Exploring the Impacts of Lead Farmer Selection on Community Social Learning: The case of Farmer-to-Farmer Model: A Review of Literature

Agricultural extension has shifted towards community-centric, farmer-centered, and participatory approaches that enhance rural change through a social learning lens, resulting in the emergence of the farmer-to-farmer extension model. The purpose of the study was to understand lead farmer selection criteria within the farmer-to-farmer model and their impacts on community social learning. We applied Torraco’s (2005) integrative literature review method to guide our discussion around lead farmer selection processes, types of lead farmers selected and their impacts on social learning. The study indicated farmer-to-farmer extension model has the potential of re-invigorating the provision of agriculture extension services owing to its low cost, reliability, and the potential to be sustainable. However, farmer-to-farmer faces numerous challenges such as a lack of funding, limited community adoption, and acceptance of the system. This study’s findings suggest the farmer-to-farmer approach can be more effective when stakeholders, especially the community is actively involved in designing, implementing, and evaluating the model. The study recommends that practitioners work closely with the community to develop long-term relationships based on trust through intentionality and inviting attitude that respects and values community knowledge

Dissecting the Roles of Social Capital in Farmer-to-Farmer Extension: A Review

Various types of relationships within a farmer-to-farmer (F2F) extension system can influence farmers’ access to advancement opportunities, resources, capacity building, and social and professional networks. Using a social capital theoretical lens, this review elucidates the nature of these relationships and networks to better understand how bonding, bridging, and linking social capital may be leveraged in positive and negative ways and how relationship dynamics relate to farmers’ power, opportunities, and gender equity. This research demonstrates that all three types of social capital are instrumental but play different and often complementary roles in F2F extension. While bonding social capital is crucial for social cohesion, too few connections to outside actors and networks may cause farmer communities to become wary and unreceptive to innovation and change. On the other hand, outside linkages without sufficient bonding social capital to build trust may lead to inequitable distribution of desirable resources and power. Our most fundamental recommendation is to use social capital conceptualizations – specifically bonding, bridging, and linking – in the design, implementation, and evaluation of F2F extension systems. Participatory mapping of social capital, using a social equity lens, could help farmer groups identify where social capital is plentiful and where it is scarce. Building awareness among diverse farmer communities about social capital dynamics, especially linked to gender, may encourage shifts in attitudes and decision-making to reduce barriers and help marginalized farmers build social capital. Finally, we recommend making host communities and farmer groups attractive to outside interests, investments, and networks, to promote development and innovation

Toward Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Outreach and Engagement in Extension Education: Expert Consensus on Barriers and Strategies

Barriers to the successful implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) education and outreach initiatives are being documented across higher education institutions as DEI policies and protocols are gaining attention. Despite growing attention to promote DEI in higher education institutions, there remains a need to examine barriers preventing DEI efforts in a systematic way, particularly in Extension education contexts to formulate strategies to promote DEI. We present an expert, consensus-based framework to identify the most salient barriers to successful DEI implementation in Extension. We also discuss opportunities for Extension practitioners to overcome salient barriers with tailored mitigation strategies

Building Self-reliance: A Framework to Evaluate Smallholder Coffee Farmers’ Pursuit of Commercialization

This study examines the application of a self-reliance framework for practitioners and evaluators to better understand the capacities and intrinsic factors impacting smallholder coffee farmers’ commercialization behaviors. We surveyed 40 smallholder coffee producers in Peru using a quantitative instrument. Data were analyzed to determine if statistical relationships exist between farmers’ self-reliance (measured via knowledge and skills, attitudes, and aspirations) and their commercialization behaviors. Findings indicate the self-reliance framework effectively illustrates relationships between farmers’ aspirations, knowledge and skills and their commercialization behaviors, while future, additional studies are needed to better measure and understand the role of commercialization-related attitudes. Practitioners can leverage the study’s findings by using a self-reliance framework to infer farmers’ likeliness to pursue sustainable commercialization practices and align their trainings and design interventions based on evaluation findings. The conceptual self-reliance framework is the first of its kind applied for smallholder coffee commercialization. The findings demonstrate that self-reliance concepts employed recently in other contexts may potentially be used similarly by extension and development facilitators

Intercultural Competency Development Model for Extension Professionals: Expert Consensus Using the Delphi Technique

