Agricultural Communication

Japanese agricultural studies in Africa began in the 1960's when most of the African countries became independent. However in only forty years these studies have accumulated many field research papers and acquired considerable importance in Japanese agricultural studies. By the World Bank in 1980's the structural adjustment policies introduced in Africa and the political and economic situation of Africa have changed dramatically. African societies were transformed drastically. In the 1990's, Japanese agricultural studies in Africa also changed to focus on the study of the relationship between village level studies and world wide economy. Another two aspects were added in the 1990's, namely the multi-disciplinary studies of African agriculture and studies of the relationship between agriculture and human society. The author points out three important issues in the future of Japanese agricultural studies in Africa. The first one is that Japanese agricultural studies have a responsibility to contribute to the feeding of Africa and the improvement in African agricultural studies. Th second one is that agricultural studies in Africa contribute to the rethinking of Japanese agricultural studies from the viewpoint of the relationship between humans and their environment. For example recent studies have focused on small holder agriculture, the meaning of modern technology, and new ways of thinking about productivity. The final one is that the study of global views of food production based on the insights gained by long term field work at the village level which will be needed in the future.

Japanese agricultural studies in Africa began in the 1960's when most of the African countries became independent. However in only forty years these studies have accumulated many field research papers and acquired considerable importance in Japanese agricultural studies. By the World Bank in 1980's the structural adjustment policies introduced in Africa and the political and economic situation of Africa have changed dramatically. African societies were transformed drastically. In the 1990's, Japanese agricultural studies in Africa also changed to focus on the study of the relationship between village level studies and world wide economy. Another two aspects were added in the 1990's, namely the multi-disciplinary studies of African agriculture and studies of the relationship between agriculture and human society. The author points out three important issues in the future of Japanese agricultural studies in Africa. The first one is that Japanese agricultural studies have a responsibility to contribute to the feeding of Africa and the improvement in African agricultural studies. Th second one is that agricultural studies in Africa contribute to the rethinking of Japanese agricultural studies from the viewpoint of the relationship between humans and their environment. For example recent studies have focused on small holder agriculture, the meaning of modern technology, and new ways of thinking about productivity. The final one is that the study of global views of food production based on the insights gained by long term field work at the village level which will be needed in the future.

Việt Nam đã nhận được đầu tư trực tiếp nước ngoài đáng kể trong vài thập kỷ qua cùng với chính sách tăng trưởng xanh và phát triển bền vững đang được Chính phủ quan tâm. Tăng trưởng kinh tế (GDP), FDI, toàn cầu hóa (GLO) và tăng trưởng xanh (GG) có thể ảnh hưởng đến chất lượng môi trường. Nghiên cứu này nhằm mục tiêu đánh giá tác động của FDI, toàn cầu hóa, tăng trưởng kinh tế và tăng trưởng xanh đến lượng khí thải CO2 ở Việt Nam giai đoạn 1998-2022 bằng phân tích wavelet. Kết quả chỉ ra rằng FDI, GG và GLO tác động tích cực đến chất lượng môi trường ở các tần số và thời gian khác nhau. Đặc biệt, trong ngắn hạn và trung hạn, GDP ảnh hưởng tích cực đến lượng khí thải CO2, trong khi đó chúng lại ảnh hưởng tiêu cực đến lượng khí thải CO2 trong dài hạn. Nhìn chung phân tích wavelet cho thấy GLO, GG và FDI không cải thiện môi trường ở Việt Nam trong ngắn hạn. Vì vậy, Chính phủ nên cung cấp các biện pháp khuyến khích tăng trưởng xanh, toàn cầu hóa để tăng dòng vốn FDI sử dụng năng lượng tái tạo trong sản xuất.

Communication is an important element in the governance of organizations. In most research on the development and maintenance of successful cooperatives, effective communication with and between members is an ongoing issue. In cooperatives, or more specifically in agricultural cooperatives, subject of this study, inadequate communication strategies may be one of the reasons for organization failure. When inconsistent and ineffective, it offers a gap for disconnection between members and the organization. Some authors also argue that communication is an important mechanism able on improving the members' commitment to the cooperative. Despite this, agricultural cooperatives are somewhat slow to incorporate more diverse and effective communication strategies to reach their varied audience. The aim of this research is to explore the forms and communication strategies existing in agricultural cooperatives and the theoretical approaches used to analyze communication in these companies...

