ABSTRACT
On the verge of the expiry of land contracts, it is theoretically and practically important to explore the willingness and motivations of farmers to stabilize the land contract relationship, with regards to protecting their land contract rights, addressing potential contradictions during the land contract extension, and maintaining the stability of contracted land. Using China Land Economic Survey Data in 2020, this paper explores the impact of differences in areas per capita of household contracted land on farmers' willingness to stabilize land contract relationship. The findings show that most farmers support the stability of land contract relationship;the smaller areas per capita of contracted land are occupied by households than the average in the village, the weaker of the farmers' willingness to stabilize the land contract relationship. The difference between the areas per capita of contracted land ownership of a household and the average in the village has a greater impact on the willingness to stabilize land contract relationship for middle-and low-income farmers, while the development of land transfer market does not increased the willingness. Affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the land plays a more important role of employment security, which reduces farmers' willingness to stabilize the land contract relationship. Furthermore, the promotion of socialized agricultural service has also mitigated the willingness of farmers o stabilize the land contract relationship.
ABSTRACT
This special issue presents six papers resulting from a two-conference series about closing the digital divide, especially for rural areas. The issue explores how to apply the best information and processes to guide effective investments of limited resources to expand broadband access in the USA. The papers specifically deal with: the need for better data to inform broadband policy decisions and targeted funding;the contribution of integrating research and extension in improving community participation in broadband projects;policy approaches for rural broadband provision;the influence of COVID-19 on telecommuting;and federal funding challenges for rural broadband.
ABSTRACT
PurposeTo explore the perceived credibility, relevance, legitimacy and accessibility of videos and podcasts in farm extension.MethodsA two-phase mixed methods approach consisting of a pre-COVID online survey of farmers (n = 221), farmer telephone interviews (n = 60) and in-person focus groups of farmers (n = 4) followed by an analysis of how viewers interact with Agricology videos and podcasts, a further online survey (n = 141) and online farmer focus groups (n = 4) during the COVID-19 pandemic.FindingsIf they are to be perceived as effective extension methods, videos should be short, concise, practical, advert-free and visualise how to implement a practice. Podcasts can be longer, more detailed, and allow multitasking. Both should use farmer-friendly language, be easily accessible, high quality, non-biased, and be created by someone whom farmers respect.Practical implicationsHelps policy-makers and extensionists understand the potential of videos and podcasts and the trade-offs in using them with other forms of extension. The findings are also of use to global advisory services seeking to offer hybridised advice as a result of the ongoing COVID pandemic.Theoretical implicationsElucidates the trade-offs of using videos and podcasts when face-to-face extension is not possible and develops the CRELE framework.OriginalityDiscusses the role of podcasts in farm extension and re-evaluates the role of videos when face-to-face extension is impossible.
ABSTRACT
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, commercial relations have undergone many changes. The advancement of digital technologies that allow instantaneous and real-time communication regardless of geographical distance have changed several daily activities, among them, the way of buying and selling. In the case of agriculture, the direct sale of agricultural products to final consumers, through social networks, emerges as a new form of rural business. However, the encounter between interested parties occurs, most of the time, informally, and it is up to producers and consumers to "meet" in order to sell and buy. In this context, the Fair in the Palm of Your Hand project aims to act as an agent between these two ends so that the encounter is facilitated. To this end, a methodology for Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (ATER) was developed with the aim of creating a digital platform (application and website) that would allow these transactions to be carried out more quickly and credibly. The research area includes locations in the state of Espirito Santo (Brazil) that already have producers and consumers capable of meeting this new market dynamic.
ABSTRACT
This paper assessed the Joint Delivery Voucher Program for senior high school technical vocational livelihood between 2017and 2021 in selected public high schools in Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. The study employed survey research method. The sources of information were from primary and secondary data. Further, the project employed the cost sharing approach and educational institution approach. Result showed that face-to-face learning with result demonstration was the "always" preferred extension teaching methods before the COVID 19 pandemic. -learning, modules, IEC, instructional materials, mobile application and interactive computer assisted module were used during the COVID 19 pandemic implementation. The program implementation encountered "slightly serious problems." The students had acquired "adequate competency" in the program that enabled them to pass the national assessment and evaluated the JDVP implementation as "excellent.
