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Article
Publication date: 20 February 2017

Jenefer Brooke, Roziah Mohd Rasdi and Bahaman Abu Samah

The purpose of this paper is to examine the direct and indirect relationships between individual-related factors and environmental-related factors with the knowledge sharing…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the direct and indirect relationships between individual-related factors and environmental-related factors with the knowledge sharing behaviour through the mediating role of self-efficacy among successful farmers in selected states in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

The research used survey method and included 241 participants from Johor, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor. The analysis was conducted using the partial least square structural equation modelling to achieve the research objectives.

Findings

The findings indicate that individual-related factors (e.g. enjoyment in helping others, training and prior experience) and environmental-related factors (e.g. social support and trust) have significant influence on the knowledge sharing behaviour. The results also reveal that self-efficacy mediates the relationships between prior experiences (individual-related factor), social support, trust (environmental- related factor) and the knowledge sharing behaviour.

Practical implications

Agriculture officers should emphasize on farmers’ personal and social factors to encourage the knowledge sharing behaviour among the agriculture communities of successful farmers.

Originality/value

The research yields a theoretical framework that outlines the potential of six key factors in explaining the knowledge sharing behaviour among successful farmers. The factors can be considered in developing structured knowledge-sharing programs.

Details

European Journal of Training and Development, vol. 41 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-9012

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 March 2015

Unchasa Seenuankaew and Chollabhat Vongprasert

The purpose of this paper was to study the information behavior of farmers regarding value adding in production and marketing. This paper is a component of a larger and more…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper was to study the information behavior of farmers regarding value adding in production and marketing. This paper is a component of a larger and more comprehensive research study of farmers and their behavior regarding the acquisition and use of information.

Design/methodology/approach

This research was qualitative and based on the Grounded Theory. In-depth interviews, observations and field survey recordings were conducted to collect data. Pan Tae Sub-district, Khuan Khanun District, Phatthalung Province, Thailand was selected as the research field site. The sample consisted of 14 key informants selected by the theoretical sampling technique. These informants were successful in value adding to their production and marketing process.

Findings

Farmers require information because of problems associated with low product prices and being taken advantage of by middlemen. Farmers’ information-seeking behavior includes: transfer of information from governmental academic officers and community leaders, exchanges of information among community farmers and training/study trips. Farmers use information in brand building, product differentiation and development of product quality, all with the main objective of increasing income.

Originality/value

Information behaviors of farmers were theoretically summarized from farmers’ development in their social and farming context. The new and expanded knowledge obtained from a Thai context will be useful for the science and profession of library and information science. This information will also improve methods of communicating valuable information to farmers, thereby improving productivity and quality of life.

Details

New Library World, vol. 116 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4803

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 16 March 2021

Christine Narramore

This chapter is an examination of what is meant by the term ‘Good Farmer’ and whether or not this is compatible with being a good businessperson. The term ‘Feckless Farmer’ is…

Abstract

This chapter is an examination of what is meant by the term ‘Good Farmer’ and whether or not this is compatible with being a good businessperson. The term ‘Feckless Farmer’ is introduced to describe someone who is the opposite of a Good Farmer. And all of this is considered with reference to the farmers of the village of Ambridge in the West Midlands, with special emphasis on the practices of Brian Aldridge and his recent issues with contamination of his land and neighbouring watercourses. This work starts by defining key terms before moving on to consider the similarities and differences between farms and other types of businesses. The different philosophical paradigms that can underlie different definitions and practices of a Good Farmer are also explored. The ways that the economies of farms differ from most businesses will also be discussed. With some conclusions being drawn as to whether Mr Aldridge is a Good Farmer or a Feckless one, and if he deserved to be lauded as an award-winning businessperson.

Details

Flapjacks and Feudalism
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80071-389-5

Keywords

Case study
Publication date: 20 January 2017

Jamie Jones and Grace Augustine

One Acre Fund (1AF) is a nonprofit organization in rural western Kenya that helps farmers lift themselves out of poverty by providing a bundle of products and services that…

Abstract

One Acre Fund (1AF) is a nonprofit organization in rural western Kenya that helps farmers lift themselves out of poverty by providing a bundle of products and services that support farmers with quality inputs, training on farming techniques, access to credit, and assistance in achieving optimal prices. Since the organization's founding nearly a decade ago, it has grown to serve over 180,000 farm families annually as of July 2014. This high level of penetration into rural Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania makes 1AF a potential distribution channel for rolling out new products and technologies that could benefit farmers and their families. The organization prides itself on its innovative culture, and always strives to offer new products and methods to its farmers. In 2011 1AF realized that it needed to formalize its innovation process to ensure it was confident in new products before rolling them out across its entire farmer network. It therefore created a robust, multistep evaluation framework to assess new innovations on four criteria: impact, adoptability, simplicity, and operability.