Trong năm 2025, kinh tế Thái Lan ghi nhận nhiều diễn biến đáng chú ý với những tác động trực tiếp và gián tiếp tới kinh tế, an ninh chính trị, ổn định xã hội của Thái Lan và khu vực. Tăng trưởng kinh tế của Thái Lan có dấu hiệu chững lại, GDP nửa đầu năm 2025 đạt trung bình khoảng 3% và nhiều khả năng tăng trưởng cả năm sẽ chỉ dao động từ 1,8 đến 2,3%, dự tính năm 2026 chỉ đạt 1.7%. Kinh tế Thái Lan có nhiều dấu hiệu suy yếu, song vẫn giữ được một số trụ cột ổn định như du lịch, thương mại và ổn định vĩ mô. Tuy nhiên, những khó khăn về an ninh - chính trị như chính trị nội bộ, bất ổn an ninh, xung đột vũ trang, việc triển khai các chính sách dân tuý và kinh tế - xã hội như vấn đề nợ hộ gia đình, nguy cơ bất ổn xã hội là những vấn đề lớn cần được quan tâm.

This study investigated the usage of ICTs among farmers and the socioeconomic factors influencing their usage. It was to fill a gap in ICT usage among crop farmers in rural communities in Northern Ghana. A multistage sampling technique was employed to collect primary data from 210 crop farmers (105 males and 105 females) from seven (7) districts in the Northern Region of Ghana. Structured interview questionnaires were used to collect data on key ICT Knowledge and awareness issues, usage and perceptions, challenges and constraints, and benefits of usage. The data was analyzed using simple descriptive statistics (percentages, frequencies, means, and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (Probit regression). The results indicated that the popular ICT devices among the farmers were mobile phones (48.5%), radio (34.9%), and television (13.9%). Younger farmers (40 years and below) were more predisposed to using ICTs than their older counterparts. [With 75.21% (CI 0.28503-1.21918, P=0.002)]. Farming experience (71.50%; CI 0.23258-1.19742, p=0.004 and ICT training (136.76%; CI 0.78537-1.94986, p=0.004) also influenced the use of ICT tools. The main constraints of ICT usage among the farmers in the study included poor reception, language, and content limitations. Others were the high cost of recharge credit and ICTsparticularly televisions, computers, and a lack of awareness about specific ICTs like email and the internet. The government and policymakers need to provide customized and subsidized ICTs, particularly mobile phones, for farmers in the study area. Agricultural extension officers should also consider training farmers to use mobile phones, televisions, and radios to obtain current information relevant to farming and marketing of agricultural produce, both in Ghana and abroad, to help curb poverty and food insecurity.

Development of the socially oriented market economy of Ukraine, effective realization of reforms in this area and improvement of people's living standards are not possible without forming a high level of labour motivation of financial inspectors, particularly of agricultural enterprises. However, the absence of qualitative changes after the partition of land and property of economic entities of agrarian sector of economy negatively affected both their profitability and motivation of agrarian labour. Taking into account the relevance of the above-mentioned problem and the fact, that it has not been deeply studied and solved, the main objective of the research is to characterize the labor motivation of financial inspectors of agricultural enterprises and to develop measures of promoting it. The methodological basis of this research comprises the scientific dialectical method of cognition, where the research object is studied as a dynamic system in the process of its development. The methods of comparison, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction methods have been applied in studying and generalizing theoretical and practical developments. Furthermore, the research is based on legal and regulatory economic documents, developments of research institutions and scientists-economists as well as findings of monographic studies. Our findings have it that the main components of the models of labor motivation of financial inspectors of agricultural enterprises are as follows: material (meeting the priority needs of workers); socio-psychological (focusing on satisfying peasants' top-level needs), complex (combination of the best material and socio-psychological incentives). The first component is the dominant one, as the workers, first of all, wish to improve their own well-being, whereas the second component does not make a substantial influence on the qualitative attitude to agrarians' labour. The obtained results of the research are a basis for studying and solving the problem of forming a high-level labor motivation of financial inspectors of economic entities of all areas of social activity as a whole.

The paper has analysed and evaluated the existing concepts of relations between science and education, advisory services and agricultural practice in the aspect of strengthening competitiveness of the agricultural sector of the EU and also has identified the most important elements of agricultural knowledge system (AKS) in Poland and the assessment of their relationship. The source material was literature review on the subject, statistical data and quality assessment of the relationship between stakeholders achieved as a result of a two-day panel discussion. The results indicate that the traditional concepts of linear links between science and agricultural practice are replaced with innovative concepts of networking. In Poland, there is not yet a well-functioning system of agricultural knowledge. Despite the existence of all the links in the classical system of knowledge existing links between them are highly varied. Very strong links exist only between agricultural advisors and far...

