Adoption of agricultural land management technologies by smallholder farmers in the Jos Plateau,Nigeria

Against a background of growing concern about the adverse effects of agricultural land degradation due to accelerated soil erosion, nutrient depletion and high population pressure, farmers in the Jos Plateau, Nigeria have adopted biological and structural land management practices, though the degree of adoption of such practices varies from one farm household to another. This study, based on a survey of 150 farm households, employed a stepwise multiple linear regression model to analyse the factors significantly influencing the adoption of land management technologies. The results of the analysis revealed four variables, namely, extension service, agricultural labour force, accelerated soil erosion and out-migration, explaining nearly 90% of the variation in the range of land management technologies adopted. The first three of these variables have positive influences on adoption. Extension service appeared to be the strongest, impacting on skills in the agricultural labour force. Policy recommendations are made in line with the findings of the analysis.     

Transformation of smallholder beef cattle production in Vietnam

This research describes and analyses how smallholder crop livestock farmers in rural Ea Kar, Vietnam, were able to take advantage of the rising demand for meat in urban centres and transform cattle production from a traditional, extensive grazing system to a more intensive, stall-fed system that supplied quality meat to urban markets. The traditional grazing system produced low-quality animals that could only be sold for local consumption. Introduction of the concept of farm-grown fodder production enabled farmers to produce fatter animals, achieving higher sale prices, and reduce labour inputs by moving from grazing to stall-feeding. These benefits convinced farmers, traders and local government that smallholder cattle production could be a viable enterprise and so stimulated stakeholder interest. Within 10 years, the way that cattle were produced and marketed changed considerably. By 2010, more than 3,000 smallholders had adopted farm-grown forages and stall-feeding, and many produced high-quality beef cattle. Traders had been able to develop access to urban markets as farmers were able to produce animals that satisfied the stringent quality requirements of urban markets. In addition to the underlying driver of strong market demand for quality meat, several factors contributed to this transition: (i) a convincing innovation – the use of farm-grown fodder – that provided immediate benefits to farmers and provided a vision for local stakeholders; (ii) a participatory, systems-oriented innovation process that emphasised capacity strengthening; (iii) a value chain approach that linked farmers and local traders to markets; (iv) the formation of a loosely structured coalition of local stakeholders that facilitated and managed the innovation process; and (v) technical support over a sufficiently long time period to allow innovation processes to become sustainable.     

基于韦伯二重合理性的农户生态耕种行为分析

目的 基于韦伯二重合理性理论框架,通过对传统农业大省江西省农户生态耕种行为理性的评价,分析农户生态耕种行为主要因素的影响规律,为农户生态耕种激励政策的制定提供参考。方法 文章以江西省农户为调查对象,采取分层抽样和随机抽样相结合的方式选取样本农户,针对户主或是参与农业经营决策的家庭主要成员开展访谈和问卷调查相结合的入户调查。利用获取的1 488份有效问卷数据,通过层次分析-熵值定权法确定农户生态耕种理性评价指标权重并进行评价,得出农户生态耕种行为理性的评价值。运用Order-Probit模型分析二重合理性理论框架下农户生态耕种行为的工具理性、价值理性及其交互以及其他主要因素的影响规律。结果 （1）样本农户平均采纳生态耕种行为4.735项,工具理性评价均值为0.546 8,价值理性评价均值0.354 2,丘陵区农户生态耕种行为工具理性和价值理性值比平原、山地区更高。（2）当前,工具理性在农户生态耕种行为采纳上起到消极的抑制作用,价值理性起到积极的促进作用,而二重合理性的冲突减弱了农户生态耕种采纳率。（3）家庭劳动力占比越高、耕地收入占比的提高,农户采取生态耕种行为的可能性越高,而促进小农户向新型农业现代经营主体的转变是提高农户生态耕种行为采纳的有效途径之一。（4）农户保留仅供自家消费的耕地说明其对耕地生产的安全性持有疑虑,更加愿意进行生态耕种以保持耕地和农产品健康。结论 需要积极落实生态农产品的补偿,完善有关法规制度和质量监管,实现生态耕种的产品价值,以达到农户追求效益的工具理性与耕地保护的价值理性之间的协调统一。     

