Variation In Farmers Research Articles

PERSEPSI PETANI TENTANG PENGARUH KINERJA PENYULUH TERHADAP KOMPETENSI PETANI PADI DI KABUPATEN ACEH BARAT (Rice Farmers Perceptions Of The Influence Of Extension Workers' Performance On The Competence Of Rice Farmers In West Aceh Regency)

This study aims to assess how farmers perceive the impact of agricultural extension performance on rice farmers' ability in Alue Tampak Village, Kaway XVI Sub-district, West Aceh District. With a total population of 176 rice farmers, the study adopted a quantitative approach through a survey method. The sample was selected using the Slovin formula, resulting in 64 rice farmer respondents. Data were collected through questionnaires and analyzed using simple linear regression as well as hypothesis testing with the help of SPSS 20. The research findings indicated that farmers' perceptions of agricultural extension workers' performance positively affected their competence in rice farming. The R² value of 0.554 indicates that the performance of agricultural extension workers can explain 55.4% of the variation in farmers' competence, while factors beyond the scope of this study influence the remaining 44.6%. The regression test results yielded the equation Y = 2.599 + 0.631X + e, where the positive coefficient of 0.631 confirms the existence of a positive influence between agricultural extension performance and farmers' competencies.

Why are farmers reluctant to accept biological inputs? a structural equation model of technology adoption

Today, chemical inputs play an important and crucial role in increasing the production rate of agricultural products and the income of farmers in Iran. However, in parallel with this beneficial effect, the widespread and indiscriminate use of such inputs is considered to be one of the most significant barriers to environmental sustainability in Iran. The main objective of this research is to model the acceptance of the use of biological inputs among farmers living in the southwest of Iran. The research study was conducted using the cross-sectional survey method. The statistical population included all farmers of Meidavoud district located in Baghmalek county, southwest of Iran (N = 1,400). A sample of 302 individuals was selected according to Morgan’s sample size table and random sampling method. A questionnaire was used to collect the data, the validity of which was confirmed by a panel of experts, and its reliability was approved by various coefficients. The data were analyzed using SPSSV26, Smart PLS3, and AMOS software. The results of the structural equations showed that among the variables influencing farmers’ behavior toward biological inputs, the attitude and willingness variables could predict 80% of the variation in farmers’ behavior. In addition, attitude, ease of use, and usefulness were identified as effective factors in farmers’ willingness to use biological inputs. According to the results of the path analysis, the variables perceived usefulness and ease of use could predict 67% of the changes in farmers’ attitudes. To convince farmers and promote desirable attitudes that, in turn, influence their willingness to use biological inputs, some persuasive interventions seem to be necessary. Farmers need to be externally or internally motivated if they adopt environmentally friendly practices such as use of biological inputs.

Supporting Measures to Improve Biosecurity within Italian Poultry Production.

This paper describes the selection and validation of supporting measures (SMs) aimed at enhancing biosecurity compliance within Italian poultry farms. A tailored methodology, based on a stakeholders' survey involving farmers and advisors, included a virtual farm tour, group discussion, and farmer coaching. Virtual farm tours and group discussions were delivered during two meetings targeting meat and egg production stakeholders, separately. Coaching was validated in 26 pilot farms (PFs) by assessing farmers' attitudes towards change (i.e., ADKAR®) and farms' biosecurity score (i.e., Biocheck.UgentTM) before and after a minimum six-month period. A total of 20 out of 26 farmers agreed to implement at least one action plan (AP). Full implementation of the agreed APs was observed in ten farms, while others only partially implemented (n = 7) or did not implement (n = 3) the improvement. Most APs focused on enhancing house hygiene locks (n = 7), followed by bacterial auto-control after cleaning and disinfection (n = 4). Scoring tools indicated minimal or no variations in farmers' attitudes towards change and farm biosecurity. Virtual farm tours and group discussions were found to be effective in fostering interaction and facilitating the exchange of experiences and knowledge among farmers and stakeholders of poultry production. Coaching indicated that farmers might prefer implementing minor changes possibly influenced by time and cost constraints associated with structural interventions. These limitations could have also impacted the scores of the farmer/farm. The findings of this study provide a foundation for further application of SMs to improve biosecurity in Italian poultry farms.

