Are farmers in Ethiopia ready to embrace cost-sharing agricultural extension approach?

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (9) ◽  
pp. 1119-1136
Author(s):  
Muluken Gezahegn Wordofa
Keyword(s):  
Cost Sharing ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Agricultural Extension ◽  
Discrete Choice Experiments ◽  
Extension Service ◽  
Eastern Ethiopia ◽  
Extension Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Cost

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate perceptions of smallholder farmers toward the cost-sharing agricultural extension service provision. Design/methodology/approach The study used data from a cross-sectional survey, key informants interviews and focused group discussions conducted on 384 farm households from six Kebeles of Eastern Ethiopia. Findings The authors find that flexibility and credibility, ability of development agents to address neglected aspects in agricultural production, and reaching diversified groups of farmers as the perceived advantages of the cost-sharing approach. Furthermore, improved knowledge and attitude, enhanced research–extension–farmer linkages, and improved food security and poverty reduction are found to be the three most important impact areas associated with the approach. On the contrary, poor economic status of farmers, high cost of administration and absence of a clear guideline/legislation are found to be the most important constraints. The authors find that increasing farmers’ awareness about the cost-sharing approach and preparing a clear definition of the form, modalities and principles of the cost-sharing extension approach can be a part of the practical solutions to overcome the challenges. Research limitations/implications The current research is limited to the investigation of farmers’ perceptions toward paid extension services. The willingness to pay for extension services – using discrete choice experiments – is dealt with in another paper. Originality/value The first of its kind in the country, the paper tried to assess farmers’ readiness to try a new extension service delivery. The findings have important implications for policy makers and local level implementers of extension programs.

scholarly journals Smallholder farmers willingness to pay for privatized agricultural extension services in Tigray National Regional State, Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 29-38
Author(s):  
Kidane Tesfay Gebreegziabher ◽  
Gidey Kidu Mezgebo
Keyword(s):  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Agricultural Extension ◽  
Sampling Procedure ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Extension Service ◽  
Extension Services ◽  
Agricultural Extension Service

This study assessed farmers’ willingness to pay for privatization of agricultural extension services and examined factors that determine willingness to pay for those services. Multistage sampling procedure was used in selecting 240 households. Data were collected using household survey, focus group discussion and key informant interview tools. Data were analyzed using percentage and logit model. Results showed that 58% of the respondents were willing to pay for the privatization of agricultural extension services. Farm size, age, family size, credit access, frequency of extension contact and income were significantly influenced farmers’ willingness to pay for privatization of agricultural extension services. Privatization of agricultural extension services encourages graduates of agricultural sciences to launch consultancy firms and this engenders professional entrepreneurship. Number of visits, socioeconomic, and institutional factors must be given emphasis for privatizing the agricultural extension service in Ethiopia. Moreover, government should launch privatization parallel to the public agricultural extension services Keywords: Agricultural extension service, willingness, privatization. Ethiopia

Bridging Gender Gaps in Provision of Agricultural Extension Service Using ICT

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Sanga ◽  
V. J. Kalungwizi ◽  
C. P. Msuya
Keyword(s):  
Group Discussion ◽  
Agricultural Extension ◽  
Women Farmers ◽  
Extension Service ◽  
Advisory Panel ◽  
Extension Services ◽  
Agricultural Extension Service ◽  
Ict Tools ◽  
Radio Programs ◽  
Important Evidence

This article was designed to present the assessment of the effectiveness of radio - based, impact driven smallholder farmer extension service system provided by FVR to enhance accessibility of extension services to women and men in the project areas of Tanzania. Specifically, this paper assessed women and men farmers' access to ICT and factors influencing the utilization of ICT to deliver agricultural information and knowledge. The paper used data from impact assessment survey of the project conducted between April 2012 and June 2012. These data were complemented by focus group discussion involving members of gender advisory panel that had been established in the selected project sites. Quantitative data were analyzed to yield frequencies and percentages. Qualitative data were analyzed by content analysis. Even though ownership of mobile phones and radio was higher among women in all study areas both men and women farmers' had almost the same percentage in accessibility to agricultural extension information. The factors that affected women and men farmers to get quality agricultural information via these ICT tools were namely: poor radio signal reception, power outrage and poor timing of radio programs among others. This is important evidence that careful use of ICT can reduce gender imbalance in agricultural extension services and information delivery.

