As generations have moved away from the farm, the population has become less aware of the practices behind the agriculture industry. However, people are becoming interested in how their food is produced. Since most of the population has not received an agriculture education, they look towards social media as their source of information. Social media has become a platform for sharing opinions and knowledge on certain topics. It has also been studied the perceptions of others can be influenced by emotionalizing and repeating stories related to the topic. Farmers and ranchers are now sharing their knowledge and experiences regarding agriculture through the convenience of social media. This leaves the question can a farmer’s use of social media influence a change in the public opinion of agriculture to a positive one. Therefore, this study focuses on the potential influence and impact farm-fluencers have on public perceptions of agriculture, through using social media.

<p><a>The primary goal of this research was to summarize the occupational farm-related fatalities of Indiana farmers 55 years and older and to recommend evidence-based intervention strategies targeting older farmers who perform activities that involve the cutting and trimming of trees. The primary activities consisted of (1) preparing a summary of occupational farm-related fatalities of farmers who were 55 years and older, (2) preparing a summary of occupational farm-related fatalities of older farmers who were performing activities in a woodlot setting or that included the occasional cutting and trimming of trees, and finally (3) the development of recommendations for evidence-based injury prevention strategies targeting older farmers who conduct occasional woodcutting activities. </a></p> <p>The summary of older Indiana farmer fatalities identified a total of 388 fatalities reported between 1988 and 2017 with an increase in the number of reported fatalities over the period of 2012-2017. Tractors were identified as the most common source of injury (40.5%) with tractor overturns involved in no fewer than 86 cases or 22.2% of all cases. Older farmer fatalities for occasional woodcutters accounted for 40 fatalities with the cutting and trimming of trees to be the most common cause of injury (67.5%). </p> <p>Core desired safety competencies were identified that were used to develop injury prevention strategies based upon the summary of injuries, areas of concerns reported in the review of literature and the results gathered from the summaries of Indiana older farmers killed while performing woodcutting activities. A pilot evidence-based intervention instructional presentation was developed with the assistance of a panel of experts to be used by Extension Educators to increase awareness of the target population of current safety practices relating to woodlot activities. </p>

The aim of the research presented in this dissertation was to further the implementation of push-pull for control of Eldana saccharina on sugarcane in the Midlands North region, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Eldana saccharina, an indigenous stem borer, is the most damaging pest of sugarcane in South Africa, and sustainable control has still not been achieved. The push-pull strategy, a form of habitat management, has been developed for E. saccharina and is recommended as part of an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. Implementation of this strategy for both large- and small-scale farmers was facilitated through mixed methods social research. It included a novel exploratory network analysis to understand the process of technology adoption by farmers. Surveys showed that large-scale farmers have a good knowledge of E. saccharina, IPM and push-pull but that they needed more practical knowledge for implementation of the strategy. Farmers recommended experiential learning opportunities such as field days and model farms to get to know more about this technology. Despite demonstrating a positive attitude towards push-pull, farmers perceived it to be a ‘hassle’ and this is potentially the biggest barrier to its adoption. However, with suitable learning opportunities for farmers and good support for planting inputs, implementation of push-pull is likely to succeed. Sugarcane was shown to play an important role in the livelihoods and farming systems of small-scale growers. They did not perceive E. saccharina as a serious production constraint and had poor knowledge of the pest and its control. Extension for small-scale growers in this region should focus primarily on weed management and on reducing input costs, but still raising awareness of the increasing threat of E. saccharina. On-farm push-pull field trials showed a significant reduction of E. saccharina damage on two farms. Mean percentage damaged internodes decreased from 4.1% to 2.7% and from 1.7% to 1.1% in the presence of the repellent grass species, Melinis minutiflora. Where farmers did not manage their crops well, push-pull was not effective. It is therefore crucial that push-pull within an IPM framework be implemented together with good crop management practices. Stem borer surveys in wetlands on sugarcane farms revealed a high diversity of indigenous stem borers and parasitoids, including a stem borer species, Pirateolea piscator, which may pose a threat to crops in the future. These findings, together with a literature review on the significance of on-farm biodiversity and ecosystem services, demonstrated the value which wetlands have for pest management on sugarcane farms. Wetland health assessments were used to develop a tool for farmers to assess and utilise the wetlands on their farms for improved management of E. saccharina. This study highlights the importance of a farmer-participatory approach to implementation of knowledge-intensive farming practices such as push-pull. The importance of wetlands for providing pest regulatory services on sugarcane farms has shown that environmental sustainability needs to become a fundamental principle of farming and agricultural research. Participatory implementation of push-pull, as recommended in this dissertation, could act as a driving force for agroecology in the South African sugar industry and move sustainable farming practices off the pages of journals and manuals onto farmers’ fields. / Thesis (MSc (Zoology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

