6 - Impact Pathways of Weather Information for Smallholder Farmers: A Qualitative ex ante Analysis
Corresponding Author(s) : Rosaine N. Yegbemey
Africa Development,
Vol. 45 No. 4 (2020): Africa Development
Abstract
This article explores ex ante the impact pathways of a hypothetical intervention which consists in providing smallholder farmers with weather-related information. It uses a qualitative approach based on focus group discussions in three villages with smallholder farmers and agricultural extension officers to build a theory of change. Results suggest that providing smallholder farmers with weather-related information has the potential to help them in taking informed production decisions. In doing so, smallholder farmers can better allocate their production resources and eventually record higher yield and income. The ultimate impact is that smallholder farmers will have better lives (i.e. livelihoods). There are several types of weather-related information that can be useful for farmers. There are also several dissemination channels. Some are based on local social networks and others on information and communication technologies. Each channel has strengths and weaknesses and the best or optimal dissemination approach would probably depend on the setting of the intervention area. A number of assumptions need to be in place for an impactful intervention. For instance, weather-related information needs to be accurate, available in a timely manner and easy to use. The described possible impact pathways need to be tested rigorously through policy-oriented research.
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- Adamides, G., Stylianou, A., Kosmas, P. C. and Apostolopoulos, C. D., 2013, ‘Factors affecting PC and internet usage by the rural population of Cyprus’, Agricultural Economics Review 14 (1): 16.
- Aker, J. C. and Mbiti, I. M., 2010, ‘Mobile phones and economic development in Africa’, Journal of Economic Perspectives 24 (3): 207–32.
- Akter, S., Rutsaert, P., Luis, J., Htwe, N. M., San, S. S., Raharjo, B. and Pustika, A., 2017, ‘Women’s empowerment and gender equity in agriculture: a different perspective from Southeast Asia’, Food Policy 69: 270–79.
- Asenso-Okyere, K. and Mekonnen, D., 2012, ‘The importance of ICTs in the provision of information for improving agricultural productivity and rural incomes in Africa’, African Human Development 2012, available at: http://www.undp.org/content/dam/rba/docs/Working Papers/ICT Productivity.pdf.
- Asongu, S., 2015, ‘The impact of mobile phone penetration on African inequality’,International Journal of Social Economics 42 (8): 706–16.
- Babbie, E., 2011, The Basics of Social Research, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
- Bernard, H. R., 2011, Research Methods in Anthropology, 5th Edition, AltaMira Press.
- Braun, V. and Clarke, V., 2006, ‘Using thematic analysis in psychology’, Qualitative Research in Psychology 3 (2): 77–101.
- Bryan, E., Deressa, T. T., Gbetibouo, G. A. and Ringler, C., 2009, ‘Adaptation to climate change in Ethiopia and South Africa: options and constraints’, Environmental Science and Policy 12 (4): 413–26.
- Bryan, E., Ringler, C., Okoba, B., Roncoli, C., Silvestri, S. and Herrero, M., 2013, ‘Adapting agriculture to climate change in Kenya: household strategies and determinants’, Journal of Environmental Management 114: 26–35.
- Chiappetta, M., Hamza, A., Nagarajan, G. and Zaman, L., 2015, Systematic Review of the Effects of Information and Communications Technology on Expanding Agricultural Markets in Developing Countries.
- Demombynes, G. and Thegeya, A., 2012, ‘Kenya’s mobile revolution and the promise of mobile savings’, available at: https://elibrary.worldbank.org/doi/abs/10.1596/1813-9450-5988.
- FAO, 2017, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Agriculture. A Report to the G20 Agricultural Deputies. Prepared by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), available at: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i7961e.pdf.George, G., Simba,F. and Zaipuna, O. Y., 2014, ‘ICT as a tool for improving information flow among livestock stakeholders: a case study of Tanzania’, International Journal of Computer Science and Information Security 12 (8): 118–28.
- Gielen, P. M., Hoeve, A. and Nieuwenhuis, L. F. M., 2003, ‘Learning entrepreneurs: learning and innovation in small companies’, European Educational Research Journal 2 (1): 90–106.
- Koutsouris, A., 2010, ‘The emergence of the intra-rural digital divide: a critical review of the adoption of ICTs in rural areas and the farming community’, Symposium – 9th European IFSA 2010, available at: http:// www.infomediary4d.com/wp-content/uploads/Infomediaries Athens1.pdf.
