Purpose: This article aims to contribute to building an understanding of how social media may support farmers in transition to a more sustainable agriculture. Methodology: We used a questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews with farmers concerned with sustainability issues to characterize the diversity of their social media (SM) uses and user…

Purpose: Multiple value chain challenges confront smallholder farmers, which necessitate context-specific solutions. Family resources, such as information and production inputs, are valuable assets for farmers. When properly used, farmers' family resources can help them in learning how to address value chain challenges. Yet, the learning in rural…

Context and purpose: In a context of land shortage with high rates of land degradation and soil erosion due to unsustainable agriculture practices in Burundi, vocational agriculture education needs to prioritize competencies that enable graduates to be effective change-agents in addressing sustainable agriculture challenges. This study aimed at…

Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) research methods have historically been influential in generating knowledge for long-term adaptation of human groups to their biophysical environments. This influence is especially true for the African continent, where interest in Indigenous knowledge is growing regarding development and climate change…

This case study examines the efforts of the Michigan Agricultural College (Michigan State University, hereafter MAC) to promote agricultural science and agricultural education. It promoted both, simultaneously, by collaborating with farmers' organizations to conduct agricultural education (extension) through, most notably, institutes, bulletins,…

Purpose: To achieve the ambitious policy goals concerning organic agriculture in Germany, it is crucial to understand which actors and institutions in the German organic microAKIS are most important to farmers and how farmers within the system share knowledge. This study explores these questions by focusing on farmers who are members of organic…

Purpose: While new rich learning opportunities emerged through the introduction of Innovation Platforms (IPs) in agricultural value chains, the extent to which IPs enhance farmer experiential learning is still unclear. Design/methodology/approach: This paper brings clarity to the above question by interviewing 91 coffee IP farmers. Data were…

Purpose: Networks and partnerships are commonly-used tools to foster knowledge sharing between actors and organisations in the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS), but in Europe the policy emphasis on including users, such as farmers and foresters, is relatively recent. This paper assesses user involvement in a diverse set of…

Purpose: We studied innovation processes in agriculture and nutrition to discuss a scaling approach that encompasses the technical, institutional, and behavioral dimensions of change. Approach: To understand dynamics across these dimensions, we analyzed farmers' innovation processes through two analytical lenses: farmer-centered and structural.…

Sewage sludge valorization in agricultural fields is in many countries a circular economy strategy to handle the disposal issues of this complex residue. Many countries regulate the content of heavy metals and other agrochemical parameters in sewage sludge, establishing threshold limits for its application in agricultural fields. This requires the…

This study was carried out at Mpanda Municipal Council in Katavi Region. The study aimed at assessing the factors influencing the use of M-Kilimo, an interactive mobile agriculture platform in communicating agricultural information among extension workers. The specific objectives were to determine the characteristics of Agricultural Extension…

Purpose: Digital extension is widely embraced in African agricultural development, promising unprecedented outcomes and impact. Especially phone-based services attract attention as tools for effective and efficient agricultural extension. To date, assessments of digital extension services are generally ex-post in nature, thus consideration of…

Purpose: To advance understanding about the way endogenous knowledge on mangrove swamp rice (MSR) farming is transmitted, reinvented and negotiated between generations and highlight the implications this has for R4D. Design/Methodology/Approach: Long-term qualitative research using an ethnographic approach, technography and biographies of farmers.…

Purpose: Understanding the context of urban agriculture in a rural state is critical for the success of and collaboration between local food actors and other organizations, such as the Cooperative Extension Service. This study aimed to determine a local definition of urban agriculture for Arkansas and investigated the context of urban agriculture…

Purpose: Explore advisor understanding of their roles in advisory systems characterised by differing mixes of public and private funding and delivery. Methodology: A systems perspective of advisory system governance is combined with an individual perspective of advisor roles. Data from a survey of 38 Australian, 19 New Zealand, 606 Argentine and…