The European Commission Draft Regulation on Common Agricultural Policy 2021-2027, proposes that the concept of "genuine farmers" shall be defined so as to ensure that no support is granted to those whose agricultural activity forms only an insignificant part of their overall economic activities or whose principal business activity is not agricultural, while not precluding from support pluri-active farmers. The Commission proposal has sparked debate among Member States, since defining the concept of "genuine farmer" is the basis for receiving support. The aim of the research was to determine the opinion of agricultural representatives regarding the definition of "genuine farmer". Consequently, agricultural representatives of various agricultural associations from the Republic of Croatia were interviewed in two phases. In the first phase, agricultural representatives were examined within a focus group under the project "CAP for You" funded by the European Commission. In the second phase, agricultural representatives from the Croatian Chamber of Agriculture were asked to write their own definition of "genuine farmer". The results showed that the majority of these representatives considered "genuine farmer" one whose primary business activity is agriculture.

Chính quyền của Tổng thống Trump đã công bố quyết định áp đặt biểu thuế nhập khẩu mới đối với danh sách một loạt các quốc gia có hoạt động thương mại với Mỹ, trong đó có Việt Nam và Thái Lan. Chính sách này có thể khiến xuất khẩu của Thái Lan sụt giảm hơn 3% xuống mức tăng trưởng âm khoảng – 1 tới – 5% và GDP có thể không thể đạt được tăng trưởng như dự kiến ban đầu và sẽ giảm tăng trưởng 1%, tăng trưởng cả năm có thể chỉ đạt 1% hoặc thấp hơn. Thái Lan có một số chủ trương chính sách quan trọng với diễn biến này, là cơ sở cho các chính sách cho các nước trong khu vực trong đó có Việt Nam.

El propósito de este artículo es analizar el comportamiento de los países miembro de la Unión Europea (UE) en un periodo en el que se han producido importantes avances en este proceso de integración y se han puesto en marcha políticas públicas con el propósito de favorecer las mejoras de eficiencia en estas economías. Con este propósito, este trabajo se centra en la estimación del grado de eficiencia técnica que han experimentado los países europeos durante 1980-1997 y la discusión de los resultados alcanzados, ofreciendo una nueva perspectiva para el diseño de las políticas económicas. Esta investigación muestra que los avances en el proceso de integración europea han permitido mejorar la eficiencia en el uso de los factores productivos, y que todavía existen posibilidades de lograr incrementar el ritmo de crecimiento en estos países por esta vía. Palabras clave: política pública, economía política, planificación y desarrollo.

The impact of the print media in agricultural development has been the focal point in the recent times and has received considerable awareness from researchers, planners, politicians and media practitioners of developing countries especially Nigeria. The underlying factors responsible for ways the print media projects agricultural news and the sources responsible for the information are diverse. Sources of information in news reporting are a pedestal on which print media stand. The individual and public perception and attitudes towards societal issues are a function of knowledge based on available information and it significant that, print media make use of experts who are well grounded in their various fields, to comment or serve as sources for the agricultural and agro-allied news.It is on this view that the study was carried out to investigate the importance attached to the sources used by journalists in reporting agricultural news. The selected Nigerian daily newspapers were the Nigeria Tribune, Punch, the Guardian and Vanguard. The time frames of the study were between January 1st 2000 to December 31st 2004 and this covered five years. The reason for this is that, the Nigeria agricultural sector was just coming under a new republic and the study equally showed the level of coverage giving to development of agriculture. The content analysis performed on the 128 editions of newspapers revealed that, there is significant difference in the sources used by journalists in reporting agricultural and agro-allied news (The chi-square value is 33.23, P value is 0.0001 when P≤ 0.05). The study also revealed that, there is significant difference in the relevance of areas of specialization of the sources and the topics commented upon (Chi-square value is 29.50, P = 0.0189 when P≤ 0.05). Recommendations have been articulated to enable the newspaper play its expected facilitating role in furtherance of agricultural and rural development of Nigeria, in general.

The practice of agricultural engineering in Africa dates back to the Egyptian civilisations that depended on irrigation along the Nile River, but as a discipline, agricultural engineering is fairly recent. Agricultural engineering is commonly defined as the application of engineering knowledge to solve agricultural problems. This overview paper looks at the problems faced and advances and inroads made by agricultural engineering in southern and eastern Africa. It is shown that agricultural engineering in the region has faced a number of problems to do with identity, professional recognition, and lack of support from industry. The agricultural engineer has suffered from problems that include poor employment opportunities, low prospects for professional and career development and poor conditions of service, whilst degree programmes in agricultural engineering faced problems of lack of popularity, competition from more visible programmes and low resource endowment. Despite these proble...

