8 pp. / Animal learning has been shown to play a major role in the development of diet selection by domestic herbivores. Dr. Frederick Provenza and his associates at Utah State University have conducted a series of experiments over the past 15 years to learn how physiological and behavioral mechanisms govern diet selection. This publication synthesizes several key diet selection concepts presented in four recent articles.

4 pp.

6 pp. / It is important to show people that what you say is true when your critics weren't around 10-15 years ago to see the changes you have seen. A series of photographs taken at the same spot through the years can vividly demonstrate change on the range. This article provides an introduction to repeat color photography and explains how it can be used as an important part of a comprehensive rangeland monitoring program.

[No abstract submitted] / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate

Thesis (Ph. D., Natural Resources)--University of Idaho, May 2008. / Major professor: Troy E. Hall. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online (PDF file) by subscription or by purchasing the individual file.

This study analyzed information-seeking behaviour and adoption of organic .farming practices among vegetable farmers in South-Western Nigeria. This is based on the fact that conventional intensive agricultural systems have side-effects which compromise food production in terms of quality and safety. As a result many are now stating that conventional agriculture represents an unsuitable long-term option. Specifically, the study identified the personal characteristics of the farmers, profile organic farming practices, determined the sources of information about organic agricultural practices, evaluated the attitude of vegetable growers towards organic agriculture, and identified factors that influence farmers' adoption of organic agriculture, estimated the adoption rate for organic agricultural practices and determined the knowledge of value chain among vegetable farmers. The research design of the study is descriptive and quantitative. The population of the study was the entire population of vegetable farmers in /he South Western Nigeria. A cluster sampling technique was used to select 450 farmers covering three out of six states present in South Western Nigeria. Data for this study was generated from primary sources based on the objective of the study. A structured questionnaire consisting of seven sections comprising sections namely: personal characteristics, profile organic farming practices, altitude of vegetable growers towards organic agriculture, factors influencing farmers' adoption of organic agriculture, source of information about organic agricultural practices, intensity of adoption of organic agriculture technologies and knowledge of value chain among vegetable farmers was used to collect data. The questionnaire was face validated by panel of experts on agricultural extension. agronomist and organic agricultural research. Data were analyzed by using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 18.0. Descriptive statistics such as frequency distribution and percentages, mean and standard deviation were used to describe the personal characteristics of vegetable farmers. Ranking was used to identify the prominent source of information used by the farmers. Tables were used to analyze the data and enhance the readability of the results. The statistical tools used in the analysis are probit model, ordinal regression model and linear regression model. The results showed that majority of the respondents were male between 40 and 49 years of age married and had family household sizes of 6 to 10 members. Most of the farmers possess secondary education as their highest educational qualification; they also have a working experience of 1-15 years. The results further showed that the farm size ranges between 0. 5-3.4 acres (80.4%): and most commonly used organic farming practices are tillage (80. 9%), crop rotation (80.7%). sanitation (69.8%), and inter-cropping (66.2%), and green manure (60.9%) cover crop (55.8%), and .fire (53. 6%). The results revealed the most prominent attitudinal statement as ranked by the farmers were statements that organic agriculture improves soil fertility and soil structure · (M=4.38), 'organic agriculture encourages the use of indigenous knowledge' (M=4.38). Furthermore, the results on adoption intensity showed that nine out of fourteen organic farming technologies studied were practiced on 50% acres of land. These include crop rotation, cover crop, animal manures among others. Factors influencing the intensity of adoption of organic agriculture practices frequency of contact (t= -1.01, p<0.01) with extension agent, farming experience (t= .064, p<0.01), farm size (t= .282, p<0.01), age (t= -.028. p<0.05) and subsidy received (t= 1.494. p<0.1). The study among others recommends that the constraints limiting the adoption and !he intensity of adoption of organic farming practices must be removed. / Thesis (Phd Agric Ext.) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2013

No description available.

Food safety is an important issue facing consumers, the food industry and the government. Since consumers cannot themselves easily assess food safety risks, their perception of food safety is in part a matter of trust in the food chain. This study focuses on livestock farmers and investigates the causal relationship between the factors which determine consumer trust regarding food safety and in turn their purchase likelihood. The main research questions are: 1) What are the key factors which build consumer trust in this context? 2) What are the contributions of these factors to building consumer trust? 3) Is there any relationship between consumer trust and purchase likelihood? By integrating theories developed in several disciplines, six factors, namely: providing information, competence, integrity, benevolence, credibility and reliability were identified to have a strong influence on consumer trust in livestock farmers. An exploratory study in the form of face-to-face interviews was carried out to clarify the main concerns of livestock husbandry practices, and to identify the items to measure the causal factors of consumer trust in livestock farmers regarding food safety. Because the objectives set out in this study could not be achieved by using multiple regression, which could not handle latent variables, the conceptual model was tested with a quota sample of 194 individuals in the form of a Structural Equation Model using LISREL 8.30. It was proved successful in identifying the effects of the causal factors of trust to build consumer trust and in turn to affect purchase likelihood. The factor ‘providing information’ was identified to be a key factor by which trust is built and the features that lead to trust, namely: ‘competence’, ‘integrity’, ‘credibility’, ‘reliability’, and ‘benevolence’ were identified to be factors to build trust in livestock farmers. Representatives of the livestock industry were approached to confirm the relevance of the study and facilitate the interpretation of the findings. Though there is a limitation of its generalisation due to the sampling method, there is evidence that these factors are important to building consumer trust in livestock farmers regarding food safety. The evidence also suggests that there is a strong relationship between trust and consumer purchase likelihood. The research confirms that livestock farmers could draw benefit from strategies to increase their trustworthiness and in turn positively influence consumers’ purchasing decision. This study recommends further research to apply this model in other industries where the suppliers have little contact with consumers. The differences in trust building between cultures and the communication channels that livestock farmers representatives should used are also suggested for further study. Future research on how the food industry should respond to the change in consumer trust during periods of concern about food safety is also recommended. These are valid topics for future research and will provide potential benefits for consumers and food industry as a whole.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D. - Economics)--University of Arizona. / Includes bibliographical references.