Understanding smallholder farmers' intention to adopt agricultural apps : the role of mastery approach and innovation hubs in mexico

While several studies have focused on the actual adoption of agricultural apps and the relevance of the apps’ content, very few studies have focused on drivers of the farmer’s intention and initial decision to adopt. Based on a survey of 394 smallholder farmers in 2019, this study investigated willingness to adopt an agricultural advice app in Guanajuato, Mexico. A structural equation modeling approach, based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), was applied. To understand the farmers’ adoption decisions, extended constructs were studied (e.g., mastery-approach goals) along with the farmers’ age and participation in an innovation hub. Results showed that the intention to adopt the app is predicted by how farmers appraise the technical infrastructure and acquire new knowledge by using an app. The multi-group analysis revealed that performance expectancy is a relevant predictor of the intention to adopt, whereas the mastery-approach goal is relevant only for younger farmers and farmers not connected to the innovation hub. This study provides valuable insights about the innovation hubs’ role in the intention to adopt apps, offering precision agriculture advice in developing countries. The findings are useful for practitioners and app developers designing digital-decision support tools

Toward practical implementation of conservation agriculture : a case study in the May Zeg-zeg catchment (Ethiopia)

Conservation agriculture (CA) is often quoted as a beneficial resource-saving technique for dryland agriculture, but its large-scale implementation is frequently hindered by the lack of farmers' acceptance. To date, few studies have investigated the impact of spatial factors, costs and benefits and regional agroecosystem differentiation on adoption of CA. This study, therefore, aims to assess the impact of these factors through a case study in the North Ethiopian Highlands. One hundred eight farmers of 11 villages surrounding an experimental plot were interviewed in order to identify their knowledge and acceptance of the technique. The results show that several spatial factors play a role in CA acceptance. The lack of knowledge on the resource-saving technique proved primarily dependent (R = -0.73) on spatial impedance with the innovation source and on the strength of sociospatial networks. Next, a consumer model showed that perceived costs and benefits seem to balance each other. Finally, some agronomic traditions were identified that are related to the regional agroecosystem, which are not favoring the implementation of zero-tillage practices. Since this study identified acceptance problems related to several spatial and regional factors, future CA adoption schemes must allow better regional differentiation optimized to local contexts and conditions

Nitrogen fertilizer application alters the root endophyte bacterial microbiome in maize plants, but not in the stem or rhizosphere Soil

Plant-associated microorganisms that affect plant development, their composition, and their functionality are determined by the host, soil conditions, and agricultural practices. How agricultural practices affect the rhizosphere microbiome has been well studied, but less is known about how they might affect plant endophytes. In this study, the metagenomic DNA from the rhizosphere and endophyte communities of root and stem of maize plants was extracted and sequenced with the “diversity arrays technology sequencing,” while the bacterial community and functionality (organized by subsystems from general to specific functions) were investigated in crops cultivated with or without tillage and with or without N fertilizer application. Tillage had a small significant effect on the bacterial community in the rhizosphere, but N fertilizer had a highly significant effect on the roots, but not on the rhizosphere or stem. The relative abundance of many bacterial species was significantly different in the roots and stem of fertilized maize plants, but not in the unfertilized ones. The abundance of N cycle genes was affected by N fertilization application, most accentuated in the roots. How these changes in bacterial composition and N genes composition might affect plant development or crop yields has still to be unraveled