耕地质量禀赋、社会分工对农户化肥减量技术采纳行为的影响——基于鄂豫两省样本农户的实证

目的 促进农户采纳化肥减量技术是保障农产品安全、治理农业污染和推动农业绿色发展的重要举措,文章旨在探究耕地质量禀赋与社会分工对农户采纳化肥减量技术的影响及其内在逻辑。方法 基于湖北和河南两省700户农户的微观调研数据,利用Ordered Probit模型分析了耕地质量禀赋与社会分工对农户化肥减量技术采纳行为的影响。结果 （1）耕地质量禀赋对农户化肥减量技术采纳行为具有显著正向影响,耕地质量禀赋每增加一个单位,化肥减量技术采纳率将提高25%,土壤越肥沃,灌溉条件越便利,通机耕路的耕地,农户越会采纳化肥减量技术。（2）耕地质量禀赋越好,则农户更愿意参与横向分工,促进其采纳化肥减量技术,中介效应为0.062,且纵向分工能明显缓解质量禀赋较差耕地对农户化肥减量技术采纳的负向影响。（3）耕地质量禀赋对小农户采纳化肥减量技术具有显著正向影响,且社会分工增强了耕地质量禀赋对小农户化肥减量技术采纳行为的促进作用,而耕地质量禀赋对大农户化肥减量技术采纳行为没有显著影响。结论 因此,多渠道提升农户耕地条件,全方位推进农业社会分工,对不同规模农户采取差异化的激励和引导策略,均是推广化肥减量技术的有效途径。     

Chinese land policies and farmers’ adoption of organic fertilizer for saline soils

Soil salinization has become a global concern and poses a great threat to food production and sustainable land use. Land use policies are the main driver of saline soil farmland use in ecosystems. This paper proposes a theoretical framework for analyzing how saline soil farmland use is affected by land use practices of individual farm households. An empirical study, using an ordered probit model, was conducted based on questionnaire responses from farm households in 8 towns and 14 villages in eco-fragile areas in Shandong, Jilin and Xinjiang provinces. The results suggest that land tenure, state systems agricultural support, characteristics of a field parcel and characteristics of the farm households have different influences on farmer's land use in three regions. The adoption of organic fertilizer by individual households is constrained by the lack of stability and integrity in land tenure. Furthermore, the parcel of a field is generally small, sparsely distributed and often fragmented, which increases costs. Even subsidizing organic fertilizer does not necessarily help in its adoption. Given these challenges, this study makes recommendations for different regions that may promote the adoption of improved saline soil farmland cultivation methods by farmers.     

技术认知、获得程度与农户耕地质量保护提升行为

[目的]研究农户技术认知与获得程度对推动耕地质量保护提升工作开展有重要意义。[方法]文章以新疆为例,基于农户调查数据,利用二元Logistic模型分析技术认知、获得程度与农户耕地质量保护提升行为关系。[结果]（1）影响农户采用行为的关键因素主要来自农户对耕地质量保护提升补贴额的满意程度、现行技术满足程度、重要性认知水平、效果感受评价情况方面。（2）耕地质量保护提升的补贴形式对农户采用相关技术的行为有不同程度的影响,但结果的显著性不明显。（3）异质性结果表明：耕地质量保护提升补贴额的满意程度对南疆、东疆农户采用农膜残留回收技术、无害施肥施药技术和盐渍化治理技术的行为影响较大;耕地质量保护提升的重要性认知对北疆农户采用测土配方施肥技术、无害施肥施药技术和高效节水滴灌技术的行为影响较强;耕地质量保护提升的效果评价对南疆、东疆农户采用盐渍化治理技术的行为影响很强。[结论]当前新疆农户有强烈的耕地质量保护提升技术需求和采用愿望,要加强政策宣传与普及力度,引导农户积极开展技术交流,提高耕地质量保护提升技术采用水平。     