Agriculture is the bedrock of economic development in Nigeria. However, the development of the sector cannot be achieved without an efficient and effective extension system. Thus, there is the need for a well articulated and comprehensive Agricultural Extension Policy (AEP). It is against this background that the paper examines the content of agricultural extension sub-policy in the current Nigeria's Agricultural Policy with a view to establishing the need for a National Agricultural Extension Policy (NAEP). Issues in Extension Policy formulation; extension goals, approach and functions, subject matter, geographical coverage, target beneficiaries, organization, staffing, funding and stability were examined and how they could be addressed in the proposed AEP. The paper suggests as the goal; achievement of a well organized extension system for efficient and effective extension delivery in all aspects of sustainable agriculture and rural development to attain food security, poverty reduction, rural empowerment and environment management. It concludes with a summary of key recommendations for the proposed Agricultural Extension Policy. These include constituting a committee on NAEP to be chaired by the PS, FMAWR and the policy should make extension agenda farmer-driven and participatory. Also, decentralization of Nigerian agricultural extension system and its efficient coordination at various levels to ensure effectiveness and sustainability.

The agricultural sector worldwide is facing many issues relating to crop productivity due to the lack of communication between extension workers and farmers. To reduce this gap, information technology like mobile phones are one of the essential communication devices in numerous fields as well as agriculture. This review aims to analyze mobile phone usage in agricultural modernization and rural development. The advancement of the agricultural sector in rural areas is essential for reducing poverty among growers. As we all know, agricultural activities provide employment opportunities and generate income in rural areas. Poverty can be decreased by advancement in the agriculture sector for better production. Agriculture production, socioeconomic conditions, and food security can be improved by increasing the usage of mobile phones for easy and accurate agricultural knowledge sharing to the farming community.

The European Commission Draft Regulation on Common Agricultural Policy 2021-2027, proposes that the concept of "genuine farmers" shall be defined so as to ensure that no support is granted to those whose agricultural activity forms only an insignificant part of their overall economic activities or whose principal business activity is not agricultural, while not precluding from support pluri-active farmers. The Commission proposal has sparked debate among Member States, since defining the concept of "genuine farmer" is the basis for receiving support. The aim of the research was to determine the opinion of agricultural representatives regarding the definition of "genuine farmer". Consequently, agricultural representatives of various agricultural associations from the Republic of Croatia were interviewed in two phases. In the first phase, agricultural representatives were examined within a focus group under the project "CAP for You" funded by the European Commission. In the second phase, agricultural representatives from the Croatian Chamber of Agriculture were asked to write their own definition of "genuine farmer". The results showed that the majority of these representatives considered "genuine farmer" one whose primary business activity is agriculture.

Agriculture extension services in Pakistan are perceived as ineffective for many reasons. Limited research has been conducted so far in Pakistan to find those reasons. This study was conducted to consolidate different factors impeding the performance of Agriculture Officers (AOs), who are the change agents and most important pillar of extension system in Punjab, Pakistan. This study employed 348 randomly selected AOs working in Punjab Province. The main research question levelled was that why the work of AOs is perceived ineffective and how it can be mainstreamed. This study was qualitative in nature with probability sample and external validity. Data were collected qualitatively and analyzed using thematic analysis technique. Empirically, we identify and discuss a number of notable and explanatory themes affecting the performance of AOs such as “fractional support from the government”, “confused working environment”, “advisory services techniques and physical environment”, "or...

Implementation of Conservation Agriculture (CA) project is a process of multi-participation that involves actors from agricultural researchers and scientists, extension agents, private consulting firms, pioneer farmers, rural cooperatives, family members, peer farmers, etc. The social interactions between farmers and actors drive the CA development. Therefore, this study analyzes the social network structures and characteristics of various actors by social network analysis in seven processes of applying CA in Iran. The research sample was composed of farmers who participated in the CA project in three provinces of Fars, Golestan, and Khuzestan (n= 133). The research instrument was a questionnaire that was designed as a matrix. The findings showed that pioneer farmers, CA farmers, and family members were the main actors in the farmers' social network. It can be concluded that these actors were the main social power in applying CA principles by farmers and they constituted the mai...

