Designing Technology Adoption Frameworks for Marginalized Rural Communities. A Case Study of Small-Scale Farmers in South Africa Using Design Science Research

Designing Technology Adoption Frameworks for Marginalized Rural Communities. A Case Study of Small-Scale Farmers in South Africa Using Design Science Research
Author: Agyei Fosu
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
Total Pages: 76
Release: 2024-06-27
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 3389041079

Document from the year 2024 in the subject Computer Science - Commercial Information Technology, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (School of Information Technology), language: English, abstract: In this book, the author demonstrates how Design Science Research (DSR) approach can be used to design a tailor-made technology adoption assessment framework to gauge small-scale farmers found in developing nations' marginalised rural communities' adoption of ICT. The book presents a practical approach to illustrate the implementation process by using small-scale farmers found in the deeply isolated rural areas of Amathole District Municipality (ADM) of South Africa as a case study. The electronic environment (e-environment) created by the digital age continues to see the adoption of various technologies like Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by individuals, nations, and organisations to facilitate development, effectiveness, efficiency, enhance productivity and business opportunities. Technology adoption assessment emerged alongside the rapid adoption of technology in the digital age as a tool to evaluate the factors or determinants that influence and contribute to technology adoption. In the case of developing nations rural societies, because of the socio-economic dynamics of the marginalised rural communities, the design of the assessment tools to gauge technology adoption should capture factors such as suitability, relevance of the technology as well as local context and capacity, social implications, and availability of resources to address the unique challenges faced by the region. This makes the design of technology adoption assessment tools to gauge adoption of technology among marginalised communities in developing countries to follow a tailor-made approach.

The gap between technology awareness and adoption in Sub-Saharan Africa: A literature review for the DeSIRA project

The gap between technology awareness and adoption in Sub-Saharan Africa: A literature review for the DeSIRA project
Author: Kazembe, Cynthia
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 10
Release: 2021-03-02
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

This paper reviews different studies on technology adoption in sub-Saharan Africa to understand the determinants of low adoption of improved technologies, with a special focus on Malawi. This will in turn help explain why there is a gap between awareness and adoption of agriculture technologies. As evidenced from the results of the FGDs conducted in Malawi in 2018, despite the visible benefits of the new technologies, farmers often do not adopt or take a long time to adopt them. This creates a gap between awareness of agriculture technologies and their adoption. The existing literature from sub-Saharan Saharan Africa, demonstrates that adoption, as a decision-making process, is affected by farmers’ access to information, their financial and human capital, incentives and external programs, plus farmers’ attitude to risk.

Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization: A Framework for Africa

Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization: A Framework for Africa
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 150
Release: 2019-03-13
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9251308713

This framework presents ten interrelated principles/elements to guide Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization in Africa (SAMA). Further, it presents the technical issues to be considered under SAMA and the options to be analysed at the country and sub regional levels. The ten key elements required in a framework for SAMA are as follows: The analysis in the framework calls for a specific approach, involving learning from other parts of the world where significant transformation of the agricultural mechanization sector has already occurred within a three-to-four decade time frame, and developing policies and programmes to realize Africa’s aspirations of Zero Hunger by 2025. This approach entails the identification and prioritization of relevant and interrelated elements to help countries develop strategies and practical development plans that create synergies in line with their agricultural transformation plans. Given the unique characteristics of each country and the diverse needs of Africa due to the ecological heterogeneity and the wide range of farm sizes, the framework avoids being prescriptive.

SMALL-SCALE FAMILY FARMING IN THE NEAR EAST AND NORTH AFRICA REGION

SMALL-SCALE FAMILY FARMING IN THE NEAR EAST AND NORTH AFRICA REGION
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 185
Release: 2018-08-09
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9251095027

This report provides an overview of a study conducted in the NENA region in 2015-2016 in partnership with FAO, CIRAD, CIHEAM-IAMM and six national teams, each of which prepared a national report. In the six countries under review in the NENA region (Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Mauritania, Sudan and Tunisia), agriculture is carried out primarily by small-scale family farmers, the majority of whom run the risk of falling into the poverty trap, largely due to the continuous fragmentation of inherited landholdings. As such, the development of small-scale family farming can no longer be based solely on intensifying agriculture, as the farmers are not able to produce sufficient marketable surplus due to the limited size of their landholdings. An approach based strictly on agricultural activity is also insufficient (as small-scale family farms have already diversified their livelihoods with off-farm activities). In fact, developing small-scale farming cannot be achieved by focusing strictly on t he dimension of production.