Observation on local high-yielding stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni L.) clone specific to Bandung District, West Java

The use of stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni L.) as a natural sweetener shows great potential. However, in Indonesia, the lack of superior and highly productive varieties has been a major challenge in its development. Nukita Co-op has developed a promising stevia clone which we evaluated in this study for its readiness to be proposed as a new and improved variety. Our research was conducted in August 2023 through primary and secondary data collection. Primary data comprised the clone development process and morphological variations observed in farmers’ fields, while secondary data included crop productivity and types of stevia-based products made. Our findings revealed that the CM3 clone, derived from a Vietnamese variety, has been cultivated by farmers in Bandung district since 2010. It has high yields (up to 7-ton dry leaves/ha/year) and is marketed as simplisia (unprocessed ingredients) and various tea variants. However, we noted high morphological variations in farmers’ fields. Therefore, stevia clone CM3 is not ready for direct release. With breeding efforts, this clone could be improved through the selection process and released as a high-yielding variety to support stevia’s development as an alternative sweetener.

Assessing Relationship Between Goat and Sheep Farmers' Stress and Their Demographics: A Pilot Study

Highlights Limited leisure time, insufficient sleep, and family members’ health conditions were the top personal stressors. Occupational stressors were too much to do in so little time, worrying about the farm's future and financial issues. Governmental regulation, market prices, and unpredictable weather conditions were off-farm occupational stressors. The work hours during the busy season and farm size were significant predictors of farmers’ stress. The farmer’s age and years in the farm business were not significant predictors of the farmer’s stress. Abstract. This pilot study aims to investigate goat and sheep farmers' stress amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors developed a questionnaire based on existing literature to measure farmers’ stress. The online questionnaire was sent to the 3000 goat and sheep farmers registered in the Penn State Extension Listserv. We used the technique described by Dillman et al. (2014) to collect online data. After cleaning the data, the response rate was 6.8% (n = 204). The mean and SD for farmer’s stress were 3.0±.63 out of 5, occupational stress 3.11±.65, and personal stress 2.80 ± .82, respectively. During the COVID-19 pandemic, work hours during the busy season and farm size exhibited a positive low association with farmers' stress (rs = .245 and rs = .238, respectively). They predicted 10% of the total variation in farmers' stress. We propose that extension professionals and public health practitioners learn lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic in case other public health concerns arise. We suggest that future educational programs addressing stress among farmers prioritize specific strategies to reduce occupational stress and cope with uncertainty during health-related outbreaks or other crises. An interesting avenue for further investigation can involve examining other issues related to farmers' financial planning, time management (especially during the busy season), and their relationships with family members. Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, Farmers, Farmers’ demographics, Occupational stress, Off-farm stress, On-farm stress, Personal stress.

The development of a farmer decision-making mind map to inform climate services in Central America

The growing complexity of the relationship between climate information and agricultural decision-making necessitates the development of relevant and timely climate services for farmers. These services can effectively support risk management strategies in agriculture by fostering a comprehensive understanding of the intricacies involved in farmer decision-making dynamics. This paper addresses this critical gap by analyzing the drivers influencing decision-making processes that shape adaptation strategies for staple grain and coffee farming systems in Central America. The study answers the following research questions: (i) Does the mind map tool effectively provide a holistic understanding of farmers' decision-making processes? (ii) How do Central American farmers make decisions within their farm systems at multiple timescales? (iii) Which climate factors trigger these decisions? Employing a combination of systematic literature review and a case study in Honduras, the study identifies 13 critical decisions farmers make throughout their crop cycle and their respective triggers. These decisions were grouped into three clusters (production, household, and environmental) and classified into lead-time categories (operational, tactical, and strategic). Findings reveal that farmers base their decisions regarding future climate expectations on their traditional knowledge, religious dates, and memories of recent past seasons' rainfall patterns, and that one of the most significant factors influencing farmers' decisions is food security shortages resulting from extreme events. For example, recent mid-summer droughts have led farmers to prioritize sowing beans over maize in the Primera season, while during the Postrera season, they face challenges due to excess rainfall and the hurricane season. We conclude that the mind map tool developed in this paper provides an effective and appropriate method and that the variation in farmers' decision-making complexity across systems and landscapes presents a significant opportunity to design mind maps that span multiple timescales, facilitating the exploration of decision spaces. Farmers actively seek tailored weather and climate information while still valuing their existing experience and local knowledge, emphasizing the importance of integrating these elements into the development of climate services.