政府培训、技术认知与农户生态农业技术采纳行为——以稻虾共养技术为例

[目的]农户作为生态农业技术最直接的采纳者,其对生态农业技术有着独立的选择权,农户是否采纳生态农业技术直接影响到该技术的推广效率。稻虾共养技术实现了水稻种植和小龙虾养殖相协调,该技术符合生态农业技术的要求。因此,文章以稻虾共养技术为例,通过分析江苏省和湖北省稻虾共养技术推广情况,以期提高农户对稻虾共养技术的采纳行为,并重点从政府培训、农户技术认知、农户个体特征、家庭经营特征和社会网络等五方面研究其对农户采纳稻虾共养技术的影响。[方法]运用二元Logistic模型和Bootstrap方法,基于江苏省和湖北省共612份农户的微观调研数据,实证分析了政府培训、技术认知对农户稻虾共养技术采纳行为的影响及其内在作用机制。[结果](1)政府培训次数和政府培训有效性对农户稻虾共养技术采纳行为有显著的正向影响,政府培训及时性对农户稻虾共养技术采纳行为的影响效果不显著;(2)其内在作用机制主要体现在,政府培训有效性可以提高农户技术认知水平,降低其技术应用风险,最终促使农户产生技术采纳行为;(3)户主是否村干部、是否加入合作社等对农户采纳稻虾共养技术有显著的正向影响,而户主年龄和耕地块数对其技术采纳行为有显著的负向影响。[结论]政府培训能够提高农户对生态农业技术的采纳行为,并且政府通过技术培训,可以提高农户对生态农业技术的认知,进而对农户技术采纳行为产生显著的正向影响。     

减量增效技术的选择性采纳与集成推广策略

[目的]基于农户“选择性采纳”特征开展减量增效技术的系统集成与打包推广,是降低推广成本、提高推广效率的重要途径。[方法]文章运用2017—2018年浙江省638户稻农调研数据,基于列联分析、Order Probit与Multivariate Probit模型,从采纳强度和采纳结构两个方面,分析了农户化肥减量增效技术选择性采纳特征及其影响因素。[结果]农户选择性采纳现象十分普遍,且技术属性与资源禀赋共同塑造了选择性采纳特征：（1）采纳强度较低,减肥技术平均采纳强度为1.74项。（2）虽然总体上农户更加偏好资金密集型技术,但采纳结构差异明显,多项减肥技术采纳决策中同时存在替代与互补关系。（3）禀赋约束是决定农户选择性采纳的重要因素,其中劳动力数量、家庭收入等经济禀赋决定了劳动力密集型与资本密集型技术的取舍进而影响了采纳强度与采纳结构,而参与技术培训、加入合作社等社会禀赋则有助于缓解经济禀赋约束。[结论]减量增效技术的集成推广应基于农户资源禀赋异质性,制定更为灵活化、差异化的推广方案。     

社会化服务、信息获取与农户节水灌溉技术采纳行为——基于河北省775份小麦—玉米种植户调查数据的实证分析

目的 社会化服务组织是农户获取农业信息的重要信息渠道。方法 文章基于河北省775份小麦—玉米种植户调查数据,运用二元Logit模型分析社会化服务对农户节水灌溉技术采纳行为的影响,探讨信息获取在二者之间是否发挥中介作用,进一步揭示不同井深区农户之间的差异。结果 （1）社会化服务显著促进了农户采纳节水灌溉技术,信息获取在社会化服务对农户节水灌溉技术采纳行为的影响中发挥部分中介作用。（2）社会化服务对不同井深区农户节水灌溉技术采纳行为的影响存在显著差异。社会化服务对深井区农户节水灌溉技术采纳行为的促进作用大于浅井区农户,信息获取仅在社会化服务对浅井区农户采纳节水灌溉技术的影响中发挥部分中介作用。（3）外部环境中的技术补贴、政府宣传、技术培训和家庭经营特征中的参加农业合作组织和耕地经营面积等均显著促进了农户采纳节水灌溉技术。结论 政府应鼓励社会化服务组织参与农业节水项目的实施和推广,支持社会化服务组织在农业灌溉浅井区举办各种形式的节水灌溉宣传活动,加强节水灌溉技术补贴和培训,提高农户组织化程度以扩大耕地经营规模。     