- Kurukulasuriya, P. and Mendelsohn, R., 2008, ‘A Ricardian analysis of the impact of climate change on African cropland’, African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 2 (1): 1–23.
- Lokeswari, K., 2016, ‘A study of the use of ICT among rural farmers’, International Journal of Communication 6 (3): 2–38.
- Martin, P. Y. and Turner, B. A., 1986, ‘Grounded theory and organizational research’, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 22 (2): 141–57
- Mendelsohn, R., Nordhaus, W. and Shaw, D., 1994, ‘The impact of global warming on agriculture: a Ricardian analysis’, American Economic Review 84 (4): 753–71.
- Munyua, H., 2007, ‘ICTs and small-scale agriculture in Africa: a scoping study’, available at: http://agris.fao.org/agrissearch/search.do?recordID=GB2013201719.
- Mwombe, S. O. L., Mugivane, F. I., Adolwa, I. S. and Nderitu, J. H., 2014, ‘Evaluation of information and communication technology utilization by small holder banana farmers in Gatanga District, Kenya’, Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension 20 (2): 247–61.
- Odiaka, E., 2015, ‘Perception of the influence of home videos on youth farmers in Makurdi, Nigeria’, Journal of Agricultural and Food Information 16 (4): 337–46.
- Oladele, O. I., 2015, ‘Effect of information communication technology (ICT) on agricultural information access among extension officers in North West province South Africa’, S.Afr. Tydskr. Landbouvoorl./S. Afr. J. Agric. Ext. 43 (2): 30–41.
- Ritchie, J. and Lewis, J., 2012 [2003], Qualitative Research Practice: A Guide for Social Science Students and Researchers, London: Sage.
- Roudier, P., Muller, B., d’Aquino, P., Roncoli, C., Soumaré, M. A., Batté, L. and Sultan, B., 2014, ‘The role of climate forecasts in smallholder agriculture: lessons from participatory research in two communities in Senegal’, Climate Risk Management 2: 42–55.
- Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A., 2012, Research Methods for Business Students, 6th Edition, Harlow (UK): Pearson Education.
- Singh, K. M., Kumar, A. and Singh, R., 2015, ‘Role of information and communication technologies in Indian agriculture: an overview’, available at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2570710.
- Swanson, B. and Rajalahti, R., 2010, ‘Strengthening agricultural extension and advisory systems’, available at: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/23993/56587Ar.pdf sequence=3.
- Tall, A., Coulibaly, J. Y. and Diop, M., 2018, ‘Do climate services make a difference? A review of evaluation methodologies and practices to assess the value of climate information services for farmers: implications for Africa’, Climate Services 11: 1–12.
References
Adamides, G., Stylianou, A., Kosmas, P. C. and Apostolopoulos, C. D., 2013, ‘Factors affecting PC and internet usage by the rural population of Cyprus’, Agricultural Economics Review 14 (1): 16.
Aker, J. C. and Mbiti, I. M., 2010, ‘Mobile phones and economic development in Africa’, Journal of Economic Perspectives 24 (3): 207–32.
Akter, S., Rutsaert, P., Luis, J., Htwe, N. M., San, S. S., Raharjo, B. and Pustika, A., 2017, ‘Women’s empowerment and gender equity in agriculture: a different perspective from Southeast Asia’, Food Policy 69: 270–79.
Asenso-Okyere, K. and Mekonnen, D., 2012, ‘The importance of ICTs in the provision of information for improving agricultural productivity and rural incomes in Africa’, African Human Development 2012, available at: http://www.undp.org/content/dam/rba/docs/Working Papers/ICT Productivity.pdf.
Asongu, S., 2015, ‘The impact of mobile phone penetration on African inequality’,International Journal of Social Economics 42 (8): 706–16.
Babbie, E., 2011, The Basics of Social Research, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Bernard, H. R., 2011, Research Methods in Anthropology, 5th Edition, AltaMira Press.
Braun, V. and Clarke, V., 2006, ‘Using thematic analysis in psychology’, Qualitative Research in Psychology 3 (2): 77–101.