The aim of the research presented in this dissertation was to further the implementation of push-pull for control of Eldana saccharina on sugarcane in the Midlands North region, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Eldana saccharina, an indigenous stem borer, is the most damaging pest of sugarcane in South Africa, and sustainable control has still not been achieved. The push-pull strategy, a form of habitat management, has been developed for E. saccharina and is recommended as part of an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. Implementation of this strategy for both large- and small-scale farmers was facilitated through mixed methods social research. It included a novel exploratory network analysis to understand the process of technology adoption by farmers. Surveys showed that large-scale farmers have a good knowledge of E. saccharina, IPM and push-pull but that they needed more practical knowledge for implementation of the strategy. Farmers recommended experiential learning opportunities such as field days and model farms to get to know more about this technology. Despite demonstrating a positive attitude towards push-pull, farmers perceived it to be a ‘hassle’ and this is potentially the biggest barrier to its adoption. However, with suitable learning opportunities for farmers and good support for planting inputs, implementation of push-pull is likely to succeed. Sugarcane was shown to play an important role in the livelihoods and farming systems of small-scale growers. They did not perceive E. saccharina as a serious production constraint and had poor knowledge of the pest and its control. Extension for small-scale growers in this region should focus primarily on weed management and on reducing input costs, but still raising awareness of the increasing threat of E. saccharina. On-farm push-pull field trials showed a significant reduction of E. saccharina damage on two farms. Mean percentage damaged internodes decreased from 4.1% to 2.7% and from 1.7% to 1.1% in the presence of the repellent grass species, Melinis minutiflora. Where farmers did not manage their crops well, push-pull was not effective. It is therefore crucial that push-pull within an IPM framework be implemented together with good crop management practices. Stem borer surveys in wetlands on sugarcane farms revealed a high diversity of indigenous stem borers and parasitoids, including a stem borer species, Pirateolea piscator, which may pose a threat to crops in the future. These findings, together with a literature review on the significance of on-farm biodiversity and ecosystem services, demonstrated the value which wetlands have for pest management on sugarcane farms. Wetland health assessments were used to develop a tool for farmers to assess and utilise the wetlands on their farms for improved management of E. saccharina. This study highlights the importance of a farmer-participatory approach to implementation of knowledge-intensive farming practices such as push-pull. The importance of wetlands for providing pest regulatory services on sugarcane farms has shown that environmental sustainability needs to become a fundamental principle of farming and agricultural research. Participatory implementation of push-pull, as recommended in this dissertation, could act as a driving force for agroecology in the South African sugar industry and move sustainable farming practices off the pages of journals and manuals onto farmers’ fields. / Thesis (MSc (Zoology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