资本禀赋、生态认知与农户水土保持技术采用行为研究——基于生态补偿政策的调节效应

本文基于黄土高原地区陕西、甘肃和宁夏3省份1152户农户调查数据,构建资本禀赋、生态认知、生态补偿政策和农户水土保持技术采用行为的理论模型,运用Heckman样本选择模型进行实证分析,揭示资本禀赋、生态认知、生态补偿政策对农户水土保持技术采用行为的影响机理。研究结果表明:(1)资本禀赋中,农用机械数量、林地面积对农户水土保持技术采用及采用程度都具有显著的正向影响,耕地面积对采用程度有显著的正向作用,总收入对采用行为有显著的负向作用,相互信任对采用行为有显著的正向作用;(2)农户生态认知对其水土保持技术采用行为具有显著的正向作用;(3)生态补偿政策对农户采用水土保持技术具有显著的正向作用,并且对资本禀赋、生态认知与水土保持技术采用及采用程度关系中具有正向调节效应。     

农户生计资本对不同偏好技术采纳行为的影响基于可持续生计框架的分析

目的 农户行为理论中的行为动因决定了农户在生产过程中的技术采用行为,农户的技术采用行为受到农业资源稀缺性的约束,由于农户自身生计资本的异质性,农户生计方式的选择和技术偏好都有所差异,导致农户在生产技术采用行为上也有差异。方法 文章基于农户分化背景下,从农户可持续生计的角度出发,将农户的荔枝龙眼主产区广东、广西区域的农户荔枝龙眼技术采用行为作为研究对象,选择二元Logit模型从多维的农户生计资本的视角研究农户的技术采用行为差异以及影响因素。结果 农户生计资本中的人力资本、社会资本、金融资本、自然资本和物质资本五个方面影响着农户生产技术采用与效率。结论 健全和完善保障机制,提升农户的人力资本;拓展多元化的社会网络,提升农户的社会资本;健全农村信贷制度,提升农户的金融资本;加快土地提质增效,提升农户的自然资本;加强果园设施建设和完善补贴措施,提升农户的物质资本。     

Adoption and diffusion of improved technologies and production practices in agriculture: Insights from a donor-led intervention in Nepal

Adoptions of improved technologies and production practices are important drivers of agricultural development in low-income countries like Nepal. Adopting a broad class of such technologies and practices is often critical for meeting the multifaceted goals of efficiency, profitability, environmental sustainability, and climate resilience. This study aims to address the knowledge gaps that still exist concerning what determines the adoption of improved technologies and production practices, the factors affecting their diffusion, the impact of interventions on productivity and crops grown, and the variability of impact within a particular country context. In this paper we address these questions using data collected as part of the USAID-led Knowledge-Based Integrated Sustainable Agriculture in Nepal (KISAN) project. We adopted a multistage sampling technique and surveyed 988 beneficiary households and 997 non-beneficiary households in KISAN intervention districts and non-intervention districts. Our findings suggest that, in Nepal, adoption of improved technologies and practices is significantly increased by improved access to markets, private sector involvement in selling improved seeds and disseminating information, membership in progressive farmers groups and cooperative societies, participation in agricultural training and farm visits, provision of subsidies for seeds, and access to credit. We also found the probability of the adoption of improved practices to be affected by farmers’ sources of information; for instance, the adoption of improved practices was increased when farmers obtained information from informal sources, cooperatives/farmers organizations, and public and private extension programs. The effects of KISAN projects vary significantly across the different crops grown, based on the evaluation models that address self-selection of both project participation and crop choices. These implications may also apply to other parts of the world facing similar challenges as Nepal, where limited market access, insufficient knowledge and resource capacity of farmers constrain their adoption of improved technologies and practices in agriculture.     