Determining Factors and Impacts of Modern Agricultural Technology Adoption in West Wollega

Determining Factors and Impacts of Modern Agricultural Technology Adoption in West Wollega
Author: Merga Challa
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
Total Pages: 96
Release: 2014-09-16
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3656744033

Master's Thesis from the year 2013 in the subject Agrarian Studies, Wollega University (School of graduate studies), language: English, abstract: This study analyzed factors affecting modern agricultural technology adoption by farmers and the impact of technology adoption decision on the welfare of households in the study area. The data used for the study were obtained from 145 randomly selected sample households in the study area. Binary logit model was employed to analyze the determinants of farmers’ decisions to adopt modern technologies. Moreover, the average effect of adoption on household incomes and expenditure were estimated by using propensity score matching method. The result of the logistic regression showed that household heads’ education level, farm size, credit accessibility, perception of farmers about cost of the inputs and off-farm income positively and significantly affected the farm households’ adoption decision; while family size affected their decision negatively and significantly. The result of the propensity score matching estimation showed that the average income and consumption expenditure of adopters are greater than that of non-adopters. Based on these findings it is recommended that the zonal and the woreda leaders extension agents farm and education experts, policy makers and other development oriented organizations have to plan in such a way that the farm households in the study area will obtain sufficient education, credit accessibilities and also have to train farmers to make them understand the benefits obtained from adopting the new technologies. These bodies have also to arrange policy issues that improve farm labour participation of household members and also to arrange the ways in which farmers obtain means of income outside farming activities.

A Co-creation Design Framework to Support Elderly Rural Women in Refining an ICT Platform

A Co-creation Design Framework to Support Elderly Rural Women in Refining an ICT Platform
Author: Ronel Smith
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2019
Genre:
ISBN:

Although elderly women living in rural areas of South Africa and other developing nations is the most disadvantaged segment of the population, very little funding is allocated to their development, and social, economic and political empowerment. Despite their meagre resources, these women are very often responsible for looking after their families while the working age men and women migrate to cities in search of employment. The entire community can benefit when women are uplifted and empowered. There is a worldwide belief that Information and Communications Technology (ICT) can be of benefit if access is provided. However, researchers do not always agree on how ICTs should be introduced. In addition, Information Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) initiatives are known to have a notoriously high failure rate. The aim of this research project is to develop a co-creation design framework for Elderly Rural Women (ERW) in Mafarafara (area in Limpopo province of South Africa) that incorporates the implications of the social interplay within the community. The framework will contribute to an understanding of how ERWcan be co-creators of an ICT platform deployed as part of an ICT4D initiative (known as the Digital Doorway project of the CSIR, Meraka). It will also be investigated to what extent co-creation is possible in a remote rural community, when the participants are ERW with limited technical knowledge, in a social structure that may limit free participation. During seven site visits to the community, the research team determined the elderly women's needs with respect to various aspects of their lives and their exposure to ICTs. An ICT platform was refined in collaboration with the ERW to better address their needs. The initial design approach (combining participatory design, design thinking and co-creation design frameworks, models and steps) was developed by investigating the extant literature. Results of the data collected during site visits were used to develop the interim framework, which was finalised with inputs from experts in the ICT4D and co-creation disciplines. The Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM) formulated by Peffers, Tuunanen, Rothenberger and Chatterjee (2007) informed the development of the framework. Structuration theory was used to explicitly outline the social structuration processes that implicitly occurred during the co-creation and refinement of the ICT platform. It was shown how the social processes of signification, domination and legitimation played out during co-creation, and how the co-creation of the artefact simultaneously affected the social structure. In the ICT4D context, the surfacing of the social dynamics is especially important, since cultural differences are at play, and ICT4D projects often fail for social reasons. The use of the DSRM supported by structuration theory contributed to developing an appropriate ICT co-creation design framework for co-creating and refining an ICT platform with ERW in South Africa.