The experience of highly developed countries proves that agricultural producers are one of the stabilizing factors of the socioeconomic relations of states as a whole. In the context of effective management of agricultural producers in Ukraine and Poland, it is important to find out the features and trends of their modern development. A number of tools have been involved to stimulate the development of agriculture, which include: improvement of institutional support; infrastructure development of rural areas; implementation of financial instruments for the development of agriculture; provision of personnel at agricultural producers. The subject of our economic research interests is the characterization of organizational and economic determinants and a comparison of the development trends of agricultural production in Poland and Ukraine in the context of modern food security challenges. The results of the calculations can be taken into account for operational and strategic planning of the behaviour of agricultural producers. The aim of the investigation is to outline the development trends of agricultural producers in Ukraine and Poland and to develop approaches to ensure their effective functioning. A systematic approach to the study of conditions and factors that comprehensively affect the development of agricultural producers has been applied. The research uses a comparative analysis of the main economic indicators of the activity of agricultural producers in Ukraine and Poland. A comprehensive approach allowed us to conduct a study of the main indicators of the activity of agricultural producers with the inclusion in their production activity of the entire set of social and production components. The study confirms the better performance of the Polish agricultural sector than the Ukrainian one in 2010-2020. It suggests potential benefits from the use of Polish experiences by Ukrainian producers. Integration processes are characteristic of all sectors of the economy, but in agriculture, based on the specifics of the sector, and as the experience of enterprises in Poland and the Lublin Voivodeship shows, provide positive results, both for agricultural producers themselves and for society as a whole.

Agricultural communication covers works and scientific activities focusing on communication between agriculture and non-agriculture shareholders related to the issues about agriculture. Here the term "agriculture" refers to "farming, planting-harvesting processes, food, nutrition, fibrous plants (such as cotton), animals, and rural life issues and its problems". As a science, agricultural communication is dealt with formally or informally on the basis of its dimensions related to communication and agricultural extensions. In addition, the use of media tools with respect to communication dimension is an important component of agricultural communication. Agricultural communication provides education opportunities for those living in rural areas and help them overcome the problem of not being able to keep up with the recent developments-which is the natural outcome of rural area residents' living far away from mass urban life. Besides, it assumes important educational roles in the development of husbandry and improving production performance. Agricultural communication includes the messages, publications and media environments targeting all the individuals working in farming and husbandry business, doing organic food production and sensitive to environmental issues. The spread of internet connection in rural areas due to advancement in communication technologies has brought a new dimension to agricultural communication. Nowadays, more and more people living in these rural areas and those who work in farming sector produce content for the web and use social media services. Thanks to social media, it is now possible to share faster and more accurate (due to institutional content production) information and follow meteorological news instantly, which enables farmers to take necessary precautions against natural disasters in advance. The current study aims to analyze the content provided by farmers while sharing fast and reliable information regarding agricultural issues in social media. For the purposes of the study, the contents obtained from 41 Twitter accounts, publishing 1015 messages related to agricultural issues between January 1 st and 27 th 2016 were applied content analysis under a number of categories.

AGRICULTURE IN ZAMBIA Although Zambia is generally well-known for its copper production, the majority of its people are engaged in agriculture for their livelihood. Because of this, and also because of the need to diversify the economy, the government has recognized the agricultural sector as being vital to development. National development plans have continued to identify the broad objectives of this sector as being to:~ achieve self-reliancẽ stimulate and increase production. increase the contribution of the rural sector to the Gross Domestic Product improve rural standards of living and nutritional status. To achieve these objectives, the country has invested in various agricultural activities, including agricultural research, extension, marketing and cooperatives. Research in this sector has been recognized as important because it is at the core of agricultural development. To this end, Zambia has benefited from a long history of agricultural research, largely supported through government sponsorship. Agricultural research is conducted by three departments of the Ministry of Agriculture, by the Department of Forestry of the Ministry of Lands, Water and Natural Resources, by the National Council for Scientific Research, and by the University of Zambia. INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE At the national level, Zambia is still among those African countries which do not, as yet, have a national information policy. There is no designated national library or national documentation centre. The Zambia Library Service, under the Ministry of Higher Education, is the national library service. It acts as a national lending and national schools library service. The National Archives of Zambia, under the Team has a network of provincial teams. In addition, common service teams, known as Specialist Research Teams, were created. These deal with: weed control; soil productivity; cropping systems; farm machinery and tillage; and plant protection. The Research Branch also has four advisory and information services. These are: the Crop and Soil Advisory Service; the Library Service; Biometrics; and Research and Extension Liaison. In the most recent review of the Research Branch, it was recommended that the research network be cut down to remain with a few 'centres of

This study analysed mass media utilization among yam farmers in Benue and Niger States, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was used in the selection of 399 yam farmers for the study. Data were collected from primary source using structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentages and mean were used for data analysis. Results revealed that 86.2% of the respondents were males with mean age of 42 years. Majority of the respondents (85.2%) utilized mass media. Also, 78.9% of the respondents' utilized radio, 67.7% utilized telephone 27.9% and 24.6% utilized newspaper and book. Insufficient access to credit facilities ranked 1 st and poor electrification ranked 2 nd were the major constraints with mass media utilization in the study area. It is recommended that credit should be made available by government through financial institutions, cooperative and other farmers in order to increase the level of mass media utilization and efforts should be made governments and people involved to ensure the programme on yam is always communicated in the best language understand by farmers.