Does Livelihood Determine Attitude? The Impact of Farmers’ Livelihood Capital on the Performance of Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution Management: An Empirical Investigation in Yilong Lake Basin, China

Agricultural non-point source pollution is intricately connected to the rural population’s production and lifestyle. The heterogeneous composition of livelihood capital results in varied livelihood types, influencing the farmers’ attitudes and perceptions of the treatment projects. This ultimately causes discrepancies in the farmers’ evaluation of agricultural non-point source pollution control. In this study, a participatory evaluation method was employed to evaluate the performance of agricultural non-point source pollution control projects in the Yilong Lake Watershed of Yunnan Province and analyze the underlying reasons for the differing performance evaluations. The findings revealed that pure farmers’ performance evaluation value for agricultural non-point source pollution control projects in Yilong Lake Basin was 0.4811 (with the full mark being 1), with a general evaluation grade. Part-time business households had a performance evaluation value of 0.5969, also with a general evaluation grade, while non-farmers had a performance evaluation value of 0.7057, with a good evaluation grade. The performance evaluation value ranked from highest to lowest is non-farmer > part-time farmer > pure farmer. The main factor affecting the variation in farmers’ performance evaluation is the key index of different livelihood capital. If pollution control projects can promote the adjustment of farmers’ livelihood capital types, it can enhance not only the performance evaluation degree of farmers, but also the sustainability of farmers’ livelihoods and increase their adaptability to livelihood risks. Therefore, pollution control projects should consider farmers’ livelihood capital types and be implemented accurately to improve farmers’ satisfaction and sustainability.

FLOODING IMPACTS AND FARMING MOTIVATION IN ANAM COMMUNITY OF ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA: IMPLICATION FOR FOOD SECURITY

Climate change projections that show an increase in the frequency and intensity of climatic hazards like flooding highlight the significance of understanding community vulnerability to extreme hydrological events. The current study looked at how farmers' motivation is impacted by flooding. Two hundred and twenty-five farmers recruited from farming communities in Anam, Anambra State, Nigeria, completed a self-report instrument to ascertain their motivations relative to continuing farming activities in the era of flooding. A cross-sectional design was employed in the study. Data from the respondents were analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS, Version 23). Simple regression was run to test the primary hypothesis that flooding would predict farmers' motivation. The analysis demonstrated a statistically significant effect of flooding concerns on the farmers' motivation F (1,223), 21.31 P< .05, with the R2 indicating the independent variable accounted for 22.3% of the variation in farmers' motivation. The present finding contributes to the agricultural literature by revealing the flooding trend as a potential determinant of farmers' low motivations and the increasing low food production.

Modeling Pesticide Use Behavior Among Farmers in the Upper East Region of Ghana: An Empirical Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior

This study examined the pesticide use behavior of farmers along the White Volta Basin in the Upper East Region of Ghana, using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to explore the underlying factors. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 300 food crop farmers, from whom data was collected and analyzed using the frequency, percentage, means, standard deviation and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) techniques. The results revealed that attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control compositely accounted for approximately 29% of the variation in farmers’ intention towards the safe use of pesticides, whereas intention and perceived behavioral control explained 38% of the variation in farmers’ behavior towards safe pesticide use. Additionally, attitude and perceived behavioral control were found to significantly impact the intention and behavior of farmers towards safe pesticide use in the study area. Accordingly, it is recommended that stakeholders, including agricultural extension agents (AEAs), agricultural input retailers, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD), collaborate to develop training curricula aimed at improving the behavior of the farmers in the study area. The training regimes should incorporate extension training methods, for example, method and result demonstrations, which are known to improve the attitudes and behaviors of farmers.