Herbicide resistance and the adoption of integrated weed management by Western Australian grain growers

Extension programs to encourage farmers to reduce reliance on herbicides by adopting integrated weed management (IWM) practices have met with limited success. Studies aiming to understand the factors that influence farmers' choices of integrated control practices have faced difficulties in variable specification, and have not achieved high explanatory power. Using data from grain growers in Western Australia, where herbicide resistance in major crop weeds is common, this study tests the applicability of a framework for the IWM adoption decision in which herbicide efficacy is assumed to be a potentially exhaustible resource. Farmers' perceptions of multiple techniques and other variables are aggregated using principal components, and used in logistic regressions to explain the intensity of use of IWM practices. Eighty‐six percent of growers were correctly classified according to use of multiple IWM practices. Herbicide resistance and expectations of the future availability of effective new herbicides were significant in explaining IWM adoption. IWM adoption and herbicide‐resistance management are shown to be information‐intensive and involving an intertemporal resource management decision.     

合作社嵌入对林农生态化经营非木质林产品的影响

以浙江省、江西省和福建省这3个省378户林农为样本,采用Logit模型分析合作社嵌入对林农生态化经营非木质林产品的影响。结果表明:合作社嵌入显著地促进林农生态化经营非木质林产品。此外,户主受教育年限、农户家庭林业收入所占比例、林种及家庭营林劳动力人数也在不同程度上促进林农生态化经营非木质林产品。因此,提出建立生态化经营试点示范;发挥核心社员的示范带动作用;开设针对性的生态化经营技术培训等建议。     

资源禀赋对农户黑土地保护行为的影响研究

目的 国家高度重视东北黑土地保护与利用问题，明晰农户黑土地保护行为影响因素是用好养好黑土地的重要议题。文章旨在探讨资源禀赋对农户黑土地保护行为的影响，从资源禀赋视角推动农户黑土地保护行为。方法 基于黑龙江省兰西县312份经营农户调研数据，运用二元及多元有序Logistics模型，探究人力资源、自然资源、经济资源、社会资源及信息资源等资源禀赋对农户黑土地保护行为影响。结果 农户是否采用黑土地保护技术受人力资源禀赋（黑土地保护责任义务认知、黑土地保护收益预期），自然资源禀赋（自有承包地面积、是否签订承包合同、是否转入黑土地、经营黑土地细碎化程度），经济资源禀赋（农业收入、家庭总收入），社会资源禀赋（是否加入合作社、是否参与土地托管）和信息资源禀赋（政府是否宣传黑土地保护政策、是否为中心村）的显著正向影响；上述因素除黑土地保护收益预期、自有承包地面积、是否转入黑土地、经营黑土地细碎化程度、农业收入、是否为中心村外均对农户黑土地保护技术采纳程度具有显著正向影响。结论 为更好地推动农户黑土地保护行为，应强化农户黑土地保护“责、权、利”认识，提高农业收益预期；进一步稳定承包权，建立健全土地经营权流转市场；因地制宜发展黑土区特色产业，切实提升农户家庭收入；支持多元主体协同发展，推进黑土地保护工程；发挥中心村信息资源优势，多渠道开展黑土地保护政策宣传。     

Migration,remittances and smallholder decision-making: Implications for land use and livelihood change in Central America

We model Central American migrant-sending household agricultural practices given labor losses and the concomitant infusion of remittances. Under the new economics of labor migration (NELM) framework, it is hypothesized that smallholder farm households invest remittance income in their land either to increase crop production or to transition to cattle ranching. We test this hypothesis by developing a combination of multivariate logistic, Poisson and beta regression techniques using Latin American Migration Project data to determine how agricultural land use change compared among migrant and non-migrant households in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Results indicate that a rise in months spent abroad and remittances returned do not translate into a higher percentage of farm sales, intensification or transition to cattle ranching – counter to NELM. However, farmers are investing remittances to increase row crop and pasture land holdings. These findings suggest remittance investments in quantitative increase rather than qualitative change in land use practices. Given the expansive land demands supporting low intensity smallholder agriculture and cattle, and the land degradation cattle precipitate particularly, the trend does not augur well for the sustainability of rural landscapes increasingly transformed by international remittances. Appropriate policies to champion coupled human-land system sustainability in Central America might usefully consider viable land use alternatives to remittance investments dedicated to crop and pasture expansion.     

