resilience and its costs for workers in high migration areas and beyond.

Forging new pathways: How farmland abandonment affects decision-making of non-grain production - Insight from China's mountainous areas.

The shift in crop growth in rural households towards non-grain crops is a focus of concern in China's grain security. Land allocation decisions by rural households to abandon farmland can affect crop growth decisions. Prior studies on the relationship between farmland abandonment and rural households' crop growing decisions have been insufficient. This study presents a theoretical framework that encompasses land, labor force, and capital. Using unique survey data from 2448 rural households in China's mountainous areas, we employ an endogenous switching regression model for empirical estimation. The findings demonstrate that farmland abandonment significantly promoted rural households to grow grain crops on their remaining farmland. If rural households had not abandoned their farmland, the crop acreage used for growing non-grain crops would have increased by 16.4%. The effects of abandonment on non-grain production decision-making vary based on per capita farmland area, farmland transfer, and agricultural social services. Furthermore, farmland abandonment by rural households affects decision-making regarding non-grain production by adjusting the agricultural labor force supply. Thus, under policies such as farmland protection and food security, it is necessary to balance the goals of replanting abandoned farmland and preventing non-grain crop growth in mountainous areas, with a focus on enhancing the level of mechanization.

Sub-lethal pesticide exposure interferes with honey bee memory of learnt colours.

Neonicotinoid pesticide use has increased around the world despite accumulating evidence of their potential detrimental sub-lethal effects on the behaviour and physiology of bees, and its contribution to the global decline in bee health. Whilst flower colour is considered as one of the most important signals for foraging honey bees (Apis mellifera), the effects of pesticides on colour vision and memory retention in a natural setting remain unknown. We trained free flying honey bee foragers by presenting artificial yellow flower feeder, to an unscented artificial flower patch with 6 different flower colours to investigate if sub-lethal levels of imidacloprid would disrupt the acquired association made between the yellow flower colour from the feeder and food reward. We found that for doses higher than 4% of LD50 value, the foraging honey bees no longer preferentially visited the yellow flowers within the flower patch and instead, we suspect, reverted back to baseline foraging preferences, with a complete loss of the yellow preference. Our honey bee colour vision modelling indicates that discriminating the yellow colour from the rest should have been easy cognitive task. Pesticide exposure also resulted in a significant increase in Lop1, UVop, and Blop, and a decrease in CaMKII and CREB gene expression. Our results suggest that memory loss is the most plausible mechanism to explain the alteration of bee foraging colour preference. Across bees, colour vision is highly conserved and is essential for efficient pollination services. Therefore, our findings have important implications for ecosystem health and agricultural services world-wide.

Analysis of the Repercussions of Climate Change on the Proliferation of Maize Pest Caterpillars in the Kati Circle

The issue of climate change constitutes a global challenge today. To deal with this, each country must develop its own measures and solutions. For this research, the objective is to study corn cultivation in the Kati Circle in the context of climate change. To achieve this, the perceptions and adaptation strategies of local populations to the phenomenon of climate change were scrutinized and analyzed. We surveyed 248 agricultural households in four villages in the Kati Circle. Three hypotheses served as a guiding principle for this research and the methodology used is a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches. In terms of results, the consequences of climate change on the local ecosystem are reflected in soil degradation, a reduction in corn production, an increase in the early drying up of ponds and watercourses and the proliferation of certain species. plant and animal (armyworm, aphids and thrips). To deal with these consequences, while benefiting from support from agricultural technical services, local producers have developed corn growing techniques that are relatively adapted in a context of climate change.