Herbicide use in conventional cereal production in northern Greece: An appraisal through the theory of planned behavior.

Herbicides are the major method of weed control in most conventional cropping systems, but what affects farmers' intention to use herbicides has not been studied extensively. This study examined herbicide use among cereal farmers of northern Greece and tested for the first time whether the theory of planned behavior (TPB) can explain farmers' behavior in the adoption of herbicide use. Most farmers showed favorable attitudes towards herbicide use (71.2%), high levels of perceived behavioral control (PBC) of herbicide use (62.4%), and positive intention to use herbicides (67.6%). By contrast, most farmers (60.4%) were negative in following the advice of others in the adoption of herbicides. Finally, most farmers (82.8%) used herbicides in cereal production. The TPB explained 47.6% of the variation in farmers' intention to use herbicides. Logistic regression showed that intention and PBC positively affected (P < 0.01) farmers' behavior in herbicide use, explaining 45.8-76.2% of the variation in farmers' behavior. Path analysis showed that attitudes, subjective norms, and PBC had a direct impact on intention. Gender had an indirect impact on intention through PBC, while age and farming as a main profession had an indirect impact on intention through attitudes and subjective norms. Furthermore, education had an indirect impact on intention through attitudes and PBC. Farmers' intentions and behavior in the use of herbicides in cereal production could be explained by the TPB. Attitudes showed the strongest total effect on the intention to use herbicides. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Do smallholder farmers belong to the same adopter category? An assessment of smallholder farmers innovation adopter categories in Ghana

More often than not, good innovations introduced to farmers failed to be adopted or diffused among them, simply because the complexities and the variations in farmers' innovation adoption are not well explore. This study aims to analyse the innovation adopter categories that smallholder farmers belong to in Ghana and how their socioeconomic attributes influence their innovativeness. A survey was employed to gather information from smallholder farmers in Ghana. The data obtained from the survey were analysed using the SPSS version 22 and the Individual Innovativeness (II) scales. The hypotheses were tested using the Logistic regression model. The results indicated a large number (36.6%) of the smallholder farmers belong to the late majority of the innovation adopter category. Also, more than three-quarters of the farmers were classified as low innovators. Factors such as farmer education and gender were found to be insignificant to their innovativeness, while other prominent factors were significant to farmers' innovativeness. The study also made a novel revelation on Roger's innovation adopter categorisation values. The study concluded that smallholder farmers in the study area do not belong to a homogenous innovation adopter category. Also, educated farmers without income are less innovative. It was therefore recommended that stakeholders introducing new technologies to smallholder farmers should develop attractive marketing packages combined with videos and pictures to educate farmers on the new products, to speed up adoption.

Analyzsng the variation in farmers’ perceptions of climate change impacts on crop production and adaptation measures across the Ganges’ Tidal Floodplain in Bangladesh

ABSTRACT Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to climate change (CC) and consequent agricultural productivity repercussions. This study aimed at exploring the difference in farmers' perceptions of CC impacts on crop production and variation in adaptation measures across the Ganges' Tidal Floodplain (GTF) region. To unlock the local level context-specific nature of adaptation, the study area covered two distinct zones of the GTF: interior zone, surrounded by the Sundarbans mangrove forest, and exterior zone being more exposed to the Bay of Bengal. An analysis of the differences in empirical climate parameter trends and farmers' adaptations to adjust to these changes in the two sample study areas (one from each zone) was conducted. In the exterior zone (Patuakhali), delayed monsoon and increasing intensity of post-monsoon rainfall coupled with poor water drainage resulted in delayed winter vegetable production and late harvest of rainy season rice (aman), eventually leading to a loss of winter rice season (boro). Rainfall in the interior zone (Satkhira) was found erratic and unevenly distributed causing unexpected loss of harvest. Farmers in both areas reported a high impact of CC on crop production. Farmers reported optimisation of fertiliser and pesticide use and planting date adjustment as the most practiced adaptations in both areas. Other preferred adaptation options were rice-fish farming in Satkhira and growing of high-value cash crops in Patuakhali. In terms of weighted average index scoring, Satkhira farmers on average had medium adaptation scores, while most of Patuakhali farmers had medium to low adaptation scores. Living in the same agroecological zone, the difference in farmers' perceptions, climate variability, and adaptation practices call for context- and location-specific adaptation planning and policy.

