Does Internet use promote the adoption of agricultural technology? Evidence from 1 449 farm households in 14 Chinese provinces

China is characterized as ‘a large country with many smallholder farmers’ whose participation in modern agriculture is key to the country's modern agriculture development. Promoting smallholder farmers’ adoption of modern agricultural production technology is one effective way to improve the capabilities of smallholder farmers. This paper aims to explore the impact of Internet use on the adoption of agricultural production technology by smallholder farmers based on a survey of 1 449 smallholders across 14 provinces in China. The results suggest that Internet use can significantly promote technology adoption, with the probability of adopting new crop varieties, water-saving irrigation technology and straw-returning technology increasing by 0.200, 0.157 and 0.155, respectively. Furthermore, the effect of Internet use is found to be heterogeneous with a greater effect on smallholder farmers having low education levels, limited training, and high incomes. To increase agricultural production technology adoption by smallholders, rural Internet infrastructure and Internet use promotion should be the focus for the Chinese government.     

多项绿色生产技术的采纳决策：影响因素及相关性分析

为探索农户面临多项绿色生产技术时如何做出采纳决策,本研究采用多元Probit模型在控制误差项相关的基础上,分析农户采纳不同属性绿色生产技术(保护性耕作技术、绿色防控技术、农膜回收处理技术)的可观测影响因素,并研究多项技术采纳决策之间的相关性。进一步地,通过技术采纳的条件概率与平均处理效应(ATT)来估计相关性对每一项技术采纳的影响。结果表明:1)不同资源禀赋的农户对采纳属性各异的技术有一定的选择偏向,但又不必然采纳对应属性的技术。2)不同阶段的绿色生产技术采纳相互依赖,存在着较强的正相关性。通过对比其影响效应发现,农户采纳绿色生产技术的项目数量对采纳概率的提升具有"叠加效应",不同绿色生产技术间相关性的影响具有异质性。因此,本研究提出应结合农户的资源禀赋和技术属性,采用差异化的技术推广策略,并根据技术间相关性影响的大小,合理安排技术组合与推广的先后顺序,以最大化绿色生产技术推广的效果。     

我国生物农药的推广应用现状及发展策略

我国生物农药的应用具有良好的基础,在20世纪80年代至90年代曾得到迅速发展.21世纪以来,我国生物农药的应用发展缓慢甚至停滞不前.在我国农作物病虫害防治中,生物防治占防治总面积的8%左右,其中88%为生物农药,12%为人工释放天敌昆虫和昆虫信息素诱杀,而生物农药品种中,杀虫剂占1/3,杀菌剂占2/3.制约我国生物农药推广应用的主要因素,除生物农药自身覆盖的靶标对象少、防效受环境因子影响大等因素外,缺乏激励政策、药效评价标准单一、重基础研究轻应用开发也影响了我国生物农药的发展.近年来,"公共植保,绿色植保"理念的提出和实践,为生物农药的发展提供了平台和手段,通过政府制定鼓励政策、对农民应用生物农药给予补贴、设立生物农药及生物防治技术示范推广项目等途径,可以在政策和技术层面上切实促进生物农药的推广和应用;同时,需要加大农民技术培训力度,不仅为农民提供优质高效的生物农药品种,还要使农民掌握生物农药的应用技术.     

Adoption of intercropping in rubber smallholdings in Kerala, India: a tobit analysis

Natural rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) is one of the major plantation crops of the state of Kerala in India and intercropping is practised during the initial gestation period of the crop. In this paper a to bit model was used to study the decision making behaviour of farmers in adoption and extent of adoption of intercropping in three regions of Kerala. The availability of family labour and the type of intercrops were found significant in explaining the adoption behaviour in all three regions. The perception of profitability of intercropping was also found to influence decision on adoption. The probability of adoption of intercropping was highest for three intercrops, banana (Musa spp.), cassava (Manihot esculenta) and pineapple (Ananas comosus). Targeting extension efforts to groups of farmers with available family labour and popularising selected intercrops may result in higher rates of adoption of intercropping in all three regions of the state.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Role of farmers' attitudes in adoption of irrigation in Saskatchewan

