Science and Technology Backyard model: implications for sustainable agriculture in Africa

Sustainable food production to feed the growing population in Africa remains a major challenge. Africa has 64% of the global arable land but produces less than 10% of its food locally due to its inherently low soil nutrient concentrations. Poor soil fertility and a lack of fertilizer use are the major constraints to increasing crop yields in Africa. On average only about 8.8 kg NPK fertilizer is applied per hectare by African smallholder farmers. There is therefore considerable potential for increasing food production through sustainable intensification of the cropping systems. The low crop yields in Africa are also partly due to limited farmer access to modern agronomic techniques, including improved crop varieties, a lack of financial resources, and the absence of mechanisms for dissemination of information to smallholders. This study analyzed the Science and Technology Backyards (STBs) model and investigated its use for the transformation of agriculture in Africa. Some key lessons for sustainable crop intensification in Africa can be found from analysis of the STB model which is well established in China. These include (1) scientist-farmer engagement to develop adaptive and innovative technology for sustainable crop production, (2) dissemination of technology by empowering smallholders, especially leading farmers, and (3) the development of an open platform for multiple resource involvement rather than relying on a single mechanism. This review evaluates the benefits of the STB model used in China for adoption to increase agricultural productivity in Africa, with a perspective on sustainable crop intensification on the continent.     

The contribution of cooperative irrigation scheme to poverty reduction in Tanzania

Irrigation system is a scare resource in most of drought-stricken Africa. How to manage and maintain the existing irrigation facilities in Africa is a debatable issue to both policy makers and beneficiaries. Irrigation facilities run by farmer cooperatives are considered ineffective, unsuccessful and dysfunctional in Tanzania by many researchers. A cooperative irrigation scheme is a mechanism that features the collective management of rural irrigation facilities by farmers' cooperative with some government intervention and external support. There is an increasing emphasis on the roles of cooperative irrigation scheme in the development of the agriculture sector and poverty reduction of smallholder farmers. In this study, the authors investigated the management and services of this scheme and analyzed its contribution to poverty reduction of smallholder rice farmers and community development in Tanzania through both quantitative and qualitative methods. The results showed that the scheme helped smallholder farmers increase the rice production and brought better market opportunities. The farmers' net income was also increased. Profit generated from rice farming not only improved the livelihoods of smallholder farmers but also created more employment opportunities in the rural communities. The research also revealed that the scheme was faced with a number of challenges due to resource and institutional constraints and low-level human capacity for both management and members. The research provides a feasible approach to effective management of small-scale agricultural infrastructure for poverty reduction in Africa.     

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.     

Voluntarism as an investment in human,social and financial capital: evidence from a farmer-to-farmer extension program in Kenya

A decline in public sector extension services in developing countries has led to an increasing emphasis on alternative extension approaches that are participatory, demand-driven, client-oriented, and farmer centered. One such approach is the volunteer farmer-trainer (VFT) approach, a form of farmer-to-farmer extension where VFTs host demonstration plots and share information on improved agricultural practices within their community. VFTs are trained by extension staff and they in turn train other farmers. A study was conducted to understand the rationale behind the decisions of smallholder farmers to volunteer their time and resources to train other farmers without pay and to continue volunteering. Data were gathered through focus group discussions and individual interviews involving 99 VFTs. Findings of the study showed that VFTs were motivated by a combination of personal and community interests that were influenced by religious beliefs, cultural norms, and social and economic incentives. Altruism, gaining knowledge and skills, and social benefits were the most frequently mentioned motivating factors for becoming VFTs.3 years after starting, the income earned from selling associated inputs and services was also a main motivating factor. There were no significant differences between motivating factors for men and women VFTs. The findings point to the fact that VFTs work effectively without being paid, but investments in human, social, and financial capital are crucial to keeping them motivated. These factors are key to ensuring the sustainability of farmer-to-farmer extension programs beyond the projects’ lifespan.     