ABSTRACT
Coronavirus has a significant impact on both the poultry industry and individual households. The pandemic's rapid spread has a significant impact on the country, leading to a total lockdown. As a result, the study focused on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on egg production and income of marketers among poultry farmers in Ido Local Government, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. A total of 120 questionnaires were distributed. The respondents were chosen using a multi-stage randomization technique. The descriptive, budgetary technique was used to analyze the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on egg marketing, and the challenges faced by poultry farmers in egg marketing, while the budgetary technique was used to analyze the cost and return of egg marketing in the study area. Females had the highest percentage of respondents with the highest socioeconomic characteristics, according to the findings (80.8%). The majority of respondents (96.8%) were between the ages of 31 and 60, and the vast majority was married (94.2%). It was also revealed that the majority of poultry farmers (92.5%) had formal education and that the majority of them (67.5%) practiced Christianity. According to the budgetary analysis, the average variable cost incurred by the farmers polled was 33764.85. It also revealed that the total fixed cost was 388392.98 and the total production cost was 422157.83. The profitability index was 0.38, indicating that poultry egg farmers in the study area earned N0.38 for each naira invested in production. The presence of COVID 19 was statistically significant in determining the level of income of poultry farmers. High input costs, product marketing, a lack of storage facilities, disease outbreaks, insufficient feed formulation ingredients, a lack of extension services, and movement restrictions were some of the challenges faced by poultry farmers and egg marketers in Ido Local Government. To keep poultry production afloat during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, the government should provide expanded income support to affected farms, as well as tax deferment or waiver, and lower interest rates.
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This chapter provides an overview of how digital technologies are transforming the financial services landscape. We highlight the latest in digital financial product and service offerings related to payments and transfers, savings and investments, borrowing, and risk management. We then consider how digitalization is impacting the delivery of financial advice - including virtual advisors, robo- and hybrid advisors, and personal finance communities. While many of these digital innovations were underway prior to Covid-19, the pandemic accelerated the transition raising concerns that some individuals and families may be at risk of being excluded from financial services due to growing socioeconomic and digital divides. We look at barriers to access and usage and emphasize the need for digital financial literacy. Legal and regulatory challenges are also examined. Particular attention is given to recent efforts by regulatory and supervisory authorities to balance innovation and competition with consumer protection. The insights from this chapter provide a useful starting place for scholars and practitioners who are interested in exploring in greater detail how digital technologies are impacting the financial services industry. © 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 pandemic has brought setbacks to all human endeavours globally, in the sectors of health, education, tourism, and agriculture. African agriculture is greatly affected by the pandemic and lockdown, in particular the peasant farmers. In this regard, the agricultural extension service which has been responsible for the dissemination of innovation to the farmers becomes an indispensable platform to sensitize farmers on COVID-19 and preventive measures. Hence, this paper aimed to investigate the agricultural extension systems' response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Egypt and Nigeria. A questionnaire was administered to 200 extension agents randomly selected from the government institutions in Egypt and Nigeria. The results showed that the degree of agricultural extension staff commitment to the precautionary measures for the COVID-19 epidemic in Nigeria (x = 6.32) was higher than that in Egypt (x= 2.59). Nigerian agricultural extension agents recorded a higher contribution (x=8.82) at reducing the spread of COVID-19 than Egyptian counterparts (x = 5.52). Although the demand for agricultural extension service in Nigeria is twice that of Egypt, extension service delivery during COVID-19 in the two countries was affected by frequent changes in the operating plans, poor funding, and inconsistent internal work system. The study recommends, establishing an electronic extension platform and coordinating agricultural extension services (AES) actors including private and public sectors, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), producer organizations (POs) and the ministry of health (MOH) to face this crisis, especially in Egypt.