Adoption of a new technology, such as irrigation, is a complex phenomenon. Several factors of economic and social nature contribute to the farm-level decisions affecting adoption. In this study, the role played by attitudes of potential adopters towards irrigation and its subsequent adoption on their farm unit was estimated. Two models were estimated, one incorporating only adopters' socio-economic characteristics, and the other, only their attitudes towards irrigation. Results suggest that adopters' attitude, particularly with respect to economic and environmental effects of irrigation, were significant determinants of their decision to proceed with adoption of irrigation, and have a role to play in adoption of irrigation over and above that explained by socio-economic characteristics. In particular, these results suggest that negative perceptions with respect to economics of irrigation and those related to its detrimental impacts on environmental quality, particularly through soil salinity, may be significant deterrents for adoption of irrigation. The study suggests that planning of large scale water development projects, particularly those involving irrigation, must be cognizant of attitudes of potential adopters. Furthermore, during the planning stages, more attention should be paid to the development of proper educational programs, as well as extension packages, to ensure that potential adopters formulate correct attitudes towards the new technology.     

THREE‐STAGE ANALYSIS OF THE ADOPTION OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION IN THE HIGHLANDS OF RWANDA

This paper investigates the adoption of bench terraces by applying a three‐stage analysis using data from 301 households in the highlands of Rwanda. Ongoing adoption of bench terraces is ‘unpacked’ to consider both adopters willing to retain and increase the intensity of using terraces already constructed and new adopters willing to develop new bench terraces. Results suggest that farmers' inability to maintain existing terraces may explain the reluctance to adopt new terraces. The same inability explains why some of the terraces constructed earlier are not well maintained and fully used by farmers in northern and southern Rwanda. Policy actions aimed at improving farmer's capacity to invest in complementary inputs will sustain future generations of soil and water conservation measures in Rwanda. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Do cooperatives participation and technology adoption improve farmers’ welfare in China? A joint analysis accounting for selection bias

This study examines the impact of farmers' cooperatives participation and technology adoption on their economic welfare in China. A double selectivity model(DSM) is applied to correct for sample selection bias stemming from both observed and unobserved factors, and a propensity score matching(PSM) method is applied to calculate the agricultural income difference with counter factual analysis using survey data from 396 farmers in 15 provinces in China. The findings indicate that farmers who join farmer cooperatives and adopt agricultural technology can increase agricultural income by 2.77 and 2.35%, respectively, compared with those non-participants and non-adopters. Interestingly, the effect on agricultural income is found to be more significant for the low-income farmers than the high-income ones, with income increasing 5.45 and 4.51% when participating in farmer cooperatives and adopting agricultural technology, respectively. Our findings highlight the positive role of farmer cooperatives and agricultural technology in promoting farmers' economic welfare. Based on the findings, government policy implications are also discussed.     

A Review of “The Heirloom Tomato: From Garden to Table Recipes,Portraits, and History of the World's Most Beautiful Fruit”

This study examined wetland farming systems in Edo State, Nigeria, with specific focus on practitioners’ response to Fadama technologies, as well as factors that might promote adoption behavior. Primary data were sourced from 301 wetland farmers across the three political districts in the state. Responses were analyzed using frequency distribution and multiple regression. Fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and improved varieties were the most adopted technologies; cost was the most serious constraint to adoption. The average earnings derived from wetland farming enterprises were 291,400.28 (US$1,942.60) per annum. Important determinants of wetland farming technology adoption by farmers include education, contact with extension agents, revenue, and credit. The study recommends an improvement in Fadama farmers’ access to credit and extension services.     

A Review of “World Food: Production and Use”

The credibility, reliability, and adequacy of information sources are cardinal to adoption of technologies that increase agricultural productivity. Date palm production in Nigeria is low and, considering its high demand, makes the country a net importer of date to meet local demands.

This study assessed the sources of information on date palm in Dutse Local Government Area of Jigawa State. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 115 date palm farmers. The results show that friends and relatives, extension agents, and radio are the preferred sources of information. The frequency and adequacy of use follow a similar pattern of preference.     

Review of Integrated Nutrient Management for Sustainable Crop Production

This study analyses the influences of sociodemographic factors, business orientation of farmers, and farm characteristics on adoption of ICT-based information through primary data collected from 461 farmers in eight districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. A personal interview survey was conducted using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. The Poisson Count Regression Model was used to analyze the factors influencing use of the information derived through ICT-based systems on various agricultural practices. The findings indicate that education, income, and social category of farmers are important sociodemographic factors affecting the adoption of ICT-based information systems. Similarly, farmers who consider farming as a business venture, practice a diversified cropping system, and have small farms are more likely to use ICT-based information.