Spatio-Temporal Monitoring of Atmospheric Pollutants Using Earth Observation Sentinel 5P TROPOMI Data: Impact of Stubble Burning a Case Study

The problems of atmospheric pollutants are causing significant concern across the globe and in India. The aggravated level of atmospheric pollutants in the surrounding environment poses serious threats to normal living conditions by deteriorating air quality and causing adverse health impacts. Pollutant concentration increases during harvesting seasons of Kharif/Rabi due to stubble burning and is aggravated by other points or mobile sources. The present study is intended to monitor the spatio-temporal variation of the major atmospheric pollutants using Sentinel-5P TROPOMI data through cloud computing. Land Use/Land Cover (LULC-categorization or classification of human activities and natural coverage on the landscape) was utilised to extract the agricultural area in the study site. It involves the cloud computing of MOD64A1 (MODIS Burned monthly gridded data) and Sentinel-5P TROPOMI (S5P Tropomi) data for major atmospheric pollutants, such as CH4, NO2, SOX, CO, aerosol, and HCHO. The burned area output provided information regarding the stubble burning period, which has seen post-harvesting agricultural residue burning after Kharif crop harvesting (i.e., rice from April to June) and Rabi crop harvesting (i.e., wheat from September to November). The long duration of stubble burning is due to variation in farmers’ harvesting and burning stubble/biomass remains in the field for successive crops. This period was used as criteria for considering the cloud computing of the Sentinel-5P TROPOMI data for atmospheric pollutants concentration in the study site. The results showed a significant increase in CH4, SO2, SOX, CO, and aerosol concentration during the AMJ months (stubble burning of Rabi crops) and OND months (stubble burning of Kharif crops) of each year. The results are validated with the ground control station data for PM2.5/PM10. and patterns of precipitation and temperature-gridded datasets. The trajectory frequency for air mass movement using the HYSPLIT model showed that the highest frequency and concentration were observed during OND months, followed by the AMJ months of each year (2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021). This study supports the role and robustness of Earth observation Sentinel-5P TROPOMI to monitor and evaluate air quality and pollutants distribution.

Factor endowments, vent for surplus and involutionary process in rural developing economies

ABSTRACT This article seeks to provide a new analytical framework based on factor endowments to understand growth in rural economies without structural transformation. More concretely, it explores the variation in farmers’ ability to respond to new commercial opportunities. To complement the extensive literature on the economic and institutional effects of factor endowments, this paper revisits two influential yet controversial theories: Mark Elvin’s high-level equilibrium trap for areas with high population densities in a closed arable frontier, and Hla Myint’s vent for surplus for areas with surpluses of land and labour. We argue that these become more operational if reinterpreted by Boserupian land intensification processes. By lifting the neo-classical constraints on factor relationships, this paper contributes by exploring the mechanisms by which factor endowments might preclude the transformation. Understanding the different dynamics of cultivation in relation to land and labour use, technological choices, saving capacity, and potential linkages to industrialization becomes of even greater significance as these areas may be found within the same countries at a given time.

Attitudes of Grain Farmers Towards Selecting and Producing Certified Seeds and Their Relationship to Some Variables in Halabja Governorate

