Understanding farmers’ uptake of organic farming: An application of the theory of planned behaviour

Whilst the adoption of agricultural techniques has received considerable attention in the literature, the ability and willingness of potential adopters to change their current farming system is often overlooked. This paper is concerned with the intention of conventional farmers to convert to organic farming by using the social-psychology theory of planned behaviour. Drivers and barriers of conversion to organic farming are identified by applying a belief based concept, which is confirmed using principal component analysis. In addition, accounting for heterogeneity regarding farmers‟ environmental attitudes masks considerable differences, notably at intention, attitudes and control perceptions. Overall, results reveal that conversion is indeed affected by attitudes of the farmer, perceived social pressure and ability to convert.Organic farming, Theory of planned behaviour, Principal component analysis, Heterogeneity, Production Economics,

Adoption and Abandonment of Organic Farming: An Empirical Investigation of the Irish Drystock Sector

The adoption and possible abandonment of organic farming has yet received little attention in the literature. As time plays an important role in explaining farming decisions, a dynamic econometric framework, namely duration analysis, is used. The probability of entry to and exit of the organic drystock sector is modeled considering a wide range of economic and non‐economic factors. Organic support payments emerge as important driving factor of adoption over time. The empirical results also highlight the importance of environmental and risk attitudes, farming experience as well as influence of other organic farmers on the probability to adopt organic farming; whereas decisions to abandon organic farming appear to be mainly driven by economic and structural factors. Farmers who have an off‐farm job are more likely to abandon organic farming and a more ‘intensive’ farm system has a positive effect on staying organic.adoption, abandonment, organic farming, duration analysis, economic and non‐economic factors., Farm Management,

The Effect of Modality Preference on Reading and Listening Comprehension

The effect of modality preference on the reading and listening comprehension of fifty-three fourth graders was studied by comparing the results from two modality preference tests with the scores from reading and listening tasks, which included multiple-choice questions on the literal and inferential levels. Data indicated that modality preference did not affect reading and listening comprehension, and there was no difference in the scores of the four modality preference groups when reading and listening. On the literal level, listening scores were better than reading scores; there were no differences on the inferential level and the total of literal and inferential level. Students and their teachers were not aware of slight differences in reading and listening performance

The Economic Returns to Membership of a Dairy Discussion Group: Evidence from the Irish National Farm Survey

In December 2009 the Irish Department of Agriculture launched the Dairy Efficiency Programme. The Programme, which is operated through a series of discussion groups, is designed to promote technology transfer to dairy farmers. Drawing on National Farm Survey data from 2009, the purpose of this paper is to quantify the economic return to membership of dairy discussion groups. An endogenous switching regression model is specified for over 300 dairy farms to assess the impact of discussion group participation on farm gross margins. The results indicate self-selection into discussion groups, suggesting that „better‟ farmers tend to participate. Generally, younger farmers who operate larger farms are more likely to join discussion groups. Discussion group members have higher gross margins than non-members, but non-members could increase their gross margins if they join discussion groups. Overall, the findings confirm positive returns to discussion group membership, thus supporting the Dairy Efficiency Programme.Endogenous switching regression model, Discussion group membership, Dairy Efficiency Programme, Livestock Production/Industries,

The Fastest Flights in Nature: High-Speed Spore Discharge Mechanisms among Fungi

BACKGROUND: A variety of spore discharge processes have evolved among the fungi. Those with the longest ranges are powered by hydrostatic pressure and include "squirt guns" that are most common in the Ascomycota and Zygomycota. In these fungi, fluid-filled stalks that support single spores or spore-filled sporangia, or cells called asci that contain multiple spores, are pressurized by osmosis. Because spores are discharged at such high speeds, most of the information on launch processes from previous studies has been inferred from mathematical models and is subject to a number of errors. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, we have used ultra-high-speed video cameras running at maximum frame rates of 250,000 fps to analyze the entire launch process in four species of fungi that grow on the dung of herbivores. For the first time we have direct measurements of launch speeds and empirical estimates of acceleration in these fungi. Launch speeds ranged from 2 to 25 m s(-1) and corresponding accelerations of 20,000 to 180,000 g propelled spores over distances of up to 2.5 meters. In addition, quantitative spectroscopic methods were used to identify the organic and inorganic osmolytes responsible for generating the turgor pressures that drive spore discharge. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The new video data allowed us to test different models for the effect of viscous drag and identify errors in the previous approaches to modeling spore motion. The spectroscopic data show that high speed spore discharge mechanisms in fungi are powered by the same levels of turgor pressure that are characteristic of fungal hyphae and do not require any special mechanisms of osmolyte accumulation

Socioeconomic determinants of organic cotton adoption in Benin, West Africa

Organic cotton relies on ecological processes and the use of natural resources to sustain the production system, unlike conventional cotton, mainly characterized by massive utilization of synthesis chemicals. In West Africa, where rural livelihoods are particularly vulnerable, organic cotton is expected to contribute not only to poverty reduction but also to strengthen households’ resilience. The objective of this study was to assess institutional and socioeconomic factors determining farmers’ decisions to adopt organic cotton. For this purpose, we applied a probit model on empirical data collected from producers of the Centre and the Northern parts of Benin. Overall, we found that organic cotton adoption is mainly determined by farmers’ socioeconomic characteristics, the physical distance between farm and house, and contact with extension and advisory services. Organic farming is more attractive to women compared to conventional farming. This because such type of cotton farming enables women to hold a separate cotton farm and thus increase their economic independence, whereas with the conventional system they depend mainly on the farm of the (male) head of the household. Older, less educated and low-income farmers who express environmental concern are more likely to adopt organic cotton. Subsequently, organic cotton should be considered as a prospective policy option to reach the poor and strengthen their livelihoods conditions while contributing to preserve the environment and natural resources. Furthermore, farmers who have their farm near home are more likely to adopt organic farming than those who have the farm far from their home. It also came out that organic farmers have more contacts with advisory and extension services. Finally, the study noted that there is still a need to enhance the extension system by: (1) exploring, designing, and upgrading innovative pedagogic tools such as videos and mobile phone technology to foster learning; and (2) strengthening organic farmer’s organizations and the linkage with agricultural research organizations for technology development

The role of emotions in the choice to adopt, or resist, innovations by Irish dairy farmers

In this paper we uncover the emotional factors that contribute to the adoption, or rejection, of different categories of innovation by dairy farmers in Munster, Republic of Ireland. Although emotions have been extensively researched in different fields, little research to date has examined the effects of emotions on farmers' decision making. Munster is the most important region for grass-based dairy farming in Ireland and this type of farming still plays an important role in Ireland's economy and sense of self. By using in-depth interview data from 27 dairy farmers and 6 other participants in the local industry we identified three categories of innovation that were influenced by different emotional pathways. We further uncovered the strong value-driven emotions that underpin the Irish dairy farmers' beliefs about what farming is, and means, and the influence that this has on innovation choices