Impact of carbon permit allocation rules on incentive contracts for carbon emission reduction

Kybernetes ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 1143-1167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qinqin Li ◽  
Yujie Xiao ◽  
Yuzhuo Qiu ◽  
Xiaoling Xu ◽  
Caichun Chai
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Cost Sharing ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Revenue Sharing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Allocation Rules ◽  
Permit Allocation ◽  
Revenue Sharing Contract ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Cost

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of carbon permit allocation rules (grandfathering mechanism and benchmarking mechanism) on incentive contracts provided by the retailer to encourage the manufacturer to invest more in reducing carbon emissions. Design/methodology/approach The authors consider a two-echelon supply chain in which the retailer offers three contracts (wholesale price contract, cost-sharing contract and revenue-sharing contract) to the manufacturer. Based on the two carbon permit allocation rules, i.e. grandfathering mechanism and benchmarking mechanism, six scenarios are examined. The optimal price and carbon emission reduction decisions and members’ equilibrium profits under six scenarios are analyzed and compared. Findings The results suggest that the revenue-sharing contract can more effectively stimulate the manufacturer to reduce carbon emissions compared to the cost-sharing contract. The cost-sharing contract can help to achieve the highest environmental performance, whereas the implementation of revenue-sharing contract can attain the highest social welfare. The benchmarking mechanism is more effective for the government to prompt the manufacturer to produce low-carbon products than the grandfathering mechanism. Although a loose carbon policy can expand the total emissions, it can improve the social welfare. Practical implications These results can provide operational insights for the retailer in how to use incentive contract to encourage the manufacturer to curb carbon emissions and offer managerial insights for the government to make policy decisions on carbon permit allocation rules. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature regarding to firm’s carbon emissions reduction decisions under cap-and-trade policy and highlights the importance of carbon permit allocation methods in curbing carbon emissions.

Decentralizing the Farmer-to-Farmer extension approach to the local level

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-77
Author(s):  
Shiva Kumar Shrestha
Keyword(s):  
Local Level ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Extension Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Remote Areas ◽  
Implementation Processes ◽  
Local Agriculture ◽  
The People ◽  
Development Committee ◽  
The Government

Purpose – As the government extension services are less effective in reaching the remote areas and mid-hills of Nepal, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of community-based management in technology transfer. Design/methodology/approach – The Farmer-to-Farmer (FtF) extension approach as a better alternative to government extension services will be adopted in the research. Findings – The FtF approach is a cost effective and sustainable service delivery mechanism for extending basic and innovative technologies to rural farmers, especially in remote areas. Even marginalized, poor and disadvantaged groups, often excluded from mainstream assistance, have better access to extension services disseminated through the FtF approach. The agriculture committees established at the Village Development Committee (VDC) level are much entrusted by the people as they facilitates their participation in the planning-to-implementation processes related to local agriculture development programmes. Consequently, there is much local support for the establishment of the local committees and the FtF approach. Several challenges remain however, one being the committee members’ management capacity. Originality/value – Decentralizing the FtF extension approach to the local level, the VDCs.

Adaptation of an Agricultural Extension Service to Changing Conditions : The Case of Israel

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abraham Blum ◽  
Robert. H. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Extension ◽  
Extension Service ◽  
Knowledge Level ◽  
Critical Problem ◽  
Extension Services ◽  
Know How ◽  
Agricultural Extension Service ◽  
Informal Knowledge ◽  
Extension System ◽  
New Immigrants

The first agricultural extension services were created, when previous attempts to spread know-how were no longer appropriate. One of the major criteria to evaluate existing extension systems is to analyze, how they adapted their services to different client groups and to changed agro-technical, economical and social circumstances. The paper analyzes what major changes were needed in the Israeli extension system, and how the extension service adapted its work to these changes. The major challenges were: how to work with new immigrants and growers in different settlement types, how to up-grade advisers’ formal and informal knowledge level. The most critical problem came with serious cuts and governmental demand to privatize the agricultural extension service.

scholarly journals Determinants of the Adoption of Sustainable Intensification in Southern African Farming Systems: A Meta-Analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Guo ◽  
Oreoluwa Ola ◽  
Emmanuel Benjamin
Keyword(s):  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Household Size ◽  
Sustainable Intensification ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Extension Service ◽  
Extension Services ◽  
Access To Credit ◽  
The Impact

Climate change and environmental degradation are major threats to sustainable agricultural development in Southern Africa. Thus, the concept of sustainable intensification (SI) i.e. getting more output from less input using certain practices such as agroforestry, organic fertilizer, sustainable water management etc. has become an important topic among researchers and policy makers in the region in the last three decades. A comprehensive review of literatures on the adoption of SI in the region identify nine relevant drivers of adoption of SI among (smallholder) farmers. These drivers include (i) age, (ii) size of arable land, (iii) education, (iv) extension services, (v) gender, (vi) household size, (vii) income, (viii) membership in farming organization and (ix) access to credit. We present the results of a meta-analysis of 21 papers on the impact of these determinants on SI adoption among (smallholder) farmers in Southern African Development Community (SADC) using random-effects estimation techniques for the true effect size. While our result suggests that variables such as extension services, education, age, and household size may influence the adoption of SI in SADC, factors such as access to credit is also of great importance. Decision-makers should therefore concentrate efforts on these factors in promoting SI across the SADC. This includes increasing the efficiency of public extension service as well as involvement of private sector in extension service. Furthermore, both public and private agriculture financing models should consider sustainability indicators in their assessment process.