The research aimed to identify the trends of grain farmers towards selecting and producing certified seeds and their relationship to some variables in Halabja Governorate, as well as identifying the variation in farmers’attitudes towards them according to the research variables. The data were collected using a questionnaire and in the way of a personal interview from a simple random sample of (312) farmers, who represent (9%) of the size of the research community. The results of the research showed that the trends of grain farmers towards selecting and producing certified seeds in Halabja Governorate are medium and tend to be low There is no discrepancy in the farmers’attitudes towards selecting and producing certified seeds according to the research variables (number of family members, agricultural holding area, agricultural experience,the degree of informal group participation, trends towards agricultural innovations) while there is a discrepancy between farmers’attitudes towards selecting and producing certified seeds according to research variables (age, educational level, exposure to information sources), the results showed that there are several problems hindering the selection and production of certified seeds, the most important of which are (poor exploitation and sustainability of call centres with farmers to produce certified seeds, the lack of clear policies to support the production of certified seeds, The weak use of biotechnologies in developing new varieties has led to the failure of the certified seed industry to develop, so the researcher recommends intensifying specialized training courses in the field of selecting and producing certified seeds and working on modifying negative and neutral trends to positive towards selecting and producing certified seeds by educating farmers and convincing them of their usefulness. And taking into account the obstacles that the study found when preparing a future indicative plan in this area.

Farmers' intention to reduce pesticide use: the role of perceived risk of loss in the model of the planned behavior theory.

Numerous studies have examined how farmers are involved and behave in the use of pesticides, but what drives farmers' intention to diminish pesticide applications is mostly unknown. This study explored farmers' intention to minimize pesticide use, through the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and an adjusted form of the TPB, with perceived risk of loss as an additional variable to the original model. On a scale from 1 to 5, intention to reduce pesticide use had the lowest score of all variables (2.36), indicating that most farmers did not show intention to reduce pesticide use. Only 15.2% of the farmers were willing to reduce pesticide use, while 8.3% were undecided. Moreover, 58.2% of the farmers had high levels of perceived risk of loss by the reduction of pesticide use, which explained 37.3% of farmers' intention. From the three variables of the TPB, attitudes had the highest score (3.34), indicating slightly favorable attitudes toward pesticide reduction, while perceived behavior control had the lowest score (2.70), indicating poor control of pesticide reduction. Also, the three basic variables of the TPB were positively correlated (P < 0.01) with farmers' intention to reduce pesticides, while a negative correlation (P < 0.01) was noted between intention to reduce pesticides and perceived risk of loss. The three basic variables of the TPB were significant predictors of intention, capturing 54.7% of the variation in farmers' intention. Adding perceived risk of loss as a construct to the TPB improved the predictive ability of the original model. Poor control of pesticide reduction (high-perceived barriers) and high perceived risk of loss drive farmers' intention to reduce the use of pesticides. Advancing alternative crop protection methods focusing on agro-ecology and integrated pest management should be included in the work of extension services.

Drivers of information sources use pattern by the farm households of Bihar

Agriculture is the main occupation of a large majority of households in Bihar. The differences in demographics and availability and accessibility of various information sources determine the information sources use pattern. Information is one of the basic inputs required prior to, during and after performing any agriculture practices. Present study was conducted in Muzaffarpur and Madhubani districts of Bihar that included a random sample of 120 farmers, 60 each from both the districts. The farmers of Muzaffarpur and Madhubani districts were having varied perceptions on information needs for most of the aspects in agriculture. The step wise multiple regression models revealed that mass media use, education, family size and household expenditure together have explained 53 per cent variation in farmers’ perception on information needs. While, mass media use, education, annual income, family size and personal localite sources use together have determined 61 per cent variation in fulfillment of information needs with respect to various aspects of agriculture. The farmers’ attributes like mass media use, education, annual income, family size and personal localite sources use together have determined 63 per cent variation in perceived effectiveness of the communication sources.

Socio-cultural aspects of farmers’ perception of the risk of climate change and variability in Central Ethiopia

ABSTRACT There is a dearth of evidence on the socio-cultural aspects of climate change risk perception in developing countries. This study investigates the variation in farmers’ perception of the risks of climate change and variability by their socio-cultural characteristics. Data were collected from 810 randomly selected households in central Ethiopia using a structured questionnaire. Polling, a maximum likelihood prediction method of multivariate analysis that jointly evaluates the combined roles of different variables, allowing for non-parametric interactions, was used to analyse the data. The results show that households with a high risk perception have high accurate knowledge about climate change, experience of climatic events, value both societal and individual responsibilities to reduce the impact of climate change, and reside in the midland agro-ecological settings. On the other hand, a low descriptive norm, low social capital, lack of access to media, low level of education, and valuing autonomy characterize households with a low risk perception. The findings entail that communication strategies focusing on evidence-based knowledge about causes and consequences of and responses to climate change, past experience of climatic events, as well as fostering self-transcendence and openness-to-change values raise risk perception to engage farmers in adaptation actions.

