Purchasing and up-scaling of the privatized advisory services: An innovation perspective on privatized soil testing in Africa

Malima, Gabriel; Eshetie, Saba; Rahaman, Abdulai; Mrosso, Pastory; Witteveen, Loes

doi:10.1080/15575330.2020.1758737

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 11 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Walisinghe et al [27] contended that extension services positively influenced technology adoption in Sri Lanka for farmers cultivating all varieties of rice. Malima et al explored the factors that affect the purchasing and upscaling of the privatized mobile soil testing services in Africa and addressed the importance of system institutions influenced adoption of the service [28]. However, only a few studies have addressed the relationship between extension contacts and the adoption of environmentally conscious practices from the supply side.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Extension Contact on the Adoption of Formulated Fertilizers and Farm Performance among Large-Scale Farms in Rural China

2022

Land

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Growing concerns about the environmental costs of agricultural production have given new impetus to the promotion of sustainable agricultural production technologies that can reduce soil erosion and the excessive use of agricultural chemicals. Although numerous policies have been implemented to popularize soil testing and formulated fertilization technologies in China, the diffusion of the technology among large-scale farmers (LSFs) has been addressed only rarely. We used a two-stage controlled function model to control for endogeneity and selection bias in contacting extension staff to assess the effect of an extension contact on technology adoption behavior by LSFs, Propensity Score Matching techniques are also utilized to analyze the effects of extension contact on the rice yields and nutrient use amount. Empirical results from Jiangsu and Jiangxi provinces show that extension contact plays a crucial role in promoting soil testing and the adoption of formulated fertilization technologies; LSFs’ adoption raises rice yields, however, the impact of extension contact on reducing nutrient use amount does not pass the significance test. The findings add to the theoretical literature on technology extension, and we used them to suggest policies to encourage tailored agricultural extension systems by constructing rural technological extension networks.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Extension Contact on the Adoption of Formulated Fertilizers and Farm Performance among Large-Scale Farms in Rural China

2022

Land

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Site-specific, balanced fertiliser recommendations are seen as the way forward to close yield gaps (Chivenge et al, 2022;Ezui et al, 2016). However, obtaining site-specific fertiliser recommendations based on soil testing currently is not (economically) feasible for most small-holder farmers (Malima et al, 2020). Therefore cost-effective tools are needed for predicting nutrient availability and the yield response to fertilisation, taking into account interactions of several plant essential nutrients that may limit yields.…”

Section: Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Models for predicting nutrient availability in soils from sub-Saharan Africa

Breure

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Are agricultural extension systems ready to scale up ecological intensification in East Africa? A literature review with particular attention to the Push-Pull Technology (PPT)

Isgren,

Clough,

Murage

et al. 2023

Food Sec.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Agricultural extension, or advisory services, have a key role to play in supporting farmers’ learning and adoption of new practices and technologies. This paper analyses gaps and needs which require addressing in order for extension systems to more effectively contribute to the upscaling of ecological intensification approaches in East African smallholder agriculture. Our starting point is the push-pull technology (PPT), a promising approach. PPT originated in East Africa and is being continuously improved through cycles of interdisciplinary and participatory experimentation. Despite well-documented benefits to farmers and the environment, more institutional support from agricultural extension systems (AES) is needed for PPT to realise significant impact on poverty reduction, food security, and sustainability. Departing from this assessment, we review literature on AES in five East African countries. After clarifying the AES characteristics that ecological intensification requires, emphasising the capacity to embrace complexity, we identify four thematic areas that are in urgent need of attention: first, widely recognised problems with access and inclusiveness have seen welcome innovation but remain substantial. Second, information and communication technologies provide many benefits and new possibilities, but expectations must be tempered. Third, pluralistic AES present coordination challenges that risk undermining and misdirecting extension. Finally, the political-economic underpinnings of extension require critical scrutiny and strategic interventions. While many challenges threaten extension effectiveness broadly, we highlight implications for ecological intensification approaches like PPT. Our insights thus speak to the broader question of how to design and implement extension for sustainable agricultural development in East Africa.

show abstract

Purchasing and up-scaling of the privatized advisory services: An innovation perspective on privatized soil testing in Africa

Cited by 4 publications

References 11 publications

Impacts of Extension Contact on the Adoption of Formulated Fertilizers and Farm Performance among Large-Scale Farms in Rural China

Impacts of Extension Contact on the Adoption of Formulated Fertilizers and Farm Performance among Large-Scale Farms in Rural China

Models for predicting nutrient availability in soils from sub-Saharan Africa

Are agricultural extension systems ready to scale up ecological intensification in East Africa? A literature review with particular attention to the Push-Pull Technology (PPT)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About