Bryan, E., Deressa, T. T., Gbetibouo, G. A. and Ringler, C., 2009, ‘Adaptation to climate change in Ethiopia and South Africa: options and constraints’, Environmental Science and Policy 12 (4): 413–26.
Bryan, E., Ringler, C., Okoba, B., Roncoli, C., Silvestri, S. and Herrero, M., 2013, ‘Adapting agriculture to climate change in Kenya: household strategies and determinants’, Journal of Environmental Management 114: 26–35.
Chiappetta, M., Hamza, A., Nagarajan, G. and Zaman, L., 2015, Systematic Review of the Effects of Information and Communications Technology on Expanding Agricultural Markets in Developing Countries.
Demombynes, G. and Thegeya, A., 2012, ‘Kenya’s mobile revolution and the promise of mobile savings’, available at: https://elibrary.worldbank.org/doi/abs/10.1596/1813-9450-5988.
FAO, 2017, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Agriculture. A Report to the G20 Agricultural Deputies. Prepared by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), available at: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i7961e.pdf.George, G., Simba,F. and Zaipuna, O. Y., 2014, ‘ICT as a tool for improving information flow among livestock stakeholders: a case study of Tanzania’, International Journal of Computer Science and Information Security 12 (8): 118–28.
Gielen, P. M., Hoeve, A. and Nieuwenhuis, L. F. M., 2003, ‘Learning entrepreneurs: learning and innovation in small companies’, European Educational Research Journal 2 (1): 90–106.
Koutsouris, A., 2010, ‘The emergence of the intra-rural digital divide: a critical review of the adoption of ICTs in rural areas and the farming community’, Symposium – 9th European IFSA 2010, available at: http:// www.infomediary4d.com/wp-content/uploads/Infomediaries Athens1.pdf.
Kurukulasuriya, P. and Mendelsohn, R., 2008, ‘A Ricardian analysis of the impact of climate change on African cropland’, African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 2 (1): 1–23.
Lokeswari, K., 2016, ‘A study of the use of ICT among rural farmers’, International Journal of Communication 6 (3): 2–38.
Martin, P. Y. and Turner, B. A., 1986, ‘Grounded theory and organizational research’, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 22 (2): 141–57
Mendelsohn, R., Nordhaus, W. and Shaw, D., 1994, ‘The impact of global warming on agriculture: a Ricardian analysis’, American Economic Review 84 (4): 753–71.
Munyua, H., 2007, ‘ICTs and small-scale agriculture in Africa: a scoping study’, available at: http://agris.fao.org/agrissearch/search.do?recordID=GB2013201719.
Mwombe, S. O. L., Mugivane, F. I., Adolwa, I. S. and Nderitu, J. H., 2014, ‘Evaluation of information and communication technology utilization by small holder banana farmers in Gatanga District, Kenya’, Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension 20 (2): 247–61.
Odiaka, E., 2015, ‘Perception of the influence of home videos on youth farmers in Makurdi, Nigeria’, Journal of Agricultural and Food Information 16 (4): 337–46.
Oladele, O. I., 2015, ‘Effect of information communication technology (ICT) on agricultural information access among extension officers in North West province South Africa’, S.Afr. Tydskr. Landbouvoorl./S. Afr. J. Agric. Ext. 43 (2): 30–41.
Ritchie, J. and Lewis, J., 2012 [2003], Qualitative Research Practice: A Guide for Social Science Students and Researchers, London: Sage.
Roudier, P., Muller, B., d’Aquino, P., Roncoli, C., Soumaré, M. A., Batté, L. and Sultan, B., 2014, ‘The role of climate forecasts in smallholder agriculture: lessons from participatory research in two communities in Senegal’, Climate Risk Management 2: 42–55.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A., 2012, Research Methods for Business Students, 6th Edition, Harlow (UK): Pearson Education.
Singh, K. M., Kumar, A. and Singh, R., 2015, ‘Role of information and communication technologies in Indian agriculture: an overview’, available at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2570710.
Swanson, B. and Rajalahti, R., 2010, ‘Strengthening agricultural extension and advisory systems’, available at: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/23993/56587Ar.pdf sequence=3.
Tall, A., Coulibaly, J. Y. and Diop, M., 2018, ‘Do climate services make a difference? A review of evaluation methodologies and practices to assess the value of climate information services for farmers: implications for Africa’, Climate Services 11: 1–12.