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This study presents a designed ICT based extension service delivery system for the sugar industry of Eswatini. The model is an improvement of the current system and it presents a delivery system that is void of many limitations. This model emanates from findings of a survey which involved all smallholder sugarcane farmers (N=172) and their extension officers (N=17). The survey investigated how information and knowledge are currently managed within the sugar industry. Basically, the model revolves around the use of mobile phones to relay information among the sugar industry stakeholders in a timely, more organised, productive and cost-effective ways, without contravention of the COVID-19 pandemic protocols. Sugarcane stakeholders can now be able to exchange information using the model without having to meet physically, which is what most of the traditional approaches required. The exchange of information can be in a form of voiced, pre-recorded information in the form of texts, audio, or audio visuals. This would go a long way in enhancing smallholder farmer's productivity as it has the potential of empowering more rural sugarcane farmers with crucial information for improved productivity. The model has the potential to sustain itself as the participation of the stakeholders is promoted.
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The paper focused on a review of COVID-19 pandemic, its implication on the Nigeria agriculture and the role of extension. The purpose was to review the impact of the pandemic on the Nigeria agriculture and narrate the implication for agricultural extension service. Being a review, data was drawn from verified websites, research papers, journals, statistical bulletins and other online materials. The review uncovered a subtle but undeniable negative impact on all the value chain of the Nigeria agriculture. Also, with enough evidence, there is likelihood of possible food catastrophe if concerted action is not taken to save the sector. One of the most important factors that may avert this negative impact is agricultural extension service. But in this time of global lockdown, travel ban and social distancing, the way out becomes technology. Thus, from the review, it was concluded that government and institutions at all levels should intentionally deploy technology tools to aid effective agricultural extension service transmission to farmers.
ABSTRACT
The paper focused on COVID-19 pandemic, its implication on the Nigeria agriculture and the role of extension. The review uncovered a subtle but undeniable negative impact on all the value chain of the Nigeria agriculture. One of the most important factors that may avert this negative impact is agricultural extension service. With lockdown, travel ban and social distancing, the way out becomes technology. Government and institutions at all levels should intentionally deploy technology tools to aid effective agricultural extension service to farmers.
ABSTRACT
Various extension programs across the country offer educational and practical opportunities for new and beginning farmers. In recent years, Louisiana has experienced a boom in horticultural farm businesses managed by new and beginning farmers. Though access to land and credit are often cited as two primary challenges that new and beginning farmers face, access to market channels and business management skills are also key to building sustainable farm businesses. Moreover, strong social networks where new and beginning farmers can freely exchange ideas, network, share resources, and provide trainings are essential to the development of new and beginning farmers. This research focuses primarily on horticulture farmers' perceptions of business management skills and risk management. We used data collected as a part of the evaluation program for the Grow Louisiana Beginning Farmer Training Program (Grow Louisiana), an extension program offered by the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center. Grow Louisiana is a partnership of academic, cooperative extension, and nonprofit organizations to train fruit and vegetable farmers with less than 10 years of experience on small to mid-size farms in Louisiana. Focused on the southeastern region of Louisiana, the program emphasizes sustainable agricultural practices and local food systems. The year-long program offers participants training in whole-farm planning and risk management based on the following principles: (i) sustainable agriculture and business practices, (ii) resource optimization, (iii) objective decision making, and (iv) efficient work practices. The program trained 16 farmers per year and apart from educational training, promotes networking and mentoring among farmers across the state. This study used a mixed methods approach to analyze program evaluation data from the 3-year program (2018-2021). The first year the program was offered in person, the second year moved to a hybrid model when measures were taken to address participant safety due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the third year was completed mostly online. Data were collected pre- and postprogram through needs assessments, interviews, and focus groups with participants. Findings add to existing literature and highlight the importance of business and marketing planning in the development and training of new and beginning farmers. Moreover, the study provides useful information for extension practices considering the variety of methods of delivery by year (i.e., in person, hybrid, online).
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Monroe County contains an archipelago of islands, which extend more than 110 miles offshore from the mainland of Florida. There is only one main coastal highway, the Overseas Highway (U.S. Route 1) that connects all of the islands from Key Largo to Key West. Traveling from the southernmost part of the county, where the main extension office is located, to the northern limits can take up to three hours. Due to these geographical restrictions, shifting programming efforts and plant clinics online in response to COVID-19 has presented new opportunities and opened extension's educational opportunities to a new and diverse audience. Through clientele feedback, we have been able to adapt our services and continue to see increases in participation for online events.