Developing a performance measurement model for agricultural extension agents

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Abdel-Maksoud ◽  
Bahgat Abdel-Maksoud
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Management Accounting ◽  
Agricultural Extension ◽  
Extension Agents ◽  
Causal Relationships ◽  
Extension Services ◽  
Causal Relations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to propose a performance measurement (PM) model for agricultural extension agents. Based on an interdisciplinary approach, management accounting-agricultural extension, the study has three main research objectives: highlight the main concepts to be embedded in a PM model for agricultural extension agents in an agricultural extension organization (RO1); identify main PM components of the proposed PM model for agricultural extension agents (RO2); and investigate empirically the causal relationships in the proposed PM model (RO3). Design/methodology/approach – An interdisciplinary literature review and a proposed PM model for agricultural extension agents are presented (RO1 and RO2). An empirical survey is incorporated, carried out in early 2011 (RO3), to examine three groups, totaling around 274 respondents. Data were collected through personal interviews using structured questionnaire forms. Path analysis technique was applied. Findings – The authors propose a PM model consisting of five components. The five components are: agricultural extension agents’ characteristics, agents’ work attitudes, services provided, use of agricultural extension services and farmers’ satisfaction with agricultural extension services. The overall findings of the empirical surveys were found to validate the suggested causal relations among the components of the model. Findings indicate that 85 per cent of changes in farmers’ satisfaction with services are explained by changes in the preceding variables in the model. Research limitations/implications – It is, however, important to view this study with a few limitations in mind; for instance, using a survey method (e.g. sampling and the use of questionnaires in data collection); and the constraints associated with the model. That is to say that the components of the model could be further increased to incorporate other aspects of stakeholders, e.g. the economic impact of governmental financial policies on tax and the customs duties on agricultural products. Practical implications – A Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations agricultural extension reference manual recommends certain purposes for a PM in agricultural extension organizations; interestingly, all these are already embedded in the proposed PM model, which makes it unequivocally a useful PM model for agriculture extension agents in agricultural extension organizations worldwide. Furthermore, the proposed model contributes significantly to agricultural extension practitioners and academics alike. It focuses the attention of agricultural extension organizations on the causal relationships among the model’s components. These components are linked to the agricultural extension organization strategies. Social implications – In addition to the practical implications above, the proposed PM model demonstrates the need for placing equal importance on all five components included and setting performance indicator (PI) targets. Originality/value – The importance of this study emerges from the fact that it is helpful to examine the development and implementation of PM models across various disciplines to enhance understanding. The PM model overcomes the shortcomings in previous PM models of agricultural extension agents’ criteria/models in the agricultural extension literature. It is not merely a theoretically proposed model because the proposed causal relations amongst its variables are empirically investigated. Following management accounting and strategy theories, the authors propose that the relative importance of the attributes of PI in the proposed model differs according to each agricultural extension organization’s strategy, size and organizational structure.

Climate change perception and choice of adaptation strategies

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wondimagegn Tesfaye ◽  
Lemma Seifu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Food Prices ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Eastern Ethiopia ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation Strategies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze smallholder farmers’ perceptions of climate change and its adverse effects, identify major adaptation strategies used by farmers and analyze the factors that influence the choice of adaptation strategy by smallholder farmers in eastern Ethiopia. Design/methodology/approach – The study was based on a cross-sectional survey of 296 sample households selected from three districts in east Ethiopia. Data were collected with the aid of a semi-structured questionnaire and review of literature, documents and databases. Findings – The study provides empirical evidence that majority of farmers in the study area are aware of climate change patterns and their adverse effect on income, food security, diversity, forest resources, food prices and crop and livestock diseases. In response to these adverse effects, major adaptation strategies used by farmers include cultivating different crops, planting different crop varieties, changing planting dates, use of soil and water conservation techniques, conservation agriculture practices and engaging in non-farm income activities. Choice of adaptation strategies are influenced by gender of household head, household size, farm size, distance from market and number of farm plots. Practical implications – The study suggests that developing more effective climate change adaptation strategies need support from the government. Such an effort needs provision of the necessary resources such as credit, information and extension services on climate change adaptation strategies and technologies, and investing in climate smart and resilient projects. Originality/value – The study adopts multivariate probit model that models farmers’ simultaneous adaptation choice behavior which has been rarely addressed by previous researches.

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