Roles of extension and ethno-religious networks in acceptance of resource-conserving agriculture among Ethiopian farmers

Abstract

This article analyses roles of social and extension networks in adoption of resource-conserving practices among Ethiopian farmers. We gathered data from 297 randomly sampled households on their agricultural practices, social networks, access to the extension, and geographical location. After examining general determinants of practising resource-conserving agriculture, we employ a two-stage regression with full-maximum likelihood correction for selection bias to establish the roles of general social networks and external professionals in acceptance of conservation techniques. In accordance with previous research, probit regression in the first stage shows that the access to extension increases with farmers' wealth and the size of their personal networks, and decreases with the distance of their households from village centres. However, after accounting for this unequal access to extension, the second-stage linear regression shows that regardless of education, wealth or geographical location, those whose religion and ethnicity match with their agent, report learning more about conservation from extension sources. Furthermore, farmers who are socially well connected within the community tend to be less receptive to agents' recommendations regarding resource conservation. Dissemination policy of conservation agriculture should consider the ethnic and religious affinity between farmers and their extension agents. It also needs to pay more attention to socially and geographically isolated individuals.

An experiment in strengthening the networks of remote communities in the face of environmental change: leveraging spatially distributed environmental memory

“…Formal and informal networks of information-sharing relationships between individuals and groups play important roles in the facilitation of natural resource management, the encouragement or prevention of changes in land use, agricultural innovation, and the diffusion and adoption of farming practices (Bodin et al 2006;Cadger et al 2016;Conley and Udry 2001;Demiryurek 2010;Hoang et al 2006;Isaac 2012;Isaac et al 2014;Klerkx et al 2010;Leeuwis 2004;Matous and Todo 2015;Matouš et al 2013;Prell et al 2009Prell et al , 2010Rogers 2003;Solano et al 2003;Spielman et al 2009Spielman et al , 2011Tengö and Belfrage 2004).…”

Review on Opportunities and Constraints of Fishery in Ethiopia

“…These rivers unite and become the Juba River, which eventually drains into the Indian Ocean. These Juba tributaries arise just east of Abaya and Chamo Lakes, but are separated from the lake drainages by a high mountainous divide Midway between the lower courses of the Wabi Shebelle and the Juba there is a lowlying limestone plateau with extensive underground waterways radiating out from it [43].…”

The role of motorized transport and mobile phones in the diffusion of agricultural information in Tanggamus Regency, Indonesia

“…Because of the lack of a transportation infrastructure, most social contact for the inhabitants of this pedestrian region was within 1 km of their households, and social and information-sharing links beyond approximately 3 km were rare (Matous et al 2013a). Consequently, the farmers in these isolated villages with little external social contact until recently did not know several quintessential farming practices, such as composting and row planting, that have been known and used in other regions to the benefit of the environment and the farmers who adopted them (Mojo et al 2010;Todo et al 2013;Matouš et al 2013c). In a field experiment, the researchers donated mobile phones to the local inhabitants and monitored their usage and the content of their calls over several months.…”

“…The effectiveness of formal institutions in disseminating necessary agricultural information across vast underdeveloped rural regions has been questioned (Matouš et al 2013b;Douthwaite et al 2001;Leeuwis 2004;Warner 2007;Spielman et al 2009;Gebremedhin and Swinton 2003), and informal social networks and social contact have been recognized as important channels for information-sharing about resource-conserving practices (Rogers 2003;Solano et al 2003;Schneider et al 2009;Ostrom 1990;Folke 2006;Janssen et al 2006;Pretty and Smith 2004;Bodin and Crona 2009;Bodin and Prell 2011;Leeuwis 2004;Hoang et al 2006;Isaac 2012;Isaac et al 2007;Warner 2007;Spielman et al 2011;Conley and Udry 2010;Bartholomay et al 2011). However, communication connections among the inhabitants of areas with less developed infrastructures tend to be geographically constrained, and the potential for the diffusion of beneficial practices between communities is thus limited (Matous et al 2013a;Apicella et al 2012;Urry 2004b).…”

“…However, in many remote farming villages in these countries, basic resource-conserving and economic practices, such as the application of organic fertilizers, are unknown, and locally common uninformed and wasteful agricultural practices are leading to insufficient productivity and local environment degradation (Yila and Thapa 2008;Pretty et al 2010;Beddington et al 2012;Matouš et al 2013b;Kassam et al 2009). …”