After reading and analyzing the case, students will be able to:

  • Articulate the importance of understanding the user's needs and perspective throughout the innovation process

  • Identify key factors for a successful product launch into an existing channel

  • Employ an assessment framework to analyze the viability of a potential innovation

  • Design a test pilot for evaluating the launch of new innovations within an organization

Articulate the importance of understanding the user's needs and perspective throughout the innovation process

Identify key factors for a successful product launch into an existing channel

Employ an assessment framework to analyze the viability of a potential innovation

Design a test pilot for evaluating the launch of new innovations within an organization

Case study
Publication date: 10 July 2017

Mohanbir Sawhney and Saumya

In early 2017, after launching its successful “Greenhouse-in-a-Box” pilot project in India with fifteen smallholder farmers, Kheyti, a non-profit agricultural technology (AgTech…

Abstract

In early 2017, after launching its successful “Greenhouse-in-a-Box” pilot project in India with fifteen smallholder farmers, Kheyti, a non-profit agricultural technology (AgTech) social enterprise, was struggling with several decisions in developing and growing its business. Kheyti was launched in 2015 to help smallholder farmers battle poverty and income variability by providing affordable technologies bundled with services. Over eighteen months, the team had developed a low-cost and modular greenhouse product to which it added financing, inputs, training, and market linkages to create a comprehensive “full-stack” solution for small farmers. The pilot project was a success in many ways, but Saumya, Kheyti's co-founder and head of product, was concerned that it revealed shortcomings that could severely affect the viability and scalability of Kheyti's solution.

Saumya had some important decisions to make. Should Kheyti redesign the product from scratch, or find other ways to reduce the cost for early adopters? Should it rely on upfront revenues from sales of the greenhouse, or consider developing an innovative financing or contract farming model? Kheyti's dwindling cash reserves meant that these decisions were urgent and critical. The path chosen now would determine whether the startup would move beyond the pilot stage and achieve its vision of serving 1 million farmers by 2025.

Article
Publication date: 19 June 2017

Morten Jakobsen

The purpose of the paper is to analyse how the intensive use of non-financial performance measures and the lack of an economic reality among Danish farmers have contributed to a…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to analyse how the intensive use of non-financial performance measures and the lack of an economic reality among Danish farmers have contributed to a low economic performance despite high productivity. The research ambition of the paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the managerial decision-making made by family business managers, in this case farmers, and how these decisions may impact financial performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a case study including farmers, agricultural consultants and bankers. The analysis uses pragmatic constructivism to analyse the economic reality of the farmers included and the business topos among Danish farmers.

Findings

The main finding of the paper is that the dominating non-financial performance management techniques and a historically based strong emotional emphasis on size and production volume as the main success criteria for being a good farmer have led to a neglect of economic rationality. In addition, this practice has made the farmers blind to alternative possibilities for taking advantage of the resources available. The result has been an un-economic utopian reality.

Originality/value

The paper shows how the use of non-financial performance measures can lead to prolonging of a certain reality perception that may not be economically sustainable. Small family businesses such as family farms are likely to be more exposed to such risk because such businesses are run by a set of values that include more objectives that are more dominating than the profit objective. The paper concludes that family business managers must be open towards inputs from the society around the business, because family businesses may have a tendency to create their own reality that at some point may come in conflict with society of which the family business has to co-exist within.

Details

Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management, vol. 14 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1176-6093

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 4 January 2022

Meine Pieter van Dijk, Gigi Limpens, Julius Gatune Kariuki and Diederik de Boer

This article explores the potential of an emerging group of farmers in Kenya, namely the growing segment of urban-based medium-size farmers, often called “telephone farmers”. To…

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Abstract

Purpose

This article explores the potential of an emerging group of farmers in Kenya, namely the growing segment of urban-based medium-size farmers, often called “telephone farmers”. To what extent do they benefit from an emerging ecosystem to support them in operating their farms, and what does that mean for the Hidden middle of agricultural value chains, the actors between the farmers and consumers? Unlocking the potential production of telephone farmers will require more services from collectors, traders, transport firms, the storage facilities, wholesalers and processing units and retailers. Ultimately, optimized telephone farm production benefits the business of Hidden middle value chain actors, increases incomes and jobs and improves food security.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a survey and in-depth interviews a profile of the telephone farmers is given and their role as innovators is analyzed. The Latia Resource Centre (LRC) provides assistance to medium-size farmers, like the telephone farmers, helping them to prepare business plans and use modern technology and contributing to an emerging ecosystem providing support to all farmers.

Findings

The article analyzes the medium-size telephone farmers. It documents the contributions of this new agricultural actor to developing value chains and a dynamic ecosystem. The paper profiles the telephone farmers first and then identifies what they need and the support they receive. The emerging innovative ecosystem impacts agricultural productivity and production and hence the development of value chains. Small farmers gain access to opportunities offered by telephone farmers, working for them as outgrower or farm worker.

Research limitations/implications

The authors used a small sample of 51 farmers and covered only a two-year period.

Social implications

Small farmers are being helped through the emerging eco-system and farm labor acquire skills, which they can also you on another or their own farm.

