Utilisation of Budget as a Monitoring and Evaluation Tool and Sustainability of Community Agricultural Projects Supported by Caritas in Meru County, Kenya

The objective of the study was to establish the influence of utilisation of project budget as a monitoring and evaluation tool and sustainability of community agricultural projects supported by Caritas in Meru County, Kenya. A pragmatic research paradigm was adopted and a descriptive survey research design was utilised. A pragmatic research paradigm was adopted and a descriptive survey research design was utilised. The target population was 59 smallholder farmer groups and 24 Caritas Meru staff. The sample size was 51 smallholder farmer groups and the total sample size was 177 respondents. The data collection tools were questionnaires and interview guides. The collected data were coded and entered into the SPSS version 26 program for analysis. The qualitative data was analysed by way of grouping similar responses together and identifying the main themes from them. The linear regression and Pearson’s correlation (r) methods were utilised to evaluate the link between various variables. The multiple linear regression models determined the link between dependent and independent variables together with the moderating effect of the moderating variable. It is also used as the inferential statistics that inform the decision to reject or not reject the alternative hypothesis for the research study. The study found out that an increase in the utilisation of project budgets leads to an increase in the sustainability of the community agricultural project by Caritas in Meru County and vice versa. The study concludes that there is a significant relationship between utilisation of project budget as monitoring & evaluation and sustainability of community agriculture projects. The study recommends that to ensure the sustainability of community-based agricultural projects, the organisation should train farmers’ group leaders on leadership and management skills. The organisation should train farmers on best farming practices, record keeping and conflict management practices to avoid the collapse of groups.

Conservation agriculture's effect on smallholder farmer wellbeing in Mozambique

Conservation agriculture (CA) is an important technology in many developing countries for increasing smallholder agricultural productivity and conserving arable soils. This study focuses on the effect of CA on smallholder household wellbeing including productive assets, livestock and housing material quality. The study uses a survey of CA adopters and non-adopters in the Tete and Barue districts of Mozambique. Propensity score matching was used to develop two counterfactual groups; (1) non-adopters in the communities that had received technical assistance on implementing CA, and (2) non-adopting households in communities that had not received CA instruction. Results suggest that CA adopters realized higher levels of farm production assets and better quality housing materials. CA adoption had no association with livestock ownership. The findings are encouraging with respect to demonstrating the relationship between CA adoption and improvements in smallholder household wellbeing.

Determinants of Agricultural Technology Adoption by Smallholder Farmers in Developing Countries: Perspective and Prospect for Indonesia

<p class="BodyA">The role of agricultural technology is important in developing countries. However, in many cases the adoption rate of modern agricultural technology by smallholder farmers is low. Therefore, a better understanding of agricultural technology adoption determinants is important as a major component of agricultural growth. This paper is a review and synthesize of the literature related to potential factors that may constrain or encourage smallholder farmer adoption of new agricultural technologies. The determinant factors influencing smallholder farmer adoption of new technologies in developing countries vary from study to study based on contextual applicability and specific local condition. There are four major typologies of determinant factors are identified to help explain low adoption rates of particular agricultural technology in developing countries which are technology attributes, farmer or farm household characteristics, farm characteristics and institutional factors. Future policy recommendations on adoption decision should consider all those four important factors to provide better understanding of new agricultural technology adoption by smallholder farmers, resulting in improved livelihoods for smallholders.</p><p class="BodyA">Keywords: Agricultural, technology, adoption, farmer</p><p class="BodyA"> </p><p class="BodyA"><strong>Abstrak</strong></p><p><strong>DETERMINAN ADOPSI TEKNOLOGI PERTANIAN OLEH PETANI KECIL DI NEGARA BERKEMBANG: PERSPEKTIF DAN PROSPEK UNTUK INDONESIA</strong></p><p class="BodyA">Peran teknologi pertanian sangat penting di negara berkembang. Meskipun demikian, tingkat adopsi teknologi pertanian baru oleh petani kecil masih rendah. Oleh karena itu, pemahaman terhadap faktor-faktor yang menentukan keputusan petani dalam mengadopsi teknologi sangat penting untuk meningkatkan pertumbuhan sektor pertanian. Tulisan ini adalah hasil sintesis terhadap beberapa literatur ilmiah yang berkaitan dengan faktor penghambat atau pendorong petani kecil dalam mengadopsi teknologi pertanian. Faktor yang memengaruhi petani kecil mengadopsi teknologi pertanian di negara berkembang berbeda antarstudi berdasarkan kebutuhan dan kondisi lokal tertentu. Empat kelompok utama faktor penentu yang dapat menjelaskan rendahnya adopsi teknologi di negara berkembang yaitu atribut teknologi, karakteristik petani, usaha tani, dan faktor kelembagaan. Rekomendasi kebijakan terkait keputusan adopsi teknologi seharusnya mempertimbangkan keempat kelompok faktor tersebut untuk dapat memahami lebih baik adopsi teknologi baru oleh petani kecil guna meningkatkan kesejahteraannya.</p><p class="BodyA">Kata kunci: Pertanian, teknologi, adopsi, petani</p>