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This special issue contains 7 articles which discuss: COVID-19 as an entrepreneurship, innovation, digitization and digitalization accelerator by analysing Spanish Internet domains;obstacles to innovation according to the perception of firms in the Chilean food sector;dimensions of the brand equity of organic agri-food products;the growth of cyber entrepreneurship in the food industry through virtual community engagement in the COVID-19 era;gap between consumer purchasing intention and behaviour through ecolabelling;how organic candies are marketed as healthy and ethical choices on commercial websites through the use of visual, rhetorical and promotional strategies;and determinants of the attitude of agricultural extension workers (AEW) toward organic agribusiness in Ilam province, Iran.
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This report describes the daily routine of the Sater..-Maw.. Indigenous Women's Association (AMISM) in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. The predominant activity of the Association is producing indigenous handicrafts, but with the pandemic, its members had to find strategies for maintenance and survival, faced with the humanitarian health crisis and the consequent economic impacts on the group's activities. This is a case study with an ethnographic approach that also dialogues with university extension guidelines (2018). The experience was attended by members of the association and a student from the Production Engineering course at the Universidade do Estado de Amazonas (UEA), who was a resident of the community and a participant in the extension project. Interviews were used to gather data, through communication technologies such as WhatsApp. Secondary data were collected through the City of Manaus newspaper. Through this experience, it was observed that the AMISM has reinvented itself in relation to its planning and productive organization, producing face coverings and protective products from the forest, turning to the sustainable axis in the preparation of alcohol-based hand sanitizers mixed with aromatic herbs, with the knowledge and aromas of the forest, based on knowledge passed down from the ancestors. To this end, the Association appropriated the social networks Facebook and Instagram, to promote and sell its products to tourists and residents. In the field of egalitarian work, the UEA contributed by giving social returns to the community, through its extension activities, and by reaffirming the role of the student in training, in an integral and responsible way, faced with the emerging problems of the 21st century.
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This study looks at the farm-level impacts of COVID-19 on six case study model operations created by local Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Risk Management Specialists. Texas High Plains producers faced many new uncertainties with the arrival of COVID19. Significant supply chain disruptions, reductions in consumer demand and decreases in travel negatively affected agricultural operations. In addition, efforts taken to stem contagion lessened the amount of food consumed away from home, and restrictions on movement sharply reduced gasoline usage, and with it demand for grain ethanol. Elevated cases among livestock processing facilities disrupted normal business practices and increased costs. In fact, early in the pandemic the Texas High Plains region was considered a COVID-19 "hot spot" as many area processing plants faced reduced workforces and slower production times due to high numbers of positive cases.
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Drought is an almost annual phenomenon in Sri Lanka, occurring at varying degrees of severity and affecting many parts of the country. These droughts cause significant damage to agriculture and other economic and social activities. This paper assesses the effectiveness of satellite-based weather Index insurance (WII) bundled with real-time climate and agronomic advisory services provided to farmers’ mobile phones. The aim is to enhance the drought resilience of diverse groups of farmers by providing solutions and strategies to extend bundled insurance products to more people and address equity issues. In this pilot, an insurance product was introduced to farmers in a village in the North Central Dry Zone of Sri Lanka. WII products are seen as a part of the solution to reducing farmers’ risk to climate change. However, in many places, the structure of insurance schemes in the agriculture sector has failed to reach small-scale and marginal farmers who are most in need of risk transfer mechanisms. Based on a farmer survey, we extracted lessons from implementing a bundled insurance scheme as a pilot project to explore the utility of farmer organizations as an entry point for engaging different farmer groups and ensuring they can understand the WII insurance products and can make informed choices. The survey results show that efforts made at the outset to understand contextual issues and challenges contributed to an effective product design and rollout approach. The rollout was more effective due in part to a partnership with an established local organization while adopting an aggregator model. Covid-19 mobility restrictions prevented full implementation of the rollout. Index insurance bundled with mobile weather and agronomic advisories increased farmer resilience and reached diverse groups. Farmers emphasized that being able to assess the costs and benefits based on understanding how key elements of the product work is key to their future engagement with such products, which highlights the importance of investing in awareness raising through a blend of print, verbal and visual tools that make complex products understandable to stakeholders with low levels of literacy. © 2021, by IWMI. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