The Evaluation of Inclusive Business Models for Smallholder Market Access

The Evaluation of Inclusive Business Models for Smallholder Market Access
Author: Etienne Kruger
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018
Genre:
ISBN:

Statistics South Africa has estimated the South African population at more than 55 million people. The World Wildlife Fund has estimated that, with a population growth of nearly 2% per year, the population could reach nearly 80 million by the year 2035. South Africa, with its growing population, is seeing a changing agro-food landscape in accordance with global changes. It is important to note that the South African agricultural sector takes on a form that is dualistic in nature, spread between large-scale commercial farmers and small-scale, emerging farmers. These small-scale farmers often face numerous constraints, which curb their market access. Without small-scale farmers entering the value chain, there is limited participation of smaller agro-processing organizations in the downstream value-chain. Following a description of these critical constraints faced by small-scale farmers in a country like South Africa, this dissertation focuses on a method to capture the true responses from respondents in two case studies. In the first part of the objective, the analysis focuses on value-related questions applied to different respondents in each case study. These value-related questions relate to the following: The main advantages _ The main disadvantages _ The major lessons learned _ The major challenges experienced After the value-related analysis, further analysis of the specific objectives captures the true impacts of the model and evaluates how the current constraints are eliminated. The impacts and constraints are: Impacts of participating in the agro-processing model: _ aÌ22́Ơ¿3Access to resources and knowledge _ Economic and social gains _ Environmental and health impactsaÌ22́Ơ℗+ Addressing the constraints faced by the small-scale farmers: _ aÌ22́Ơ¿3Weakness of support services _ Prevailing farming structure _ Access to finance and risk management _ Producer knowledgeaÌ22́Ơ℗+ After studying previous literature and the current analyses, it became increasingly clear that it is important for big business to engage in transactions with small-scale farmers. Critical impacts for small-scale farmers as specified above and examined in more detail in Chapter 4 through inclusive business models will be beneficial to small and rural communities. They will improve food security on small and commercial scales, and ultimately lead to the development of agricultural land that was previously not utilized or underdeveloped. In conclusion, it can be said the proposition can be supported that a small- and medium-scale agro-processing model could be accepted as an alternative inclusion mechanism that would effectively address the constraints faced by small-scale farmers when entering high-value food markets. However, further research is recommended in this area.

Grassroots Innovation

Grassroots Innovation
Author: Anil K Gupta
Publisher: Random House India
Total Pages: 299
Release: 2016-07-20
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 8184007795

A moral dilemma gripped Professor Gupta when he was invited by the Bangladeshi government to help restructure their agricultural sector in 1985. He noticed how the marginalized farmers were being paid poorly for their otherwise unmatched knowledge. The gross injustice of this constant imbalance led Professor Gupta to found what would turn into a resounding social and ethical movement—the Honey Bee Network—bringing together and elevating thousands of grassroots innovators. For over two decades, Professor Gupta has travelled through rural lands unearthing innovations by the ranks—from the famed Mitti Cool refrigerator to the footbridge of Meghalaya. He insists that to fight the largest and most persistent problems of the world we must eschew expensive research labs and instead, look towards ordinary folk. Innovation—that oft-flung around word—is stripped to its core in this book. Poignant and personal, Grassroots Innovation is an important treatise from a social crusader of our time.

Digital technologies in agriculture and rural areas

Digital technologies in agriculture and rural areas
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 152
Release: 2019-06-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9251315469

This report aims to identify the different scenarios where the process of digital transformation is taking place in agriculture. This identifies those aspects of basic conditions, such as those of infrastructure and networks, affordability, education and institutional support. In addition, enablers are identified, which are the factors that allow adopting and integrating changes in the production and decision-making processes. Finally identify through cases, existing literature and reports how substantive changes are taking place in the adoption of digital technologies in agriculture.