Chlorophyll Meter-Based Nitrogen Management in a Rice–Wheat Cropping System in Eastern India

Sustainable crop production in sub-tropical countries is severely affected by the unscientific application of fertilizers. The SPAD based N management of the rice–wheat sequence was investigated in eastern India. Topdressing of 25 kg N ha−1 was applied at SPAD 36 and 40 (S36 and S40) for rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), respectively, reduced the N requirement by an average of 26.5% (33.3% in rice and 18.8% in wheat) over the fixed-time N management (FTNM) without reducing the grain yield. The 25 kg N ha−1 increased nutrient removal in the system having high agronomic N use efficiency (21.4) and nitrogen recovery efficiency (0.60) with the lower N requirement (62.5 kg N ha−1) over the FTNM. The treatment with medium SPAD (S36 for rice and S40 for wheat) under 25 kg N ha−1 increased the agronomic N use efficiency by 58% in rice and 58.5% in wheat compared to that under FTNM and recorded the highest gross (2106.1$ ha−1 Year−1) and net (1202.5$ ha−1 Year−1) returns from the rice–wheat system. The SPAD-based N management increased the water content in N-treated plots compared to that in the control plots, and the utmost moisture custody was observed when using a moderate (25 kg ha−1) N topdressing at a moderate SPAD (S36 for rice and S40 for wheat) for a given soil suction. This study suggests that using SPAD meter in rice–wheat system can cover the productive N management and profitability and can be dependably used in precision agriculture to manage the spatial variation in farmers’ field.

Farmers’ awareness on use of ICT in farm practices

The main purpose of the study was to understand the extent of awareness of farmers on use of ICT in farm practices. At the same time, important factors were identified those could contribute to farmers‟ awareness on use of ICT. The study was conducted in the existing CIG of Ishwarganj upazila in Mymensingh district. Data were collected from 110 CIG farmers in the selected upazila during the period from 03 October to 05 November, 2018 by using a pre-tested structured interview schedule. Farmers‟ awareness was measured by checking extent of their extent of awareness of seven selected ICT services as cell phone, smart phone, personal computer, services from AICC, services from UDC, Krishi Call Centre and mobile apps. A number of characteristics of the farmers were selected as the factors for explaining farmers‟ awareness on use of ICT. Appropriate scales were developed and used in order to measure the concerned variables. Correlation test was used to ascertain the relationships between the concerned variables, while multiple regression (enter method) analysis was also used to determine the contributions of the farmers' selected characteristics to their opinion on selected ICT based facilities. Results showed that 23.7 percent farmers had “moderate awareness” on use of ICT in farm practices while 60 percent and 12.7 percent of the farmers had “low” and “very low awareness” on use of ICT based facilities in their farm practices. Farmers' characteristics such as education, knowledge about ICTs, ability to use ICTs, access to ICT facilities, attitude towards ICT had significant positive relationship with their awareness on use of ICT; while age, household size and annual income had significant negative relationship with the awareness on use of ICT. Results of multiple regression analysis revealed that the influential factors on the farmers‟ awareness on use of ICT were household size, knowledge about ICT, ability to use ICT and attitude towards ICT. The R2 value indicated that, four explanatory variables together explained 80.0 percent variation infarmers‟ awareness on use of ICT. The study also identified some constraints faced by the farmers while using ICT services in receiving agricultural information. The study revealed that an overwhelming majority of the farmers (97.3 percent) had high level problems in using ICTs while only 2.7 percent faced medium problems. Lack of training facilities on ICT, cost of using ICT services, low knowledge on availability of ICT based facilities, lack of operational knowledge of computer, low bandwidth speed of internet, limited availability of ICT services, poor level of education/ illiteracy, and so on were identified as the major constraints faced by the farmers.&#x0D; Asian Australas. J. Biosci. Biotechnol. 2019, 4 (1), 34-47