The transformational role of ICT in the social and economic spheres of man engendered development of the communication technology in Nigeria. Based on the telecom deregulation policy of the Nigerian Government in 2001, the country witnessed an upsurge of private investment in ICT development and its consequential ICT revolution. An empirical survey of diffusion and adoption pattern of ICT in the Nigerian agricultural system showed that mobile phone constitutes the most widely adopted ICT device by the agricultural researchers, extension agents, and rural farmers. In addition to this was computer and internet adoption by the researchers and radio transistors by the rural farmers. All eight agricultural research organisations and four extension agencies surveyed had electronic mail addresses and telephone lines for information exchanges. Six of the agricultural organisations-CRIN, FRIN, NIHORT, IAR&T, NIOMR, and NAERLS, and one of the extension agencies-LSADA, had organisational websites for hoisting generated agricultural information. Based on rural farmers' access to radio, and to some extent television, the research and extension organisations aired agricultural programmes on these electronic media for the farmers. ICT usage in the Nigerian agricultural system is however challenged by less development and exploration of communication technologies, poor electric power supply, and poor human operational skills development for effective utilisation of the information-driven technologies. This situation thus necessitates the need for pro-agriculture ICT development and human capacity for effective utilisation in the Nigerian agricultural system.

Agriculture extension services in Pakistan are perceived as ineffective for many reasons. Limited research has been conducted so far in Pakistan to find those reasons. This study was conducted to consolidate different factors impeding the performance of Agriculture Officers (AOs), who are the change agents and most important pillar of extension system in Punjab, Pakistan. This study employed 348 randomly selected AOs working in Punjab Province. The main research question levelled was that why the work of AOs is perceived ineffective and how it can be mainstreamed. This study was qualitative in nature with probability sample and external validity. Data were collected qualitatively and analyzed using thematic analysis technique. Empirically, we identify and discuss a number of notable and explanatory themes affecting the performance of AOs such as “fractional support from the government”, “confused working environment”, “advisory services techniques and physical environment”, "or...

This study was undertaken to investigate the information needs and information seeking behavior of the researchers in Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute, Ilorin, Kwara State. The study used questionnaire and interview method to obtain data from the respondents. Out of the sixty copies of questionnaire distributed to respondents, fifty-three copies were returned and found useable for the study. There was also an interview with the Director, library services in the institute. Findings from the study revealed that the information needs of the researchers were mainly on current awareness, to prepare for promotion exercises and job interviews and to prepare for seminars and conferences. Among various information resources available to the researchers, journals and online databases were the most preferred. However, the researchers utilized the internet frequently than the library. This was because materials in the library were outdated and could not be used to meet current inform...

The Chinese government initiatives on mechanization of agricultural activities and its indispensable role in agricultural engineering research and development can not be overemphasized. This dates back to as early as 1949. The continued government supports contributes immensely to the modernization of Chinese agriculture which is able to ensure food security for the over 1.3 billion population. The positive role of Agricultural Engineering in the advancement of agricultural production in China is directly linked to the advancement of Agricultural Engineering education and practices. This paper showed that the effects of the development of Agricultural Engineering to China national economy can be seen in terms of more advanced mechanized agriculture, increased quality and quantity of agricultural products, improved extension services and trainings for farmers and agricultural workers, optimum use of resources, encouragement of farmers cooperatives, competitiveness of agricultural products on global market, better ecological and environmental protection and promotion of cottage industries to create local jobs and enrich the farmers among others. This work pointed specific areas in which the Chinese experience can be readily adapted to developing countries of Africa and Asia situations because of the similarities of prevailing conditions in Africa and some parts of China.

Agriculture in Thailand has developed as it is today because of the long-term strategic vision of the government. Since the 1980s, agricultural development policy has used a variety of marketing principles, which ensures that there is aharmonious development with rural areas. Agricultural development policies in Thailand faced a lot of challenges such as the narrowed farming area, a large number of rural labor force moving to urban, farmers getting no benefits from government policies. The research shed light on agricultural development policies in Thailand, especially key points in agricultural extension policies, agricultural support, rural industrialization policies, modern scientific applications, foreign  investment in agriculture, and then drawing some policies in sustainable agriculture development in our country.