<p> This study examines the problem of "rurbanization," which is a term that has been applied to the process by which rural areas are being changed by urban influences. This implies more than the traditional geographic concept of land-use change at the rural-urban fringe, but is concerned with bagic changes in the agricultural industry relating to appearance, land use, nengity and social structure.</p> <p> In rural Southern Ontario, there are two main phenomena occurring to effect these changes: the increage in part-time farming and in low-density residences. This study is concerned more specifically with an examination of these two phenomena. Its two main objectives are to gee how these two are interrelated and how they have affected agriculture and rural society. </p> <p> The study achieveg thege objectives through the use of a questionnaire admtnigtered to residents of Brantford township, a rural area with a thriving agricultural industry, but at the same time under considerable stress from urban pressures. Three types of residents were surveyed: full- time farmers, part-time farmers and non-farmers. The data collected was subjected to discriminant and cross-tabulation analyses in order to observe similarities and differences among the three groups . These similarities and differences allowed inferences concerning the acceptance or rejection of six postulated hypotheses. </p> <p> The following general conclusions result from the analysis: </p> <p> Part-time farmers and rural non-farmers are predominantly former urbanites who have migrated to rural areas. Both groups share similar occupations and have lived at the rural location for a similar length of time, but non-farmers tend to be older an to have been born and raised on a farm. However, there does exist a significant minority of part-time farmers who ere former full-time farmers. Both phenomena appear to be fairly permanent arrangements as the overwhelming majority of both groups wished to maintain their present status. </p> <p>Full-time farmers tend to have a larger size of holding than part-time farmers. Part-time farmers place less emphasis on livestock and tobacco as the predominant crop than do full-time farmers, and tend to place a greater emphasis upon corn and mixed grains as cash crops. The type and quality of land that is occupied and the attitude toward the preservation of agricultural land do not vary significantly by group. All three groups were strongly in favour of preservation of land for farming. The participation rates of part time and non farmers in the rural organizations of the township and in the urban organizations of nearby towns are not significantly different from those of full-time farmers. </p> <p> The study has confirmed some of the findings of other researchers and has in turn shed some new light on the "rurbanization" problem. Urban out-migration has been found to be the most important cause of the problem. Thus, the problem appears to be the result of a social phenomenon rather than a physical one, and the phenomena causing the problem appear to be persistent and permanent. It may also be noted that the choice of alternative, either part-time farming or non-farming residency, is somehow related to the age and location of birth and childhood of the urban out-migrant. Significantly, more part-time farmers were born in city and more non-farmers were born on a farm. It may be argued that is precisely opposite to the situation that might be expected. / Thesis / Bachelor of Arts (BA)

農業發展曾經在臺灣的經濟建設史上，佔有輝煌一頁，民國四十至五十年代，農民胼手胝足地配合政府農業政策，不只增裕農業生產，同時也奠定臺灣日後工商發展之基礎，然而隨著臺灣經濟的發展，工商業產值佔GDP比例加重，農業產值佔GDP比例卻逐年下降，農業經營也面臨許多難題及衝擊，農戶所得水準相對非農戶為低，老年農民生活保障不足等問題一再被提出討論，同時由於近年來農業生產不符經濟效益等因素，且部分農民福利措施對農民資格的界定迭起社會爭議，因此各項保障農民福利措施的公平性及必要性亦隨之引起爭論，本文試著從農民的社會保險、老年給付、租稅福利、價格補貼及其它救（補）助措施等五方面，來探討農民的福利保障現況，並針對現況缺失提出檢討與建議，尤其面對全球經濟自由化趨勢下，如何協助農業經營轉型，增進農民福利，應是農民、農業部門及政府需共同思索的問題。 / The prosperity of agriculture played an important role in Taiwan’s economical construction history. In 1940’s and 50’s, Taiwan’s farmers, actively responding to the agriculture-developing policy, not only increased the agricultural production, but also helped to establish a firm foundation for the following industrial and commercial development in Taiwan. However, as the industrial and commercial value increases yearly in GDP, the value of agriculture in GDP, on the other hand, decreases year after year. Farmers thus faced many problems and challenges. Issues such as the obvious poorer condition of farmers’ life compared to the non-farmer, and the unsatisfying welfare state of retired farmers are frequently among the arguments. Furthermore, owing to the facts that most farmers own some real estates as the grounds they plant and yet their production can’t even reach the bottom line of economical effect, the necessity and justification of farmers welfare measures are consequently evoking constant controversy. The goal of this thesis, therefore, is trying to examine the status of Taiwan’s farmers’ welfare state in the following five fields: farmer’s social insurance, elderly farmer’s allowance, tax welfare, price subsidy and other assistance measures, and to raise my proposals and suggestions to solve these problems. How to help farmers to do well in the transformation of agricultural management and thus improve their welfare state should be a public issue for farmers themselves and the agriculture departments as well as the whole government, especially when facing the trend of liberalization of the global economics.

No description available.