To address concerns about the applicability of existing intercultural competence models to the Extension context, we aimed to develop a systematic intercultural competence framework tailored for Extension professionals through a collaborative and consensual process. A three-phased Delphi approach was utilized with a panel of 36 intercultural competence experts in Extension across academic disciplines to identify and finalize competencies thought to be necessary across career phases. The panel agreed upon 54 competencies in total with 13 competencies to develop in the first year, 37 competencies to develop in the first three years and four competencies in years two through seven

Testing Social Media Water Conservation Messages that Convey Extension Evaluation Results

In this study, we tested frames Extension professionals could use to promote residential water conservation through social media. We randomly assigned Florida residents to view one of six visual messages with water conservation facts or stories and then measured willingness to engage with education programs and conservation behaviors. There were clear differences in message frame performance, but better performance was highly dependent on outcome metrics used. Therefore, we were unable to identify a preferred frame. These findings need to be further examined in an authentic social media environment to inform best practices in social media message framing for Extension professionals

Identifying Forest Health Gaps: A Needs Assessment of Tree and Forest Health Extension Education

There is growing demand for a broader conception of tree and forest health by commercial and private timberland owners, who make up a substantial proportion of Extension clientele in the southeastern United States. There has been little research to comprehensively capture and represent Extension agents\u27 needs, concerns, and perceived barriers as they respond to client questions and requests regarding tree and forest health topics. Our needs assessment results highlight needs and barriers Extension agents encounter as they address tree and forest health requests from clientele. We provide recommendations for research and practical applications for improving relevant resource support in Extension

Exploring graduate students’ socialization to international agriculture: A mixed methods needs assessment

Internationalization of higher education’s agricultural disciplines is essential to account for agrifood system trends toward globalization and multiculturalism. Professional and academic associations can play a formative role preparing graduate students for their agricultural careers. Guided by socialization theory, this needs assessment explores graduate students’ perceived needs, expectations, and ideas to optimize engagement with associations focused on international agriculture. A convergent mixed methods design integrated and contrasted quantitative and qualitative data from an online survey—filled by 26 student participants—and qualitative data from a virtual fishbone focus group with seven participants. Students’ perceptions appear responsive to trends toward globalized food systems and demonstrate their desire for socialization to gain internationally focused capacities and connections to opportunities in a variety of global agricultural areas. Findings indicate associations geared toward internationally oriented scholarship and academics should expand to better encompass international development practice. Doing so would provide greater insight into practitioners’ priorities and facilitate alternative career pathways for graduate students interested in practice. Additionally, findings point to needs for student mentoring and communication efforts focused on equitable and inclusive engagement with first generation students and students in developing countries who may be financially inhibited from traveling for in-person socialization activities

A mixed methods study assessing the adoption potential of a saliva-based malaria rapid test in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract Background The reliance on blood for thin and thick blood smear microscopy—using a relatively invasive procedure has presented challenges to the use of reliable diagnostic tests in non-clinical settings at the point-of-need (PON). To improve the capacity of non-blood-based rapid diagnostic tests to confirm subclinical infections, and thereby identify and quantify the human reservoir at the PON, a cross-sectoral collaboration between university researchers and commercial partners produced an innovative, non-invasive saliva-based RDT capable of identifying novel, non-hrp2/3 parasite biomarkers. While this new saliva-based malaria asymptomatic and asexual rapid test (SMAART-1) shows increased detection sensitivity and precision potential by identifying a new P. falciparum protein marker (PSSP17), appraising its utility in the field—particularly with respect to its adoption potential with children and adults in high risk, endemic regions—is necessary to warrant its continued development. Methods The purpose of this study was to assess the acceptability and adoption potential of the SMAART-1 at select PON sites in the Kinshasa Province. Teachers, community health workers, nurses, and laboratory technicians participated in data collection at three distinct community sites in Kinshasa Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Three data collection methods were utilized in this mixed methods study to provide an overarching acceptability evaluation of the SMAART-1 at PON field sites: observation checklists of SMAART-1 implementation, focus group discussions, and surveys with local health care practitioners—particularly teachers and community health workers. Results Findings indicate participants were interested in and supportive of the SMAART-1 protocol, with approximately 99% of the participants surveyed indicating that they either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” with the statement that they “would use the saliva-based malaria asymptomatic rapid test as part of a community malaria detection and treatment programme.” Data also suggest that the protocol was broadly appealing for its testing sensitivity and ease of use. Conclusions The SMAART-1 protocol’s clinically reliable results demonstrate a promising new level of sensitivity and precision for detecting parasite biomarkers. This study’s mixed-methods assessment of the protocol’s utility and adoption potential in the field, with a target user audience, advances its development and points to opportunities to formalize and expand evaluation efforts