Higher education institutions represent a key element for the development of individuals, which is reflected in the economic and social development of countries. This study reveals how higher education in particular helps in certain areas, and shows that problems such as lack of investment in this sector slow down productivity and the interest in researching in the area through the implementation of the Malmquist index, comparing the 43 countries that have universities cataloged within the World University Ranking for 2012, 2013 and 2014, and formulating a benchmark to help detect which areas provide opportunities to improve and achieve higher productivity.

Las instituciones de educación superior representan un elemento clave para el desarrollo de los individuos, mismo que se ve reflejado en el desarrollo económico y social de los países. Este trabajo da a conocer específicamente en qué ayuda la educación superior en determinadas áreas, y pone de manifiesto que problemas como la falta de inversión en este sector frenan la productividad, y el interés de investigar en el área. Lo anterior se cumple mediante la implementación del índice de Malmquist, al establecer comparaciones entre los 43 países que poseen universidades catalogadas dentro del World University Ranking para los años 2012, 2013 y 2014, y la formulación de un punto de referencia para ayudar a detectar qué áreas son oportunidades para mejorar y alcanzar mayor productividad.

Agricultural communications education has evolved over time, shifting in an effort to meet the needs of students through new approaches, new methods, and new technologies. The purpose of this paper was to examine the influence of educational and communications technologies on agricultural communications education. A literature review related to the history of the processes, methods, and technology uses in education and more specifically in agricultural communications education was conducted. Technology was identified as enhancing learning in settings that included secondary education, university settings, continuing education, Extension programming, and professional development. Only a limited number of articles specifically addressed the use of technology to teach agricultural communications. The high rate of change in communication technologies was identified as a critical reason for considering the role of technology in the agricultural communications education context. A virtual environment to teach crisis communications was shared as an example of successful educational technology use. Continued research focusing on teaching methods and tools related to agricultural communications education is needed. New technologies have the potential to encourage innovative learning experiences; however, the ongoing challenge to educators will be to harness the technology for the good of the learner.

Information on determinants of involvement in sweetpotato production (SPP) in Niger-Delta Area of Nigeria is scarce. Determinants of involvement in SPP among farming households in Niger-Delta Area of Nigeria were therefore assessed. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 330 respondents. Data were collected through structured interview schedule and analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, Pearson Product Moment Correlation-PPMC and logistic regression. Age and household size of respondents were 42.9±11.9 years and 8.7±5.5 persons, respectively. Most respondents were female (53.3%), while 94.5% had no extension contact. Farming experience and farm size were 21.1±12.9 years and 5.4±5.1 ha, respectively. Employed labour per sweetpotato (SP) production cycle, SP farm size and farming experience were 8±6 persons, 2.6±3.5 ha and 18±12 years, respectively. Income from SP, other crops enterprises and non-crop livelihood activities were N2 637 552.0±3 362 512.0 yearly, N...

Agricultural extension, which is essentially a message delivery system, has a major role to play in agricultural development. It serves as a source of advice and assistance for farmers to help them improving their production and marketing. The task of extension education is accomplished by different extension methods/media, which may come under individual, group and mass contacts. This paper investigates the possible impact that agricultural audiovisual programs could have on farm productivity. It is indicated that an agricultural information program via a combination of television broadcast and video group screening would be justifiable to the Government is a current agricultural extension activity. The article also assists the authorities in improving an agricultural development system to support current extension activities via audiovisual mass media.

We live in interesting times! There is a global realisation of the need for greater and sustainable food production-from a shrinking arable area. This comes after a long period of agricultural decline, particularly in Europe and more seriously a very significant decline in agricultural research. The days of the Green Revolution are over and we have nothing to replace it. The only hope is for improved crop production through improved genetics. Traditional methods of breeding have performed well in the past but are clearly struggling with new challenges. The new molecular technologies of genetics and genomics hold the key to future productivity. These technologies are alien to many involved in traditional breeding, and for them this book will be a revelation. Written by acknowledged experts in their fields, this book provides a window into the future with well-written and very readable accounts of the origins of the brassica oil crops, followed by a series of chapters outlining the latest technologies of genomics and their uses. Each chapter is more or less self-contained and can be read in isolation-there is therefore some understandable duplication in their introductions. The subjects are well referenced and this book will provide an excellent introduction to modern breeding. More importantly, the book clearly outlines the use and capabilities of these technologies. For any young breeder and any older ones looking for a new lease in life, this book will become an essential reading.