Magister Scientiae - MSc / As a means to reduce poverty particularly in rural areas, the South African government has placed great emphasis on the development of small-scale farmers into becoming commercial farmers. Central to this effort is the provision of agricultural extension support, as reflected in the 1995 White Paper on Agriculture (DOA, 1995), African National Congress (ANC) policy resolutions of 2007 (ANC, 2007) and a 2011 extension recovery plan (DAFF, 2011). Parallel to this policy process, a growing role of nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) in supporting small-scale farmers, and criticising the governmental approach is observed. Biowatch is one example of this kind of NGO that, aside from its direct support to farmers, advocates for an alternative approach that embraces ‘subsistence’ farming. The academic literature suggests that existing agricultural policies are too generic and therefore fail to accommodate the different types of small-scale farmers that are found in rural areas, resulting in poor policy impact. This thesis seeks to establish the ideological thinking underpinning two paradigms of small-scale farmer development in South Africa and explores what they look like in practice, while analysing how they produce and reproduce class differentiation, and the emergence of various livelihood trajectories. Through qualitative research conducted in one case study site (the village Emagengeni in Northern KwaZulu- Natal) the views of farmers (beneficiaries of extension support as well as non-receivers) have been elicited and so contribute to a clear picture of what is happening there. In addition, experiences and perceptions of government extension officers, provincial officials and a Biowatch official are taken into account. Theoretically, the study is framed using Cousins’ (2011) class analytical perspectives on smallscale farming in South Africa which distinguish between three types of ‘petty commodity producers’, i.e. (i) petty commodity producers that produce to meet most of their social reproduction needs, (ii) petty commodity producers producing to partially meet their social reproduction needs and (iii) petty commodity producers producing enough to sell and make profit and start to accumulate capital. In addition, the categories described by Dorward et al (2009) in the ‘stepping up’, ‘hanging in’ ‘stepping out’ and ‘dropping out’ theory, are used to analyse the broad types of strategies pursued by poor people. The sustainable livelihoods framework is used to classify the various types of farming households observed. The main argument is that since 1994 the nature of public agricultural support has not met the needs of the majority of farmers in the country, i.e. poorly resourced farmers mostly located in the former homelands. This is because it is trying to make them into something they are not, i.e. commercial farmers and is focused on on-farm productivity and does not address wider market conditions. Although Biowatch demonstrates a more effective response to farmers’ needs, it is limited in its approach to agrarian transformation. The conclusion is that government’s fixation on the commercialisation of small-scale farmers perpetuates the existing and already problematic dualism within the agricultural sector.

In this study brand loyalty of pharmaceutical livestock products among commercial farmers was measured. The purpose of the study was to assist agribusinesses to identify the dominant determinant when commercial farmers purchase pharmaceutical livestock products from them. The study analysed two marketing mix elements price and product (specifically brand name) in farmer buying behaviour. A structured questionnaire was used to employ an empirical study in a quantitative style to determine the commercial farmers‟ perceptions and buying behaviour when they buy pharmaceutical livestock products. For agribusinesses the study makes it clear where to focus resources and energy in today‟s dynamic, uncertain and competitive environment that agribusinesses operate in, specifically in the North West Province of South Africa. The literature study addressed the brand loyalty constructs and their application in the agricultural market. Resultantly the contribution to the body of knowledge pertains to brand loyalty‟s influence in the marketing strategy (price and brand name). The study also explored opportunities for the successful distribution of pharmaceutical livestock products through agribusinesses. Management of agribusinesses will have to adopt a market-oriented strategy that will assist agribusinesses on various dimensions of performance and will have a significant positive effect on return on assets, sales growth and sustainability. The inputs and assistance of the suppliers and marketers are of utmost importance and will add value to the execution of agribusinesses‟ marketing strategy. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

In this study brand loyalty of pharmaceutical livestock products among commercial farmers was measured. The purpose of the study was to assist agribusinesses to identify the dominant determinant when commercial farmers purchase pharmaceutical livestock products from them. The study analysed two marketing mix elements price and product (specifically brand name) in farmer buying behaviour. A structured questionnaire was used to employ an empirical study in a quantitative style to determine the commercial farmers‟ perceptions and buying behaviour when they buy pharmaceutical livestock products. For agribusinesses the study makes it clear where to focus resources and energy in today‟s dynamic, uncertain and competitive environment that agribusinesses operate in, specifically in the North West Province of South Africa. The literature study addressed the brand loyalty constructs and their application in the agricultural market. Resultantly the contribution to the body of knowledge pertains to brand loyalty‟s influence in the marketing strategy (price and brand name). The study also explored opportunities for the successful distribution of pharmaceutical livestock products through agribusinesses. Management of agribusinesses will have to adopt a market-oriented strategy that will assist agribusinesses on various dimensions of performance and will have a significant positive effect on return on assets, sales growth and sustainability. The inputs and assistance of the suppliers and marketers are of utmost importance and will add value to the execution of agribusinesses‟ marketing strategy. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015