Increasing Production Diversity and Diet Quality: Evidence from Bangladesh.

In the context of rural Bangladesh, we assess whether agriculture training alone, nutrition Behavior Communication Change (BCC) alone, combined agriculture training and nutrition BCC, or agriculture training and nutrition BCC combined with gender sensitization improve: (a) production diversity, either on household fields or through crop, livestock or aquaculture activities carried out near the family homestead and (b) diet diversity and the quality of household diets. All treatment arms were implemented by government employees. Implementation quality was high. No treatment increased production diversification of crops grown on fields. Treatment arms with agricultural training did increase the number of different crops grown in homestead gardens and the likelihood of any egg, dairy, or fish production but the magnitudes of these effect sizes were small. All agricultural treatment arms had, in percentage terms, large effects on measures of levels of homestead production. However, because baseline levels of production were low, the magnitude of these changes in absolute terms was modest. Nearly all treatment arms improved measures of food consumption and diet with the largest effects found when nutrition and agriculture training were combined. Relative to treatments combining agriculture and nutrition training, we find no significant impact of adding the gender sensitization on our measures of production diversity or diet quality. Interventions that combine agricultural training and nutrition BCC can improve both production diversity and diet quality, but they are not a panacea. They can, however, contribute towards better diets of rural households.

Comparing delivery channels to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture: A cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh.

We use a randomized controlled trial in rural Bangladesh to compare two models of delivering nutrition content jointly to husbands and wives: deploying female nutrition workers versus mostly male agriculture extension workers. Both approaches increased nutrition knowledge of men and women, household and individual diet quality, and women's empowerment. Intervention effects on agriculture and nutrition knowledge, agricultural production diversity, dietary diversity, women's empowerment, and gender parity do not significantly differ between models where nutrition workers versus agriculture extension workers provide the training. The exception is in an attitudes score, where results indicate same-sex agents may affect scores differently than opposite-sex agents. Our results suggest opposite-sex agents may not necessarily be less effective in providing training. In South Asia, where agricultural extension systems and the pipeline to those systems are male-dominated, training men to deliver nutrition messages may offer a temporary solution to the shortage of female extension workers and offer opportunities to scale and promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture. However, in both models, we find evidence that the presence of mothers-in-law within households modifies the programs' effectiveness on some nutrition, empowerment, and attitude measures, suggesting that accounting for other influential household members is a potential area for future programming.

Assessing climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and agricultural innovation systems in the Niger Delta.

Climate change and its impacts on agriculture have been widely discussed at national and global levels. An important aspect of the discussion has been adaptation/mitigation approaches. Consequently, several strategies have been suggested as measures to ensure agriculture remains productively profitable. However, food security especially in critical times, such as the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a challenge even for regions naturally endowed for agriculture. The study evaluated research recommended strategies, and further examined the innovativeness of the strategies in fostering sustainable agricultural innovation system (AIS) in the Niger Delta. The study relied on both secondary and primary data; analysed 129 previous studies and gathered responses from 282 extension agents. The study introduces a method for assessing the innovativeness of strategies by calculating their rated values on five traits. Findings revealed the issues and implications of adopting most recommended strategies and the place of most strategies in fostering AIS. The study highlights the possible reasons why farmers fail to adopt most strategies as suggested by studies on climate change in the region. Based on the findings, recommendations were made on the way forward. The study adds to the scanty discussion of climate change and AIS at regional levels, particularly in the climate change prone and oil rich Niger Delta region. The study offers a novel approach for scoring innovations in agriculture.

Design of Digital Agricultural Extension Tools: Perspectives from Extension Agents in Nigeria.

Given the marked heterogeneous conditions in smallholder agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is a growing policy interest in site-specific extension advice and the use of digital extension tools to provide site-specific information. Empirical ex-ante studies on the design of digital extension tools and their use are rare. Using data from a choice experiment in Nigeria, we elicit and analyze the preferences of extension agents for major design features of ICT-enabled decision support tools (DSTs) aimed at site-specific nutrient management extension advice. We estimate different models, including mixed logit, latent class and attribute non-attendance models. We find that extension agents are generally willing to use such DSTs and prefer a DST with a more user-friendly interface that requires less time to generate results. We also find that preferences are heterogeneous: some extension agents care more about the effectiveness-related features of DSTs, such as information accuracy and level of detail, while others prioritise practical features, such as tool platform, language and interface ease-of-use. Recognising and accommodating such preference differences may facilitate the adoption of DSTs by extension agents and thus enhance the scope for such tools to impact the agricultural production decisions of farmers.

Partnering with cattle ranchers for forest landscape restoration.

Transforming Latin America's extensive grazing systems is critical for forest landscape restoration (FLR) but conservation initiatives rarely make efforts to include cattle ranchers. Engaging ranchers requires understanding their perceptions about how improved management and conservation practices fit into their overall production strategy. To assess ranchers' motivations and limitations for adopting conservation-friendly practices, I surveyed 191 ranchers and extension agents participating in a silvopastoral project in Colombia. I found that ranchers are integrating multiple practices they perceive as complementary for achieving their goals: practices aimed at improving productivity are motivated by utilitarian values, while practices targeting environmental degradation and climate change are driven by stewardship and identity values. Input costs and labor shortages currently limit the expansion of conservation-friendly practices, but in-kind support and small cash payments could potentially alleviate these barriers. Silvopastoral ranchers can be instrumental partners in FLR provided that initiatives are designed with their perspectives in mind.

Training needs of extension agents' regarding organic agriculture in Saudi Arabia.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the needs of extension agents for training on organic agriculture (OA) in the Riyadh Region. Fifty-five percent (n = 69) of extension agents were selected to collect data through an electronic survey. Results indicated that extension agents in the Riyadh Region cited on job training as a main source for acquiring knowledge in OA. Agents expressed interest in receiving training in OA in general, OA marketing, and transitioning to OA. The most useful resources were field days at organic farms, OA training sessions at colleges, and attending OA trial plots. There were no differences in the level of interest in training; however, there were significant differences between individuals in terms of their experience in OA, job responsibility for providing information related to OA, and area of specialization in their job. This study recommends developing professional training programs based on the current knowledge of extension agents.

Lameness on Brazilian pasture based dairies - Part 2: Conversations with farmers and dairy consultants.

A farmer or a dairy consultant's ability to identify and properly treat lame dairy cows is key to managing lameness on farms. However, this ability is dependent on their knowledge and perceptions regarding lameness. To date these topics are poorly understood in all dairy systems. To our knowledge, this is the first study that uses a qualitative approach to describe the perception of lameness in Brazilian pasture-based dairy farms. The aim of this study was firstly, to contextualize farmers and dairy consultants' culture and knowledge on the topic of lameness and, secondly, to understand how these factors may influence lameness management on the farms. In-depth face-to-face semi-structured interviews were done with participating farm owners (n = 21) and dairy consultants (n = 13). Thematic analyses of the interview content provided evidence that the dairy community's overarching culture around lameness acts as a barrier preventing positive actions targeting lameness control and prevention. The emerging themes identified indicate that lameness is a vague, ill-defined concept among both farmers and dairy consultants working in this region. There was a shared belief that pasture-based systems have a low risk for lameness. Furthermore, the prevailing culture for tackling lameness was reactive, particularly in the case of lame cows affected by physical trauma or environmental factors. Treatment was frequently delayed and the misuse of antibiotics was evident. Described community culture was rationalised via the cognitive dissonance and health belief models. We suggest that increased dialogue, including educational efforts within the community, may lead to increased sensitivity of risk perception of lameness within the community and in turn trigger appropriate diagnosis and treatment of lame cows.