Insights into adoption of farming practices through multiple lenses: an innovation systems approach

Clarke, Elizabeth; Jackson, Tamara; Keoka, Khamlouang; Phimphachanvongsod, Viengsavanh; Sengxua, Pheng; Simali, Phetsamone; Wade, Len J.

doi:10.1080/09614524.2018.1504890

Cited by 22 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…These actions released additional labour to engage in alternative on-farm and off-farm income-generating activities. This finding is very much in line with other studies that show that nontraditional off-farm and nonfarming activities have become integral to the way households generate income in Lao PDR [12][13][14][15], as well as in other emerging economies [75].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…The flip side of the switch to white rice is the threat it carries to preferred subsistence food for the family. Decisions on household agricultural practices are being made in the larger context of industrialization and urbanization, with nontraditional off-farm and nonfarming activities becoming integral to the way that households generate income [12][13][14][15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Game-Based Approach to Exploring Gender Differences in Smallholder Decisions to Change Farming Practices: White Rice Production in Laos

et al. 2020

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What influences farmers’ decisions to adopt agricultural technologies is an important question for international agricultural research projects. There are often interpersonal differences between women and men that influence the adoption of decisions and behaviours, but few studies in the literature focus on these factors. We describe a game-based approach to explore decision-making processes underpinning the adoption of new farming technologies and practices in Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Sowing a different rice variety is the tailored technology. The game explored adoption behaviours influencing decisions on transitioning from growing glutinous rice, a traditional variety preferred for consumption, to “white” rice for commercial export to international markets. We conducted separate game-workshops with 36 women and 36 men in 4 villages of southern Laos that were transitioning from subsistence to commercial smallholder production. The gaming exposed various possible behaviours and decisions that women and men considered. Access to resources, both assets and information, was equal for all players, yet women were found to adopt new rice varieties more readily than men and to engage in cooperative behaviours in the game situation. The study highlighted the need for further gender-sensitive research into cooperation among women in the agricultural context—an understanding beneficial for countries and regions undergoing agricultural transition.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Game-Based Approach to Exploring Gender Differences in Smallholder Decisions to Change Farming Practices: White Rice Production in Laos

et al. 2020

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“…Considering the points noted in Table 2, the drill is likely to be adopted in areas where hand-transplanting is still practised and early planting in the wet season is acceptable to the farmer. It should be noted that in neighbouring Savannakhet province, drill use spread rapidly in 2015-2016 to over 15,000 ha (Clarke et al, 2018), although the early commencement of the 2017 wet season reduced its use in that province.…”

Section: Seed Drillmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research strategies for mechanised production of rice in transition from subsistence to commercial agriculture: a case study from Khammouan in Lao PDR

Fukai

Xangsayasane

Manikham

et al. 2019

Plant Production Science

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Mechanised rice production has started to take place in response to rural labour shortage and increased labour cost in Khammouan province in central Laos where subsistence rice production is being replaced with commercial agriculture. This paper summarizes the results of recent findings of four mechanised items, combine harvester, seed drill, transplanter, and artificial grain dryer, and discusses research strategies for advancement of the mechanised rice production system. Combine and seed drill were considered to have good potential for reduction in production cost and hence the likelihood of farmer adoption. Synergistic effects of these four and other items are noted; for example, the adoption of combine harvesting service is associated with farmer's accessibility to drying facilities. Artificially dried grain has been shown to decrease broken rice component during the milling process, resulting in higher grain quality, and hence increased marketability. The proposed research strategies focus on the production of rice with reduced cost and increased grain quality for increased farmer adoption of contracting services available for mechanised rice production. The strategies include promotion of large size paddy fields to allow efficient use of machinery and reduced service fees. Other strategies which are discussed include identification of suitable rice varieties and other technologies that maximize in field machinery efficiency. The requirements of actors in the rice value chain working together for mechanised rice production are emphasised.

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“…The results from economic analysis demonstrate the economic advantages to the farmer of growing perennial rice, which accrue predominately via savings in labour and labour intensity by not having to sow and transplant in each crop cycle (Tables 8 and 9). Labour scarcity is increasingly an issue in rice production [20][21][22], so it is not surprising that farmers liked the capacity of PR23 to regrow after harvest (Table 10), thereby reducing labour demand, and also the drudgery implicit in transplanting, especially for women and children.…”

Section: Economics and Farmer Preference Of Pr23 Perennial Rice Versumentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance, Economics and Potential Impact of Perennial Rice PR23 Relative to Annual Rice Cultivars at Multiple Locations in Yunnan Province of China

et al. 2018

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Perennial grain crops hold the promise of stabilizing fragile lands, while contributing grain and grazing in mixed farming systems. Recently, perennial rice was reported to successfully survive, regrow, and yield across a diverse range of environments in Southern China and Laos, with perennial rice PR23 being identified as a prime candidate for release to farmers. This paper reports the evaluation of PR23 for release, by (1) comparing its survival, regrowth, performance, and adaptation with preferred annual rices across nine ecological regions in southern Yunnan Province of China; (2) examining the economic costs and benefits of perennial versus annual rice there; and (3) discussing the evidence for the release of PR23 as a broadly adapted and acceptable cultivar for farmers. Overall, the grain yield of PR23 was similar to those of the preferred annual rice cultivars RD23 and HXR7, but the economic analysis indicated substantial labour savings for farmers by growing the perennial instead of the annual. PR23 was comparable to the annuals in phenology, plant height, grain yield, and grain size, and was acceptable in grain and cooking quality. Farmers were keen to grow it because of reduced costs and especially savings in labour. PR23 is proposed for release to farmers because of its comparable grain yields to annual rices, its acceptable grain and milling quality, its cost and labour savings, and the likely benefits to soil stability and ecological sustainability, along with more flexible farming systems.

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Insights into adoption of farming practices through multiple lenses: an innovation systems approach

Cited by 22 publications

References 14 publications

A Game-Based Approach to Exploring Gender Differences in Smallholder Decisions to Change Farming Practices: White Rice Production in Laos

A Game-Based Approach to Exploring Gender Differences in Smallholder Decisions to Change Farming Practices: White Rice Production in Laos

Research strategies for mechanised production of rice in transition from subsistence to commercial agriculture: a case study from Khammouan in Lao PDR

Performance, Economics and Potential Impact of Perennial Rice PR23 Relative to Annual Rice Cultivars at Multiple Locations in Yunnan Province of China

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