Adoption of new practices and technologies influences farm productivity and agricultural growth. Countries invest in research and extension to ensure continuous growth both at the farm and industry level. This chapter investigates agricultural technology production, its knowledge transfer, and...

The literature examining the role played by family life cycle in farm households' decisions to adopt sustainable agricultural technology (SAT) remains scant. To bridge this gap, we evaluate the impact of family life cycle on farm households' adoption of SATs by using multivariate probit...

This paper analyses the pathways of technology diffusion through social networks, following the experimental introduction of new technologies in Guinea-Bissau. In the context of an agricultural extension project, we document both the direct effects of this intervention and subsequent diffusion...

This paper analyzes the role of social networks in the diffusion of knowledge and adoption of cultivation techniques, from trainees to the wider community, in the context of an extension project in Guinea-Bissau. In order to test for social learning, we exploit a detailed census of households...

Adoption of innovative technologies is central to improving agricultural productivity. Farmers in developing countries rely heavily on social learning in adopting new technologies. Barriers to social learning such as heterogeneity or social fragmentation can therefore limit technology adoption...

Rampant soil degradation associated with accelerated soil erosion on the continent of Africa is estimated to contribute to crop yield reductions of about 16%, let alone the current climate change challenges. This study sought to evaluate the soil erosion smartness of conservation agriculture...

We study the effect of information on technology adoption and productivity in agriculture. Our empirical strategy exploits the expansion of the mobile phone network in previously uncovered areas of rural India coupled with the availability of call centers for agricultural advice. We measure...

Mechanization is the key component among the factors that enhance the intensification of agriculture. To grasp the benchmark status of agricultural mechanization, a household survey was conducted in the crop potential areas of Oromia, SNNP, Amhara, and Tigray regions. The study indicated that...

The purpose of this study is to give background information and empirical evidence on the determinants in adoption of improved wheat technologies and its contribution to wheat yield in Janamora District. In the study area, there is lack of empirical study on the adoption and contribution...

Purpose: The present study aims to investigate the primary tools and digitalisation applications used by agro-food firms in Greece. These factors encourage or discourage digitalisation and identify which policies are in place to ensure an effective digitalisation in the food sector....

Different prospects are offered by drones (small unmanned aerial vehicles) for the agricultural sector; typical drone applications being pesticide spraying, soil sampling and fertilizing, farm animal surveillance, real-time aerial imagery and sensor data collection etc. The Indian federal...

ICT Agriculture plays a vital role in India’s economy. India’s farmers live in rural areas and agriculture and allied activities still constitute the largest share of India’s employment. It is estimated that 72 per cent farmers do not have access to reliable sources of information and this...

Can improving access to mobile extension improve agricultural productivity? Recent evidence suggests both significant and insignificant ways in which SMS-based agricultural information could affect farming outcomes. It is unclear if variations in the programs' design or the methodological...

Improved seed is one of the crucial ingredients for promoting agricultural productivity, farmers’ livelihood, and global food security. The present study uses an endogenous treatment regression model (ETRM) to evaluate the impacts of improved seed maize technology (ISMT) adoption on technical...

This paper presents a novel agent-based model of land use and technological change in the agricultural sector under environmental boundaries, finite available resources and changing land productivity. In particular, we model a spatially explicit economy populated by boundedly-rational farmers...

Based on unique primary surveys, we study dairy transformation processes in East Africa, specifically in Ethiopia and Uganda. Evidence on transformation and differential paths followed in doing so in these countries is often limited due to a lack of data. We note significant changes in the dairy...

Feeding the world’s growing population is one of the most critical policy challenges for the 21st century. With tightening constraints on water, arable land, and other natural resources, agricultural innovation is quickly becoming the most promising path meet the nutrient needs for future...

The present study provides a systematic estimate of male and female participation in agricultural production and usage of agricultural technology and examines their influence in the adoption of modern technology in three upazilas in Jamalpur district. The study was followed by the simple random...

Risk and risk preferences belong to the key determinants of investment-based technology adoption in agriculture. We develop and apply a novel approach in which an inverse second order stochastic dominance approach is integrated into a stochastic dynamic farm-level model to quantify the effect of...

Although the benefits of genetically modified (GM) crops have been well documented, how do farmers manage the risk of new technology in the early stages of technology adoption has received less attention. We compare the total factor productivity (TFP) of cotton to other major crops (wheat, rice,...

Haricot bean is one of the most important food legumes of Ethiopia and it is considered as the main cash crop and the least expensive source of protein for the farmers. Low production and productivity, which are mainly associated with poor adoption and inefficient implementation of improved farm...

We present large-scale evidence on the effects of access to information on agricultural technology adoption and crop yields in India. We combine geo-referenced data on the construction of new mobile phone towers with data on the location and content of 2.5 million phone calls made by farmers to...

This study-which includes a pilot intervention in Kenya-aims to further the state of knowledge about the emerging trend of disruptive agricultural technologies (DATs) in Africa, with a focus on supply-side dynamics. The first part of the study is a stocktaking analysis to assess the number,...

Some entry barriers in agricultural and agro-processing value chains, particularly for smallholder farmers and small/medium-sized processors, can be overcome with innovation and technology adoption. Technologies and innovation in these sectors have been both radical and incremental, ranging...

The Agri-Tech Catalyst was launched in 2013 as a key programme under the government's UK strategy for agricultural technologies. It secured £60 million from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Innovate UK and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research...

The Agri-Tech Catalyst was launched in 2013 as a key programme under the government's UK strategy for agricultural technologies. It secured £60 million from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Innovate UK and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research...

Technological change in production processes with gendered division of labor across tasks, such as agriculture, can have a differential impact on women's and men's labor. Using exogenous variation in the extent of loamy soil, which is more amenable to deep tillage than clayey soil and therefore...