广西农业标准化推广模式实证分析

[目的]探索符合广西实际的农业标准化推广模式,为广西农业标准化的发展提供参考.[方法]对目前广西农业标准化推广模式进行实证分析,并在此基础上总结出广西农业标准化推广模式的最佳选择.[结果]广西推广实施农业标准化前期主要是采用“政府+基地(市、县级农业科技推广站)+农户+标准化”的政府主导型推广模式,后期主要有“政府引导+龙头企业+农户+标准化”和龙头企业带动型两种模式,并迅速得到推广应用,带动了广西农业产业标准化的快速发展.[建议]“政府引导+农业龙头企业带动+基地建设+农户参与+标准化”是目前广西农业标准化推广的最佳模式.在该推广模式中,政府各部门应协调合作,农业龙头企业要进一步发挥其辐射带动作用,农户应提高其农业标准化生产的自觉性,以共同推进广西农业标准化发展.     

基于产业链理论的农产品流通骨干企业促农增收研究

针对目前农产品流通体系不能发挥促农增收作用的问题,以产业链理论为基础,建立农业产业链分析框架,从企业链、空间链和价值链对接的角度,对骨干企业如何促进农民增收进行了探讨。提出骨干企业应提升农产品配送能力,与农民专业合作社合作,合理选择配送中心,建立纵向一体化的利益分享机制,通过契约形式与产业链下游对接,为促进农业发展、农民增收服务。     

农户农业企业化经营的优势与组织形式研究

介绍了农户农业企业化经营的内涵、优势及组织形式,指出它比农户传统经营方式更有利于提高经济效益。     

CHALLENGES AND CAPACITY GAPS IN SMALLHOLDER ACCESS TO DIGITAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES IN KENYA AND UGANDA

● Seventy-eight percent of farmers accessed extension and advisory services from electronic sources dominated by radio. ● Low digital literacy and high cost of internet and digital devices were key barriers to digital extension and advisory services use. ● Farmers need information to make decisions, e.g., fertilizers, seeds or pesticides to use. ● Integrating digital and face-to-face methods can enhance inclusive scaling of extension activities. An assessment of the challenges and capacity gaps in smallholder access to digital extension and advisory services (EAS) was made by surveying 197 female and 239 male farmers in Kenya and Uganda. Non-digital extension approaches remain dominant but at least 78% of farmers accessed EAS from electronic sources dominated by radio. This is attributed to the fact that ownership of radios was more widespread than of other digital devices. Challenges that particularly limit the use of digital services included low digital literacy and prohibitive cost of internet and mobile devices. Female and elderly farmers were more likely to report these challenges than their counterparts. Logistic regression model results show that ownership of digital devices, participation in post-production activities, and access to extension were enablers of digital EAS use. Farmers mentioned gaps in obtaining information on crop pest/disease diagnosis and management, fertilizer application, pesticide safety and quality seed. Given the diversity in smallholder technological capabilities and information needs, the recommendations made include integration of digital communication within multimode advisory services that use different but linked communication channels, continued farmer digital innovation capacity enhancement, and participatory design approaches that deliver relevant and actionable information for inclusive scaling of extension activities.     

积极开展农村技术承包 促进农业科技成果转化

开展农村技术承包工作,是实现农业科技成果向现实生产力转变的重要模式。结合长期的基层农村科技工作实践经验,对长治市开展农村技术集团承包工作的主要做法、取得的成效进行了科学的总结,强调农技承包工作在推进农业增效、农民增收、农业实用技术推广、农技人才的培养和农业龙头企业的培育方面,发挥着积极的作用,是推动农业现代化发展的好途径。特别是在认真分析长治乃至山西省农技承包工作现状的基础上,敏锐地找出了这项工作目前存在的问题,并提出了解决的思路和具体建议,具有较强的针对性。     

宁夏西吉县和盐池县农业推广体系运行现状与改革对策

通过对宁夏西吉县和盐池2个县农业推广体系现状的分析,结合目前正在试点中的科特派员制度,提出农业推广体系的改革应强调机制创新和制度创新.运用市场机制,以充分调动广大科技人员同农民建立各种利益共同体,增加推广人员的数量及提高他们的服务能力;改变传统推广项目管理模式,将政府推广资源分配给农村社区和农民专业技术组织,建立以用户为主导的运行模式,从而实现不同层次、不同学科以及政府推广机构和农民推广组织的广泛合作,从根本上提高农业推广体系的效率.     

