Coerced Agricultural Modernization: A Political Ecology Perspective of Agricultural Input Packages in South Wollo, Ethiopia

To address systemic malnutrition, food insecurity, and a need to manage natural resources sustainably, within the context of an agricultural economy, the Ethiopian government has invested more than 15 percent of the national development budget in agriculture programs as part of the Agriculture Development Led Industrialization (ADLI) plan (MARD 2010; Berhanu and Poulton 2014). This article explores one such program – row planting of Eragrostis tef (tef). Tef is an important staple crop, with critical nutrient content for child growth and development (Stallknecht et al. 1993). Despite the use of demonstration plots and input packages, adoption of tef row planting in the study region, South Wollo, is minimal. This article uses a political ecology framework to provide historical context to this issue of non-adoption, as well as a much-needed critique of current innovation programs from the point of view of those most marginalized by modernization efforts. Using a mixed methods approach, this study found farmers’ relationship with the agricultural knowledge and information system was built on uneven power relationships, and coercion was often used to elicit farmers’ purchase of the necessary inputs to utilize row planting, increasing farmers’ distrust in the system. Additionally, high-interest loans and a perceived negative impact of fertilizer on tef plants contributed to further distrust and conflict of interest for extension agents. This uneven power structure and coercion has contributed to farmers’ gradual shift from cereal production to a cash crop-based production system

Missouri Hunger Atlas 2016

AtlasThis atlas assesses the extent of food insecurity in the state of Missouri. It also gauges how well public programs are doing in meeting the needs of those of our fellow citizens who have difficulty acquiring sufficient amounts and qualities of food. The concept of food security, as the Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program within the United States Department of Agriculture defines it, refers to “access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food insecurity in this country is normally due to insufficient resources for food purchases, and the majority of food insecure households avoid hunger by relying on a more narrow range of foods or acquiring food through private and public assistance programs

Missouri Hunger Atlas 2013

This atlas assesses the extent of food insecurity in the state of Missouri. It also begins to gauge how well public programs are doing in meeting the needs of those of our fellow citizens who have difficulty acquiring sufficient amounts and qualities of food. The concept of food security, as the Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program within the United States Department of Agriculture defines it, refers to "access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life." Food insecurity in this country is normally due to insufficient resources for food purchases, and the majority of food insecure households avoid hunger by relying on a more narrow range of foods or acquiring food through private and public assistance programs. In 2011, 50.1 million Americans lived in food insecure households, 16.7 million were children. The USDA reported that 14.7 percent of households in the US experienced "low food security" in 2011. Households experiencing "very low food security" accounted for 5.6% of households, meaning the food intake of some household members was reduced and their normal eating patterns were disrupted because of the lack of money and other resources

The social and economic organization of Missouri agriculture, 1964-1992

Cover title."September 1995"--Page 2 of cover.Title from JPEG cover page (University of Missouri Digital Library, viewed June 17, 2010)

Analysis of social, fiscal, and structural factors affecting integrated pest management programs in Missouri and implications for future programs to protect water quality

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) has experienced a resurgence of interest due in part to continuing reports of drinking water contamination by agricultural pesticides. In response to the decertification of certain pesticides used for soil insect control on corn, in the early 1970s federal programs established Cooperative Extension Service sponsored IPM programs in several midwestern States to promote insect scouting on corn and cotton. This report documents the various factors which facilitated the growth and decline of these programs in Missouri and the ongoing transformation of such services into the private sector and other agencies. The objective of this report is to provide policy prescriptions to enhance the future adoption of IPM in Missouri and other areas that will facilitate the protection of water resources. Research in Missouri regarding pesticide use practices and water quality issues indicates that there is a considerably higher incidence of IPM use in counties that historically had, or still currently have, Extension sponsored programs. Interviews were conducted with University personnel responsible for implementing these programs, county Extension agents responsible for overseeing the programs, private sector businesspeople who are currently offering IPM services, and farm opeators who previously used, and/or now participate in, IPM Extension programs or private services. Interviewees were asked what factors contributed to the success, failure, and/or transformation of the county programs. Results indicate that these factors include quality and turnover of the scouts, committment of the Extension agent, economic and climatological variables, institutional support, and packaging IPM programs with other programs such as irrigation.Project # G-2029-04 Agreement # 14-08-0001-G-2029-0

Facets of conscientiousness and their differential relationships with cognitive ability factors

This study examined relationships between conscientiousness facets and both broad factors of cognitive ability and collegiate GPA. Students responded to 117 Conscientiousness items and 15 cognitive tests demarcating fluid intelligence, crystallized intelligence, quantitative reasoning, visual processing, and broad retrieval ability. Confirmatory factor analysis replicated the eight-factor model found in MacCann, Duckworth, and Roberts (2009). Conscientiousness facet correlations with Cognitive Ability and GPA revealed that Cautiousness exhibited the highest correlation with Cognitive Ability, while Industriousness showed the strongest relationship with GPA. Procrastination Refrainment was the only facet negatively related to Cognitive Ability. Implications of these results are discussed in light of previ- ous research and the potentially moderating effect of high- versus low-stakes testing on the relationship between conscientiousness and cognitive ability

Missouri Hunger Atlas 2010

According to the US Department of Agriculture, 15.8 percent of Missouri's nearly six million residents were food insecure in 2008. This suggests that 934,034 residents faced uncertainty in acquiring sufficient food for their household. Further, the USDA estimates that 5.8 percent of the population, or roughly 344,000 Missourians, had very low food security (formerly food insecure with hunger) in 2008, suggesting they experienced hunger. Trends in food insecurity and hunger are not positive ones for our state, as current averages for both measures have continuously increased over the first decade of this century. Public spending on hunger programs (e.g., SNAP/Food Stamps) totaled more than 1.4 billion dollars in 2008. The Missouri Hunger Atlas 2010is a collaborative effort of University of Missouri faculty to document, at the county-level, the breadth and extent of hunger need, and the performance of public and private programs in meeting that need