This study examined the challenges to the achievement of food security goals and the role of Extension Advisory Services (EAS) at a time when the world is faced with the double burden of an immediate pandemic in the midst of ongoing climate change events. EAS have always played vital roles in past emergencies around the world and are being challenged to respond timely and appropriately in these times. The purpose of this paper was to (i) describe the impacts of disruptive changes on food systems across the world, (ii) present key agricultural education and extension responses to such changes and (iii) make recommendations to strengthen EAS responses. There was a focus on Covid-19 and climate change as disruptive changes. An internet-mediated approach to source information and a review of published literature were used to gather information. Results detailed the several impacts of Covid-19 and climate change in seven regions of the world, the impacts of both disruptive events on the four pillars of food security, and some global responses in the areas of agricultural education and extension to meet present challenges. Recommendations included the strengthening and deepening of collaboration of all extension service providers at country level to ensure coordinated responses, building stronger community resilience and extension research directed to assist the reengineering of extension organizations in terms of structure, leadership and management.
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This special issue, the authors wanted to focus on something that is impacting the world - the COVID-19 pandemic. This focus has been broadened just slightly to include other aspects of disruptive change - pandemics, climate issues and other global crises. Exclusive to this special issue are seven articles that address disruptive change in unique ways, in order to call into question how to currently address change, and to push the boundaries of tackling challenging issues in the future. More specifically: this issue begins with a Research Note that discusses the COVID-19 crisis, and its impact upon extension organizations. The manuscript then utilizes organizational change theory as a lens to examine how extension organizations innovated during this crisis. The Research Feature articles focus on a variety of challenges associated with disruptive change. It begins with two articles focusing on the topic of food security, and then move on to a distinctive article focusing on Extension's role within Indigenous communities in the United States. Rural community resiliency came back as a theme in the next article and finally, it ends with a research article that focuses on a different disaster -Hurricane Michael.
ABSTRACT
The complete shutdown of economic activity during March, April and May 2020 was aimed to prevent the further spread of the COVID-19 virus and prevent a collapse of the health system in the Republic of Croatia. The virus pandemic, as well as the economic consequences of the crisis caused by the pandemic, posed a new challenge for all commercial entities, especially the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector, which, during the last financial crisis in 2008, was also in a much more unfavourable position compared to large enterprises. Entrepreneurship Development Strategy of the Republic of Croatia 2013-2020 defines the role of entrepreneurship support institutions, which includes the provision of advisory assistance. Since 2010, when there were 88, the number of business support institutions has grown to 473 institutions, as of November 20, 2020. Such a network of institutions, whose work is co-financed by budget funds, makes their services available to all economic entities. On the other side of the market of advisory and consulting services, there are private initiatives (business entities engaged in this activity), whose services and work are not co-financed from the state budget. The aim of this paper is to examine how and to what extent entrepreneurship support institutions truly support the SME sector, especially in times of crisis, and how much they monitor their needs. The paper compares the offer of both types of institutions and analyses the extent to which the offer was in line with the needs of the SME sector during crisis caused by pandemic. Data were collected through primary research (interviews with representatives of 4 business support institutions and 4 representatives of private consulting companies) and secondary research (an overview of the services offered on official websites of all business support institutions). Research results indicate a lack of timely support of business support institutions in the form of innovative products and services that would be tailored for entrepreneurs affected by the crisis. At the same time, private consulting firms demonstrated speed and flexibility and promptly approached clients from the SME sector and offered them appropriate service and support. Concluding remarks of the paper indicate a reduction in the capacity of business support institutions for entrepreneurial activity (proactive and innovative) whose causes should be sought in the sources of funding, and almost complete orientation towards EU projects which, with their longer period of preparation and implementation, reduce the sensitivity of entrepreneurship support institutions to problems of those to whom, according to their mission, they should primarily be focused.