Did you really get the message? Using text reminders to stimulate adoption of agricultural technologies Abstract This paper provides evidence from a randomized control trial (RCT) conducted among potato farmers in Northern Ecuador about the impact of receipt of text message reminders on farmer knowledge about and adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) practices. The paper provides novel empirical evidence of the potential roles of reminders as post-training follow-ups in an agrarian setting. Using psychological constructs, we examine competing explanations for nonstandard decision making such as low adoption of beneficial agricultural technologies. Farmers who received text messages have significantly higher knowledge scores and are more likely to adopt most IPM practices than those in the control group. The experiment provides evidences that text messages lead to behavioral changes by reducing inattention and sub-optimal heuristics in the case of complex decisions.

Core Ideas Erosion is decreasing the potential for food security in the Andean region. Zero tillage would be a viable and economical practice for this region. Adding N fertilizer increased the net economic returns by 22%. These practices could potentially increase the income of 200,000 farmers. The Andean region of Ecuador is critical for the country's food security; however, cultivation of high‐slope mountainous agricultural systems that experience significant precipitation is accelerating erosion of the soils and reducing the productivity and sustainability of these systems. For 5 yr we monitored tillage and crop residue management practices using a 2 × 2 factorial randomized block (Phase 1) and a 2 × 2 factorial randomized block with split plot (Phase 2) to assess the effects of tillage, crop residue management, and N fertilization on yields and economic returns. Our study found in the initial phase that for three out of the four crops zero tillage (ZT) had higher average yields than minimum tillage, and for one of these three crops, the increase was significant. Our study found in Phase 2 that when N fertilizer was added as a treatment, compared with crops that were not fertilized, yields were significantly higher in four out of five crops. Leaving the crop residue at the surface was a practice that increased the yields of one of the five crops. The higher net economic returns for Phase 1 were with ZT and with harvesting crop residue. When N was added as a treatment in Phase 2, higher net economic returns were found with ZT and residue removed and with N fertilization. Nitrogen fertilizer, crop residue removal, and zero tillage increased net economic returns by 22, 45.1, and 31.8%, respectively. There is potential to use ZT in this region of South America.

Physical and environmental vulnerability analysis conducted for the Illangama watershed located in Ecuador's Andean highlands, shows deteriorated soil quality and declining crop productivity. These problems are caused by soil erosion in steep slopes and inappropriate soil management practices. Research projects conducted from 2011 to 2014 adopted and examined the feasibility of conservation agriculture practices for potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), oat (Avena sativa L.) and vetch (Vicia sativa L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), bean (Vicia faba L.), and a mixture of pastures (annual ryegrass [Lolium multiflorum Lam.], perennial ryegrass [L. perenne L.], orchardgrass [Dactylis glomerata L.], white clover[Trifolium repens L.], and red clover [T. pratense L.]). The practices included surface water deviation ditches, reduced tillage, residue retention, and application of N, all within an improved rotation. The study examined crop yields and economic returns in an effort to identify the best practices. Results indicate that crop productivity and net (of cost of production) benefits of the system were increased as much as 25 and 24%, respectively, using a feasible conservation agriculture system compared to conventional practices. This study shows that conservation agriculture increases yields and saves on production costs due to less tillage. We also found that N fertilization with these conservation agriculture practices increases yields and net returns. This study concludes that conservation agriculture practices are good alternatives for these high‐altitude Andean soils. The practices should be promoted among Andean producers to increase the productivity and sustainability of their potato–grain–pasture systems. Core Ideas The Andean region of Ecuador is critical for the country's food security. Cultivation of high‐slope mountainous agriculture is accelerating erosion. Conservation agriculture is an attractive management alternative. Implementation of reduced tillage could contribute to higher net income for farmers. These practices could benefit nearly 200,000 Ecuadorean farms.

El presente estudio estableció la relación que existe entre el liderazgo transformacional y las prácticas de responsabilidad social en organizaciones de mujeres productoras de cafés especiales en el sur de Colombia. Al respecto, se aplicaron dos cuestionarios para medir las variables mediante escalas Likert y se utilizó el Modelo de Ecuaciones Estructurales para validar la hipótesis con el software SPSS-AMOS. Se determinó una relación significativa y positiva entre las prácticas de liderazgo transformacional y la percepción de responsabilidad social, especialmente en las dimensiones de influencia idealizada (conducta y atribuida) y estimulación intelectual del liderazgo transformacional, y las dimensiones de asuntos laborales y sociedad de la responsabilidad social. Estos hallazgos son congruentes con la literatura actual, y complementa aspectos no abordados como la relación entre las variables estudiadas en el marco del género en organizaciones no convencionales.

Core Ideas Conservation agriculture practices evaluated in this study were agronomically effective, but expensive. Reduced tillage resulted in similar yields in all crops of the potato–oat/vetch–barley–faba rotation to conventional tillage. Retaining crop and cover crops residues in the field rather than for animal fodder will make the greatest contribution to soil nutrient cycling, but likely to be the least accepted conservation agriculture practice evaluated in this study by regional farmers. The Illangama region of Ecuador's highlands is typical of much of the Andean region throughout South and Central America. Steep slopes, frequent soil disturbance and the short fallow periods threaten the sustainability of soil quality and crop production in this region. We evaluated several conservation agricultural practices, including deviation ditches, crop residue retention, and reduced tillage in the context of a potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)–oat/vetch (Avena sativa L./Vicia sativa L.)–barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)–faba bean (Vicia faba L.) rotation from 2011 to 2014 on crop productivity, crop and soil nutrient concentration, and nutrient removal from the system. Crop productivity tended to be higher in plots that had deviation ditches, and where crop and cover residues were retained in the field. Reduced tillage systems had yields similar to conventional tillage systems in all crops. Retaining crop and cover crop residues in the field had the greatest impact on recycling nutrients back to the soil, but was also the most costly conservation practice that we evaluated. Overall, conservation agricultural practices showed considerable agronomic promise for cropping systems in the Illangama region of Ecuador, but will require a longer evaluation period and a comprehensive outreach plan to help gain acceptance with regional farmers. Retaining crop and cover crops residues in the field rather than for animal fodder will make the greatest contribution to soil nutrient cycling, but likely to be the least accepted conservation agriculture (CA) practice evaluated in this study.