Understanding the impact of agricultural socialized services on smallholder adoption of green production technologies and their mechanisms of action is of great importance for sustainability of farming systems.Current...Understanding the impact of agricultural socialized services on smallholder adoption of green production technologies and their mechanisms of action is of great importance for sustainability of farming systems.Currently,there were numerous related studies,but it is still unclear how to gradually achieve the diffusion of technological innovations on pilot sites to a regional level.To answer this question,this paper presents the pathways and mechanisms of green production technologies diffusion by comparing international typical service organizations or modes such as agricultural technology extension service centers(ATESC),farmer field schools(FFS),participatory technology innovation(PTI)and integrated colearning approach(ICLA),while taking Wangzhuang Science and Technology Backyard(WZ STB)in Quzhou,Hebei Province,China as an example.This research had three key outcomes.(1)The combination of collaborative,tree-shaped and jump-start diffusion modes promotes the diffusion of participatory technology innovation to different scales,such as farmers,villages and counties.(2)The three diffusion modes combine and expand the advantages of existing international modes.The collaborative diffusion mode not only provides full scope for the advantages of PTI,but also provides smallholders with service supply for the whole production period.The tree-shaped diffusion mode combines the advantages of FFS from point technology innovation to village diffusion,while achieving a full range of technical service support.The jump-start diffusion mode cannot only achieve large-scale technology diffusion like ATESC and ICLA,but also empower smallholders through adaptive technology innovation.(3)Trust is the key to promoting smallholder reliance on the science and technology provided by STB and to promote their adoption of green production technologies.Accordingly,the following policy recommendations were proposed:strengthen the combination of top-down and bottom-up technology innovation and diffusion models,establish an effective service com展开更多
Although agriculture is the backbone of the African economy, it has faced considerable challenges in the past sixty years. Africa has moved from being a self-sufficiency continent before the 1960s, to net food importe...Although agriculture is the backbone of the African economy, it has faced considerable challenges in the past sixty years. Africa has moved from being a self-sufficiency continent before the 1960s, to net food importers, with a handful of countries facing severe food shortages from drought, desertification, climate change and wars. In this article, we use the case of Northern Ghana to explore some of the salient dynamics that have resulted in the current crisis in the African agricultural sector over time. Using historical and contemporary evidence gathered from Northern Ghana during several field trips from 2013 to 2015, we argue that practices adopted as a result of colonial influence in combination with socio-economic and biophysical factors and ineffective economic policies have contributed immensely to the poor state of agriculture in Africa. Note should be taken that most of these economic policies have origins from the Structural Adjustment Policies and the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers. We conclude that our agricultural systems can be improved if policies are inclusive, equitable and sustainable and also if there are synergies between international or government organisations implementing agricultural projects over time and space.展开更多
文摘Understanding the impact of agricultural socialized services on smallholder adoption of green production technologies and their mechanisms of action is of great importance for sustainability of farming systems.Currently,there were numerous related studies,but it is still unclear how to gradually achieve the diffusion of technological innovations on pilot sites to a regional level.To answer this question,this paper presents the pathways and mechanisms of green production technologies diffusion by comparing international typical service organizations or modes such as agricultural technology extension service centers(ATESC),farmer field schools(FFS),participatory technology innovation(PTI)and integrated colearning approach(ICLA),while taking Wangzhuang Science and Technology Backyard(WZ STB)in Quzhou,Hebei Province,China as an example.This research had three key outcomes.(1)The combination of collaborative,tree-shaped and jump-start diffusion modes promotes the diffusion of participatory technology innovation to different scales,such as farmers,villages and counties.(2)The three diffusion modes combine and expand the advantages of existing international modes.The collaborative diffusion mode not only provides full scope for the advantages of PTI,but also provides smallholders with service supply for the whole production period.The tree-shaped diffusion mode combines the advantages of FFS from point technology innovation to village diffusion,while achieving a full range of technical service support.The jump-start diffusion mode cannot only achieve large-scale technology diffusion like ATESC and ICLA,but also empower smallholders through adaptive technology innovation.(3)Trust is the key to promoting smallholder reliance on the science and technology provided by STB and to promote their adoption of green production technologies.Accordingly,the following policy recommendations were proposed:strengthen the combination of top-down and bottom-up technology innovation and diffusion models,establish an effective service com
文摘Although agriculture is the backbone of the African economy, it has faced considerable challenges in the past sixty years. Africa has moved from being a self-sufficiency continent before the 1960s, to net food importers, with a handful of countries facing severe food shortages from drought, desertification, climate change and wars. In this article, we use the case of Northern Ghana to explore some of the salient dynamics that have resulted in the current crisis in the African agricultural sector over time. Using historical and contemporary evidence gathered from Northern Ghana during several field trips from 2013 to 2015, we argue that practices adopted as a result of colonial influence in combination with socio-economic and biophysical factors and ineffective economic policies have contributed immensely to the poor state of agriculture in Africa. Note should be taken that most of these economic policies have origins from the Structural Adjustment Policies and the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers. We conclude that our agricultural systems can be improved if policies are inclusive, equitable and sustainable and also if there are synergies between international or government organisations implementing agricultural projects over time and space.
