The economics of risk, uncertainty and learning in the adoption of new agricultural technologies: where are we on the learning curve?

Marra, Michele C.; Pannell, David J.; Ghadim, A. Abadi

doi:10.1016/s0308-521x(02)00066-5

Cited by 437 publications

(327 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…This stance is properly aligned with the view of end-users in HCI, where users are considered as experts of their work practices, and one of the major challenges in developing useful ICT systems is to grasp their tacit knowledge ''in the wild'' (e.g., Rogers 2012). Nowadays it is obvious for many researchers that farmers' own knowledge, grounded in experience of their complex life situations or ''life-world'', must be carefully considered in the development process of agricultural innovations (e.g., Eastwood et al 2012;Lindblom and Lundström 2014;Lindblom et al 2013;Marra et al 2003). This shift in perspective of the ''problem of implementation'', from persuasion of farmers to cocreation of knowledge, technology and meaning, develops agriculture in a desirable trajectory.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting sustainable intensification in precision agriculture: review of decision support systems development and strategies

et al. 2016

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Precision agriculture provides important issues toward a more sustainable agriculture. Many farmers have the necessary technology to operate site-specifically, but they do not use it in practice, and thus available information and communications technology (ICT) systems are not used to their full potential. This paper addresses how to reduce the so-called ''problem of implementation'', based on the knowledge that participatory approaches during the design and development process is one of the most important factors to frame technology adoption. The development of sustainable ICT systems through theories and methodologies from the fields of human computer interaction and user-centered design (UCD) is presented and an ongoing Swedish project for development of an agricultural decision support system (AgriDSS) for nitrogen fertilization is used as an example to frame the issue. The overreaching aim is to develop AgriDSSs that are sustainable in design as well as through design by stressing the importance of participatory approaches for the successful development of AgriDSSs. The Swedish project has the intention to apply a UCD approach, and some pitfalls on starting to use this way of working is identified as well as some suggestions on how to reduce them through co-learning processes. Despite the challenges presented in this paper, ICT can contribute significantly to long-term sustainable development. Thus, several competences and scientific disciplines need to act in concert to help develop a sustainable development of agriculture via a transdisciplinary approach that can make an impact on society at many levels.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting sustainable intensification in precision agriculture: review of decision support systems development and strategies

et al. 2016

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“…Market information can help farmers assess, for instance, the likely differences in economic returns when switching to a different crop or whether to take the financial risk of investing in light of expected future returns (Marra et al, 2003). In most developing countries, price information is gathered by the government (through Ministries of Agriculture or Trade) and disseminated via radio, newspaper, internet, email, mobile phones or notice boards (Ferris et al, 2008).…”

Section: Background 21mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Role of Mobile Phones in Offering Price Information and Market Linkages: The Case of M‐Farm in Kenya

Baumüller

2015

E J Info Sys Dev Countries

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Many farmers in the developing world have limited access to agricultural technologies and markets. Mobile phone-enabled services that offer price information and market linkages could contribute towards bridging this gap by reducing uncertainty about expected profits, information asymmetries and market inefficiencies. This article uses the example of the price information and marketing service M-Farm in Kenya to empirically test this potential. Findings from a survey of M-Farm users confirm that m-services offering price information can help farmers plan production processes better, but also show that the radio can be an effective dissemination channel especially at the early stages of production. While evidence on the utility of the price information to help farmers obtain better prices is inconclusive, resulting changes in cropping patterns and harvesting times are likely to have contributed to perceived income gains. M-Farm appears to have had limited impact on trading relationships. In terms of methodology, the study also highlights the limitations of relying on farmers' perceptions gathered through surveys when assessing the impact of m-services.

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“…Farmers, like most other people, also place greater weight on potential negative outcomes of risk and they are generally willing to sacrifice potential income to avoid either risk or uncertainty (Ghadim and Pannell 2003;Marra, et al 2003;Dewan, 2011; Picazo-Tadeo and Wall 2011).Peasant farmers are naturally keen to avoid taking risk which might threaten their livelihoods. This behaviour influences the levels and types of inputs they use and the aggregate levels of output produced.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Attitude and Insurance: A Causal Analysis

Amaefula¹,

Okezie²,

Mejeha³

2012

ECONOMICS

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Decisions regarding insurance depend crucially on the extent to which individuals are willing to bear risk.Farmer's decision of whether or not to participate in insurance is likely to be influenced by comparison of expected net gain (or loss) with or without insurance. The attitudes of farmers to risk were assessed using Likert scale. The results show that farmers were aware of the benefits of agricultural insurance and were positively disposed to it. However, majority were against using insurance as a prerequisite for extension of credit lines. This study uses Safety First principle to investigate the impact of insurance on risk attitude of farmers.The result show the overall mean to be 2.47 implying that the farmers were intermediate risk takers. The risk attitude coefficient showed that 20.6 percent were low risk-averse, 40.2 percent intermediate risk-takers and 39.2 percent showed high risk-aversion. The influence of socio-economic factors revealed that age, education, experience and stock size were significant and positive determinants of risk attitude. Access to agricultural insurance impacted positively on the attitude of farmers to production risk. The Chow test confirmed differences in risk attitude between farmers with insurance and farmers without insurance.

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The economics of risk, uncertainty and learning in the adoption of new agricultural technologies: where are we on the learning curve?

Cited by 437 publications

References 47 publications

Promoting sustainable intensification in precision agriculture: review of decision support systems development and strategies

Promoting sustainable intensification in precision agriculture: review of decision support systems development and strategies

Assessing the Role of Mobile Phones in Offering Price Information and Market Linkages: The Case of M‐Farm in Kenya

Risk Attitude and Insurance: A Causal Analysis

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