In order to increase farm productivity and sustainability on a worldwide scale, agricultural extension services are essential in bridging the gap between research and actual farming. This study examined agricultural extension services and their effects on farm productivity. Data were collected using a questionnaire from 382 professional farmers. The results show that agricultural workshops and training positively affect farm productivity, access to government demonstration farms positively influences farm productivity, and media-based agricultural programs have a positive effect on farm productivity. Workshops and training in agriculture may have a very favorable impact on farm output. It's important to remember that the success of agricultural workshops and training might vary depending on a number of variables, including the training's quality, the information's applicability to local circumstances, the farmers' readiness to embrace new techniques, and the post-training assistance offered. In order to increase and facilitate access to knowledge, suitable production methods, and better inputs, the findings highlight the need to strengthen farmers' organizations and last-mile agricultural input providers. Farmers must have access to knowledge about marketing and other support services that are essential for agricultural growth in order to enhance global development in order to achieve greater farm productivity.

The main purpose of the current manuscript is to review the agricultural extension system in Egypt. The information gleaned in this article could be useful for policymakers, extension administrators, and extension researchers to identify ways for improving educational services of devising training programs for audience and agents, approaches of farmers' participation, and schemes of policy development. More specifically the objectives of this study are to review the Egyptian agricultural extension system in terms of the: 1) the history of the Egyptian agricultural extension system, 2) the organizational structure of the Egyptian extension system, 3) types of agricultural extension and program delivery mechanisms in Egypt, 4) current situation of the Egyptian agricultural extension system, and 5) the possible future direction for the Egyptian agricultural extension system. A comprehensive review of gray literature was conducted to identify characteristics of the agricultural exte...

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations.

This paper investigates the provision of agricultural information to small scale farmers in Zimbabwe. It seeks to find out the methods and means of disseminating agricultural information to the small scale farmers in Harare, Zimbabwe. Describes how Information and Communication Technology has impacted on the dissemination of agricultural information. Explains how I.C.T's are impacting on agricultural production among small scale farmers in Zimbabwe. Describes the extent to which information provision is utilised in promoting dissemination of agricultural information to small scale farmers. Highlights the challenges the farmers face with regards to access to agricultural information. Considers how the digital divide affects information dissemination considering the challenges of connectivity in emerging economies. Mentions the current ICT driven projects aimed at facilitating access to agricultural information to farmers.The roles of libraries, schools, and agricultural research extension (AREX) services in providing agricultural information towards sustaining agriculture are described. The use of alternative media like radio, television, and podcasting to disseminate agricultural information the challenges of using such media to communicate agricultural information information to small scale farmers are mentioned.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations.

This study investigated the impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on the productivity of agricultural marketing in Nigeria. The study embarked on pure literature review which was complemented with personal interviews with registered farmers randomly selected from four agricultural zones in Anambra State, Nigeria (Aguata, Anambra North, Awka and Onitsha). The study showed that ICT is highly beneficial to agricultural marketing in Nigeria, although Nigerian farmers rarely use them in marketing their products. These findings implies that there is high cost of production, low productivity, denial of information and limited access to market in the production and marketing of agricultural products in the country, which are the consequences of the non usage of ICT among farmers in marketing agricultural products. It is also found that lack of access to ICT tools, lack of support from responsible agencies, lack of skills in operating ICT tools and non affordability of ICT tools are some of the leading factors limiting the use of ICT in agricultural marketing among Nigerian farmers. The researchers therefore recommended that government should formulate policies enhancing the use of ICT tools for marketing agricultural products. Farmers should also be sensitized and empowered on the benefits accruing to ICT adoption. Further, there should be steady power supply for these ICT tools to be fully utilized. If these are adhered to, it is anticipated that farmers will be better placed to make the marketing of their agricultural products more effective and efficient.

Globally the key role of agricultural information services cannot be underestimated because agriculture and food production are key facets of inclusive development. Farmers have dynamic and intricate information needs that can be fulfilled through well coordinated agricultural information services premised on appropriate modern technologies. The world over, access to agricultural information through modern technology has become the epicenter of all facets of the national economy and the struggle for sustainable development. Agriculture is the mainstay of Zimbabwe’s economy but however its success is premised on a number of factors chief among them being access to timeous and accurate information. The paper will explore information services that agricultural libraries provide to extension officers, for example, provision of information on prevention and cure of plants, animal’s diseases, training, crop assessment and farm management among others. It will further explore the challenge...