论发展现代农业的制度障碍与出路

在目前的体制下发展现代农业存在几方面的制度障碍:一是现行的土地制度不利于用现代物质条件装备农业,无法实现农业的规模化生产;二是现行的农村制度不利于用现代经营形式推进农业;三是现行的土地制度和农村经营模式不利于现代农业的标准化生产;四是现行的农村制度不利于农民的社会化分工,也不利于培养新型农民工作的实施。要从5个方面寻找发展现代农业的出路:一是实现农村企业化;二是实行股份合作;三是进行土地制度改革;四是对现行的行政管理体制进行改革;五是扩大农产品加工业规模,用现代化的加工业带动现代农业的发展。     

黄河三角洲高效生态农业服务支撑体系研究

为持续推进黄河三角洲高效生态农业的可持续发展,提出了政策法规、农业标准化、农业产业化经营和农业社会化服务四大服务支撑体系,着力健全和完善财政支农增长、投入、运行机制和农业行政执法。强化农产品生产标准化、质量安全监管和市场准入,整合区域动植物病虫害防控资源,推进农作物病虫害和畜禽渔业疫病防控体系构建。立足优势产业,着力培育发展农业龙头企业和知名品牌,壮大农民专业合作组织。提升科技对高效生态农业发展的支撑能力,增强基层农技推广机构公共服务能力,加强新型农民培训,完善农民转移就业服务体系以及农村信息和机械化服务体系建设。     

Developing sustainable summer maize production for smallholder farmers in the North China Plain: An agronomic diagnosis method

With an increasing population and changing diet structure, summer maize is increasingly becoming an important energy crop in China. However, traditional farmer practices for maize production are inefficient and unsustainable. To ensure food security and sustainable development of summer maize production in China, an improved, more sustainable farmer management system is needed. Establishing this system requires a comprehensive understanding of the limitations of current farming practice and the ways it could be improved. In our study, 235 plots from three villages in the North China Plain(NCP) were monitored. Maize production on farms was evaluated; our results showed that the maize yield and nitrogen partial factor productivity(PFP_N) were variable on smallholder farms at 6.6~(–1)3.7 t ha~(–1) and 15.4–88.7 kg kg~(–1), respectively.Traditional farming practices also have a large environmental impact(nitrogen surplus: –64.2–323.78 kg ha~(–1)). Key yield components were identified by agronomic diagnosis. Grain yield depend heavily on grain numbers per hectare rather than on the 1 000-grain weight. A set of improved management practices(IP) for maize production was designed by employing a boundary line(BL) approach and tested on farms. Results showed that the IP could increase yield by 18.4% and PFP_N by 31.1%, compared with traditional farmer practices(FP), and reduce the nitrogen(N) surplus by 57.9 kg ha~(–1). However,in terms of IP effect, there was a large heterogeneity among different smallholder farmers' fields, meaning that, precise technologies were needed in different sites especially for N fertilizer management. Our results are valuable for policymakers and smallholder farmers for meeting the objectives of green development in agricultural production.     

甘蔗生长模型研究进展

作物生长模型在农业生态研究、作物管理、产量预测以及农业技术推广等过程中发挥着重要的作用。对甘蔗作物生长模型的研究与发展进行综述和回顾,对应用最广泛的2个主要模型(澳大利亚APSIM–Sugarcane和南非CANEGRO)的优势及差异进行了比较分析,并对AUSCANE和QCANE等其他甘蔗模型作了介绍。对甘蔗模型在生产应用中存在的问题和今后的发展方向进行了展望。     

埃塞俄比亚主要农作物产量及影响因素分析

基于对埃塞俄比亚奥罗莫州津奇地区的农业状况的深入调研,分析当地主要农作物的产量水平及影响因素。研究发现:虽然埃塞俄比亚与中国都是以个体家庭为单位的农业生产方式,不过二者在主要农作物品种,单产水平,生产技术水平以及农业传统文化等方面还有较大差距。中埃农业技术示范中心的技术展示要适合当地农业生产需求,并进行有针对性的培训,积极为当地的农业生产提供技术服务,促进当地农户采纳中国的农业技术,并由此开拓更大的销售市场和争取更大的政策空间,从而实现自身的可持续发展。     