The adoption of intensive monocrop horticulture in southern Cameroon

Results from a 1997 survey of 208 households in the humid forest zone of southern Cameroon indicate that African policy makers seeking to intensify agricultural production should focus attention on the horticultural sub‐sector. The survey, which gathered information on horticultural production practices, found that the average expenditure on agro‐chemical inputs by horticultural producers using monocrop production systems was 190US$/ha, which greatly exceeds the FAO reported national average expenditure of 6.50 US$/ha. A logit model of monocrop adoption indicated that the size of land holding per household had a negative effect on adoption, congruent with population‐driven technical change and that increases in unit transportation costs significantly decreased the probability of adoption. These findings suggest that policy makers should target horticultural intensification in areas of higher population density and promote investment in rural roads. The age of the household head had a significant negative and elastic effect on adoption, which in combination with an increase in the cohort of younger farmers in the rural population induced by macro‐economic events contributed to the spread of intensified horticulture. In the study area, roughly two‐thirds of rural households also produce cocoa and the quantity of cocoa produced was positively associated with adoption of intensive horticultural systems suggesting that export crop promotion indirectly facilitated diversification of agriculture. Women's participation in intensive monocrop production was limited and efforts to promote their greater involvement are recommended.     

设施蔬菜绿色生产技术采纳影响因素与经济效益研究——以河北省定兴县为例

[目的]农业资源环境是农业产品质量保障的基础,农业科技创新有力支撑农业产业发展,探究农业绿色生产技术的影响因素与经济效益,对保障农业产业绿色发展,提高农户绿色生产积极性具有重要意义。[方法]文章基于2020年河北省定兴县实地调研所得的219份农户数据,通过二元Logistic模型分析农户采纳绿色生产技术的影响因素,在此基础上运用倾向得分匹配方法研究技术采纳对农户家庭经济效益的作用水平。[结果]（1）虽然定兴县绿色生产技术推广取得一定成效,共有67.58%的农户采纳一种或多种绿色生产技术,但采纳程度有待提高。（2）农户的年龄、受教育程度、大棚类型、是否加入合作社、是否接受技术培训以及政府是否给予指导显著影响农户技术采纳决策。（3）采纳绿色生产技术的农户与未采纳组相比每公顷年均收入增加28.44%;测土配方技术、病虫害绿色防控技术分别带来26.52%和14.90%的增收效应,并分别在1%和5%的水平上显著,节水灌溉技术和废弃物循环利用技术增收效果不显著。[结论]绿色生产技术能显著提高农户收入,因此政府要加强对绿色生产技术的推广,通过技术培训、经济激励、构建技术推广体系等措施提高农户绿色生产...     

林业社会化服务供给对贫困农户林地投入产出影响分析

基于江西省700户用材林农户调查数据,采用回归模型定量分析林业社会化服务供给对不同贫困程度农户林地投入和产出的影响程度和影响方向,以验证林权配套改革中的社会化服务供给是否发挥应有的效果。结果表明:林木栽培技术服务对一般贫困农户林地投入和林地产出水平具有显著正向影响;金融服务对非贫困农户和重度贫困农户林地投入水平具有显著正向影响;病虫害防治等服务对非贫困农户和一般贫困农户林地投入有显著负向影响;林地面积对不同农户林地投入产出具有显著的负向影响;是否参加林地保险对重度贫困农户林地投入有显著正向影响;劳动力人数对非贫困农户林地投入有显著正向影响;家庭收入结构对不同农户林地投入产出具有显著正向影响;户主年龄对非贫困农户和一般贫困农户林地投入有显著正向影响。因此,提出针对贫困农户提供林业技术培训;加大对贫困农户林业金融扶贫力度;加大林业社会化服务体系建设的财政投入力度等对策建议。