Originality/value

Based on the analysis an even more effective ecosystem is suggested and policy recommendations are formulated before the conclusion is drawn that these medium-size farmers contribute to innovation diffusion, inclusive value chain development and food security and are becoming part of this expanding, innovative ecosystem. Following the debate on food security the results suggest to pay more attention to the development of telephone farmers given their role in developing agricultural value chains and innovative ecosystems.

Details

Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, vol. 13 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-0839

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 August 2021

Samuel Ahado, Jiří Hejkrlík, Anudari Enkhtur, Tserendavaa Tseren and Tomáš Ratinger

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of agricultural cooperative membership on potato production and technical efficiency.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of agricultural cooperative membership on potato production and technical efficiency.

Design/methodology/approach

A combination of propensity score matching technique and sample selection stochastic frontier framework that addresses potential selection bias due to observable and unobservable attributes is used to estimate the effect of participation between cooperative members and non-members. Using a stochastic meta-frontier approach, the technical efficiency of farmers was estimated and compared.

Findings

The empirical results show that the effect of participation in agricultural cooperatives is associated with increased yield and technical efficiency. A comparison of group-specific frontiers indicates that cooperative members perform better than non-members. Cooperative membership decisions is significantly associated with household and farm characteristics (e.g. education, participation in off-farm work, total farmland, distance to market and geographic location).

Practical implications

The findings of this study demonstrate that cooperative organisations can be an important tool to enhance the productivity and efficiency of smallholder farmers. Successful cooperative models together with training programs designed to enlighten farmers on the importance and tangible benefits of collective action should be used to enlarge participation in cooperative organisations. In addition, governments and development agencies should implement targeted investment and capacity building programs related to irrigation management, gender-sensitive awareness and development of the internal institutional mechanisms in cooperatives for the transfer of knowledge and mutual learning so that all members benefit from cooperatives.

Originality/value

Despite the pervasive evidence of the impact of cooperatives on productivity and technical efficiency in the Asian region, this study is probably the first attempt in the crop sector in Mongolia. It provides a rigorous empirical analysis of the impact of agricultural cooperative membership on potato production and technical efficiency through a counterfactual design.

Details

China Agricultural Economic Review, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-137X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 December 2020

Haruhiko Iba and Apichaya Lilavanichakul

This study aims to identify the key drivers influencing the success of farmers who employ direct marketing at wholesale markets. The diversification of the distribution system in…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to identify the key drivers influencing the success of farmers who employ direct marketing at wholesale markets. The diversification of the distribution system in Thailand has created many challenges for farmers, with diversified farm businesses struggling to survive and to ensure profitability across channels. Direct marketing channels at wholesale markets provide farmers the opportunity to develop a new farm business division.

Design/methodology/approach

The study consists of qualitative and quantitative approaches. First, in-depth interviews with farmers were conducted, and selected case studies were employed to develop a research framework and design the questionnaire. Second, the questionnaire survey was conducted. Using factor analysis and logistic regression, farmers' data were studied to define the factors of success in direct marketing.

Findings

Three key drivers were examined and verified. The findings indicate that the development of direct marketing channels requires farmers to efficiently allocate family labour, possess negotiation skills and manage a farmer network. Particularly, the presence of negotiation skills coupled with digital technology can enable farmers to expand the market and build their network.

Research limitations/implications

Two marketing channels have been explored. However, more choices in marketing channels utilizing digital resources should be addressed in future research.

Originality/value

This is the first empirical study to define the drivers leading Thai farmers to continue employing a direct marketing channel.

Details

Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, vol. 11 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-0839

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 3 December 2014

Débora Franco Lerrer and Leonilde Servolo de Medeiros

Major pillar of Via Campesina in Brazil, the Landless Workers’ Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra – MST) political platform combines land reform and…

Abstract

Major pillar of Via Campesina in Brazil, the Landless Workers’ Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra – MST) political platform combines land reform and agro-ecology, claiming for a profound change in the hegemonic agriculture model in the country, hoisting the ‘food sovereignty’ flag. However, this was not a linear trajectory. Focusing on events that took place in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the birthplace of the MST, this chapter aims to analyse the different path followed by MST there in order to consolidate the ‘conquered’ settlements. The organization approached, initially, a network of technicians and social organizations critics of the technological package of the Green Revolution in Brazil. Afterwards, choose to support the deployment of conventional agriculture in the agrarian reform settlements, prioritizing collective organization of labour through cooperatives of production, practicing an agriculture based in the intensive use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers and commercial seed varieties. Thanks to the growing international connections of the MST, that paved the way for the creation of Via Campesina, and to the proximity to ‘militant technicians’ coming mainly from the agronomy student movement, in the end of the 1990s, MST resumed its dialogue with alternative agriculture strands, particularly with agro-ecology, campaigning for an agriculture based on principles of environmental conservation and valorization of the peasant way of life.

Details

Alternative Agrifood Movements: Patterns of Convergence and Divergence
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78441-089-6

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