Why are cluster farmers adopting more aquaculture technologies and practices? The role of trust and interaction within shrimp farmers' networks in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Joffre, Olivier; Vries, J.R. de; Klerkx, Laurens; Poortvliet, P. Marijn

doi:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2020.735181

Cited by 61 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…It may also in part be due to a wariness of biased commercial advice or in some cases limited expertise in soil management (Ingram 2008 ). That farmers are now turning to their peers for advice and support has also been observed in more recent studies (Joffre et al 2020 ; McKitterick et al 2019 ; McMorran 2021 ) as other farmers are perceived to not have a conflict of interests, and instead have applied, practical experience that is more relevant to the innovating farmer (Inman et al 2018 ). Tsouvalis et al ( 2000 ) argued that farmers particularly value knowledge gained through farming experience, and in turn value researchers and advisors who work directly with farmers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…Farmer motivations to implement more sustainable agricultural practices are complex and include agronomic, economic, environmental, political, psychological and social factors (Baumgart-Getz et al 2012 ; Prager and Posthumus 2010 ; Ulrich-Schad et al 2017 ; Dessart et al 2019 ). When determining a farmer’s likelihood of adopting more sustainable management approaches and technologies, it is crucial that farmers have access to good quality information from sources perceived as trustworthy (Mills et al 2017 ; Joffre et al 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Have farmers had enough of experts?

Rust

Stankovics

Jarvis

et al. 2021

Environmental Management

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The exponential rise of information available means we can now, in theory, access knowledge on almost any question we ask. However, as the amount of unverified information increases, so too does the challenge in deciding which information to trust. Farmers, when learning about agricultural innovations, have historically relied on in-person advice from traditional ‘experts’, such as agricultural advisers, to inform farm management. As more farmers go online for information, it is not clear whether they are now using digital information to corroborate in-person advice from traditional ‘experts’, or if they are foregoing ‘expert’ advice in preference for peer-generated information. To fill this knowledge gap, we sought to understand how farmers in two contrasting European countries (Hungary and the UK) learnt about sustainable soil innovations and who influenced them to innovate. Through interviews with 82 respondents, we found farmers in both countries regularly used online sources to access soil information; some were prompted to change their soil management by farmer social media ‘influencers’. However, online information and interactions were not usually the main factor influencing farmers to change their practices. Farmers placed most trust in other farmers to learn about new soil practices and were less trusting of traditional ‘experts’, particularly agricultural researchers from academic and government institutions, who they believed were not empathetic towards farmers’ needs. We suggest that some farmers may indeed have had enough of traditional ‘experts’, instead relying more on their own peer networks to learn and innovate. We discuss ways to improve trustworthy knowledge exchange between agricultural stakeholders to increase uptake of sustainable soil management practices, while acknowledging the value of peer influence and online interactions for innovation and trust building.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Have farmers had enough of experts?

Rust

Stankovics

Jarvis

et al. 2021

Environmental Management

Self Cite

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“…A study on the adoption of aquaculture technologies in Vietnam also showed why the clustering of producers resulted in higher levels of adoption of sustainable production technologies. Joffre et al [45] found that the frequency of interaction and trust among farmers, as well as between the farmers and value chain stakeholders (vertical integration), influenced their adoption decisions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unpacking the Processes that Catalyzed the Adoption of Best Management Practices for Lowland Irrigated Rice in the Mekong Delta

Flor

Tuấn²,

Hùng

et al. 2021

Agronomy

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Vietnam is supportive of the transition to sustainable rice production in the Mekong Delta. The national program promoted best management practices for rice production through “1 Must Do and 5 Reductions” (1M5R). This review traces the technological development and uptake of 1M5R in national policies and by end-users. We highlight the outcomes from various policy-supported initiatives and unpack plausible pathways that generated the widespread adoption of 1M5R in eight provinces in the Mekong River Delta: at least 104,448 smallholder rice farmers were reached, and 1M5R practices adopted on 113,870 hectares. The scaling of 1M5R was enabled through a convergence of different socio-technical systems with varied foci, including sustainability certification, contract farming, consolidation of production, and improved use of inputs, aside from the development of sustainable technologies. In addition, 1M5R was promoted with incentives generated by a World Bank project and other initiatives in line with a national policy of increasing the quality of rice production for national and international markets. The interconnections of varied socio-technical systems, enacted by different intermediaries, catalyzed the spread of 1M5R. The widespread adoption by smallholder farmers increased their profits and raised awareness across diverse stakeholder groups of the higher marketability of rice produced with sustainable practices.

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“…The factors mentioned here are clearly related to constraints, which mark a lower ability to adapt. In turn, social connections, experience, and knowledge are highly typical of proactive farmers and were found to have a relation with lower perceived vulnerability (e.g., [68]). In fact, social connections were the most frequently mentioned driver of engaging in proactive adaptation.…”

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Farmers’ Perceived Vulnerability and Proactive versus Reactive Climate Change Adaptation in Chile’s Maule Region

2021

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Changes in climatic conditions are unavoidable and irreversible and an early and effective adaptation in farming systems will be vital for resilient agriculture. Although the extant literature has described factors that explain climate change adaptation, the roles of proactive versus reactive adaptation related to perceived vulnerability are still underexplored. The aim of our study was to open a new angle of discussion by linking farmers’ perceptions of vulnerability with their adaptation response, and exploring the dynamic of such a relationship. Semi-structured interviews with farmers were held in the Maule Region of central Chile (n = 36). The interview included questions o about main agricultural challenges, perceptions of climate change and its impact, adaptation strategies, and perceptions of vulnerability, exposure, sensitivity, and ability to adapt. In order to interpret the interview data, a content analysis procedure was followed. The results indicate that farmers respond differently by either engaging in proactive or reactive adaptation behavior. Furthermore, the patterns of either proactive or reactive adaptation behavior can be explained by structural factors and social and human capital. While structural factors, such as production systems and financial capital, explain engaging in adaptation to climate change, social and human capital act as enhancing factors that explain proactive adaptation. Future policies on adaptation behavior should focus on promoting proactive forms of adaptation behavior by developing and enhancing social connections and access to information, as well as on the provision of financial schemes to enable efficient and effective adaptation within the agricultural sector.

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Why are cluster farmers adopting more aquaculture technologies and practices? The role of trust and interaction within shrimp farmers' networks in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Cited by 61 publications

References 54 publications

Have farmers had enough of experts?

Have farmers had enough of experts?

Unpacking the Processes that Catalyzed the Adoption of Best Management Practices for Lowland Irrigated Rice in the Mekong Delta

Farmers’ Perceived Vulnerability and Proactive versus Reactive Climate Change Adaptation in Chile’s Maule Region

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