Correlation of production constraints with the yield gap of apple cropping systems in Luochuan County,China

Apple occupies a dominant position in fruit production globally, and has become the main income source of local smallholder farmers in Luochuan County in the Loess Plateau area, one of the largest apple production areas in China. However, the annual productivity of apple orchards in this region remains low and has gradually declined over the years. The distinction and correlation of production constraints can contribute to the promotion of apple orchard productivity and the development of a sustainable orchard system. In the present study, survey data from 71 smallholder farmers were analyzed using a yield gap model to distinguish the production constraints and determine their correlation with the yield gap based on the structural equation model(SEM). The results indicated that the average apple yield in Luochuan County was 29.9 t ha~(–1) yr~(–1), while the attainable yield(Y_(att); the highest yield obtained from the on-farm surveys) was 58.1 t ha~(–1) yr~(–1). The average explained and unexplainable yield gaps were 26.3 and 1.87 t ha~(–1) yr~(–1). According to the boundary line analysis, crop load,number of sprayings and base fertilizer N were the top three constraints on apple production in 9.8, 7.8 and 7.8% of the plots, respectively. Among the production constraints, crop load and fruit weight affected apple yield through direct pathways,whereas other constraints influenced apple yield through an indirect pathway based on the SEM, explaining 51% of the yield variance by all the main production constraints. These results can improve the current understanding of production constraints and contribute to the development of management strategies and policies for improving apple yield.     

农户农业新技术采用行为影响因素实证分析

采用半结构访谈和问卷调查相结合的方法,对南宁市江南区吴圩镇农户新技术采用行为的影响因素进行调查和实证分析。结果表明,农业新技术产生的高经济效益是农户采用新技术的动力;户主的文化程度越高、家庭劳动力越多,采用农业新技术的意愿越强;户主年龄越小,越愿意采用农业新技术;政府对农民提供补贴和信贷支持,有利于农业新技术的推广;掌握新技术难度越大,农民采用意愿越小;采取技术培训和现场指导示范等有效的农业技术服务方式,有利于加快农业新技术推广的进程。     

桂林市农业高新技术应用现状、问题及发展对策

文章在全面系统调研“十五”期间桂林市农业高新技术应用现状的基础上,分析当前农业高新技术应用中存在的问题,提出在“十一五”期间,桂林市应强化政府对农业高新技术推广应用的引导和扶持力度,增加资金投入,建立健全农业信息服务体系,加强对农民的科技培训,加快农业高新技术企业的改革步伐,加强农业科技创新能力建设,创新农技推广应用模式,构建农业技术成果转化的长效机制,促进农业高新技术在桂林市的推广应用。     

江西农业科技推广模式调查分析

通过对江西47个市（县）149户农户进行问卷调查,统计结果表明,江西农村农民最需要的技术为病虫害防治技术、优良品种信息和现代养殖技术;获取技术信息的渠道主要靠周围人员的带动;获取信息的主要媒介为电视、手机、电话和网络;最受欢迎的农业科技推广模式有科技下乡、科技入户和科技示范园;农业科技推广模式的认知度与农民的文化程度呈正相关;农民获取信息不够及时,存在对虚假信息的担心。并提出将现代信息技术手段作为农业技术推广的主要手段之一,建立多元化的农业科技推广体系,努力提高农民的文化素质等改进建议。     

黑龙江省绥化市北林区农业合作社和个体农户大豆生产技术需求的比较

为了更好地推广先进实用的栽培技术,对兴聚农业合作社社员和周边个体农户实地调查,比较两种生产方式下大豆生产技术需求的差异和投入产出情况。农业合作社技术需求次序为：农业机械和设施>新品种>栽培与施肥技术>病虫害防控技术>经济分析咨询、信息服务与政策扶持;个体农户技术需求的次序为：新品种>栽培与施肥技术>病虫害防控技术>农业机械和设施>经济分析咨询、信息服务与政策扶持。农业合作社和个体农户在同类技术的需求内容及最终效益方面亦有差异。研究结果有助于依据不同生产规模种植户的技术需求,开展有针对性的技术服务,提高中国大豆综合生产能力。