Understanding farmers' perceptions on advisory services in Tanzania: Comparative insights from principal component analysis and Q-methodology

Agricultural advisory services help farmers to access farming skills, technologies and agricultural markets. The services are offered by different actors, who all together form the pluralistic advisory service providers. In recent years, pluralistic advisory service providers have emerged in various developing countries including Tanzania. Pluralistic providers have different institutional arrangements and varying levels of effectiveness, which lead farmers to have diverse perceptions towards them. However, the perceptions of farmers on pluralistic advisory services have not been fully documented, making it difficult to gauge the level of acceptance of the diverse services offered. This paper employs principal component analysis (PCA) and Q-methodology to elicit farmers' perceptions on the pluralistic services using samples of 627 and 23 farmers, respectively. Results from both methods showed that pluralistic providers offered diverse services ranging from production to market information. Further, the two approaches provided concurring findings that advisory services offered did not meet farmers' advisory demands. Furthermore, each method served to fill the shortcomings of the other. Therefore, we recommend a complementary application of both approaches rather than treating them as mutually exclusive in the analysis of perceptions.

Effect of digital multimedia on the adoption of agricultural green production technology among farmers in Liaoning Province, China

Agricultural green production technology (AGPT) is essential for the sustainable development of agriculture, yet adoption rates among farmers are often low due to limited access to education and information. Based on the extended technology acceptance model, this study takes Liaoning, a major agricultural province in China, as a representative region to explore how digital multimedia influences the adoption of AGPT by farmers. The findings show that the perceived ease of use of these technologies significantly enhances farmers' intentions to adopt, while perceived risks detract from these intentions. Although digital multimedia effectively promotes AGPT by improving its perceived ease of use and usefulness, its role in mitigating perceived risks is minimal. Based on these results, we recommend that the government improve the quality of information on digital platforms by involving experts in the field and offer specific digital marketing training to potential users to increase the adoption of sustainable agricultural technologies.

Can Cooperative Supports and Adoption of Improved Technologies Help Increase Agricultural Income? Evidence from a Recent Study

Global climate change may result in major environmental issues that have already affected and will continue to affect agricultural sector in the future. A continuing effort to utilize and adopt new agricultural technologies is necessary to mitigate climate change and increase agricultural income. Agricultural cooperatives are gradually being used in emerging countries to encourage improved technology and reduce food insecurity and poverty. This research analyses the influence of cooperative supports (CS) and technology adoption (TA) on agricultural income in Pakistan. It applied the propensity score matching (PSM) technique to evaluate the productivity on survey data from 498 wheat growers to conduct counterfactual analysis for farmers in Pakistan. In addition, a dual selection model (DSM) was applied to resolve the bias in sample selection caused by observed and unobserved aspects of survey data. The results showed that, contrasted with non-membership and non-adopters, growers who joined CS and TA could boost agricultural income by 2.78% and 2.35%, respectively. Stimulatingly, the influence of less-revenue farmers on agricultural income was more substantial than that of high-income farmers. Agricultural income of growers who attached cooperatives and adopted improved agricultural technology enhanced by 5.45% and 4.51%, respectively. These results, among others, emphasize the optimistic role of growing CS and TA in boosting wheat farmer’s income. The findings of the study showed strong relationships among education, age, skill, training, gender with CS and TA, and agricultural income. Overall, this study can be helpful in conducting similar studies in other emerging/developing countries for wheat or any other crop growers.

Factors influencing farmers' satisfaction with the quality of agricultural extension services

Assessing farmers' satisfaction with the quality of agricultural-extension services is essential for developing extension programs that comply with farmers' needs and agroecological conditions. This study aimed to determine factors influencing farmers' satisfaction with extension services. Data were collected through a questionnaire from a random sample of 393 farmers in the Kafr El Sheikh governorate. Farmers assessed the quality of extension services by five main indicators: (1) availability, (2) accessibility, (3) diversity, (4) relevance, and (5) effectiveness. Descriptive statistics and a logistic-regression model were used to analyze the data. Results showed that farmers had lowly participated in the provided extension services. The accessibility of services was ranked first with regard to satisfaction, while diversity of services was the lowest-ranked quality attribute. Results also revealed that factors significantly influencing farmers' satisfaction included farm size, diversity of farming activities, annual income, and participation in extension services. Results provide practical implications for policy makers to support smallholder farmers by providing high-quality extension programs.

Mobile-based advisory services for sustainable agriculture: Assessing farmers’ information behavior

Mobile-based advisory services have significant benefits, including access to agricultural information, knowledge sharing, meteorological information, marketing-related information, and financial services for smallholder farmers. This study aimed to assess farmers’ information behavior regarding mobile-based advisory services and how farmers with different characteristics and attitudes access and adopt information. Data were collected from 382 farmers in Dakhalia governorate, Egypt. The most frequently received information was related to best agricultural practices, weather forecasts, seed varieties and treatment, and water management. Cluster analysis revealed that 47% of the farmers had low information behavior. Seventy-one of the respondents had a favorable attitude toward information retrieval from mobile agricultural services. The information behavior groups of the farmers significantly differed in education, farm size, diversity of agricultural production, and attitude regarding trust and quality of the information provided. Information behavior among farmers has useful implications for policymakers in supporting the long-term benefits of mobile-based advisory services.