Agricultural Education Commons^™

Perceptions Of Professionals, Faculty, And Students Regarding The Implementation Of An Agricultural Communications Degree Program In The United Kingdom, Jefferson D. Miller, Abby Davis, Kobina D. Fanyinkah, Alex Mcleod, Casandra Cox, K. Jill Rucker

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of professionals, faculty, and students regarding the implementation of an agricultural communications degree program in the United Kingdom (U.K). It aimed to gather detailed opinions to aid in the planning of future agricultural communications curricula in the U.K., where no formal academic programs in this discipline exist in higher education. This study used a qualitative approach in the form of interviews to gain in-depth opinions on four different research objectives. Participants were pooled from three different demographic groups in the U.K: industry professionals, faculty, and students. These stakeholder expressed that …

What’S Trust Got To Do With It? Exploring Agricultural Science Podcast Producers’, Guests’, And Listeners’ Perceptions And Levels Of Trust In Science, Jacqueline Aenlle, Jamie Loizzo, J.C. Bunch, Lisa K. Lundy, Kevin M. Folta

Journal of Applied Communications

Little research to this point has examined food, agricultural, natural resource, and human science (FANRHS) podcast creation, the trustworthiness of the information presented, and the credibility of the individuals speaking on the podcast. The purpose of this study was to explore the level of trust in science of FANRHS podcast producers, guests, and listeners. The study followed an explanatory sequential mixed-method design beginning with an online survey instrument to measure trust in science and later, semi-structured interviews to further explore participants’ perceptions of trust and trust in science. Results showed participants had moderate to moderately high levels of trust in …

Drivers Of Farmers’ Adoption Of Hermetic Storage Bags In Ghana, Namah Taku-Forchu, Misty D. Lambert, Michael S. Retallick, Jonathan D. Ulmer, George P. Opit

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

Post-harvest loss is a global challenge due to its serious threat to food security. Hermetic storage bags offer one way to combat the loss of food after harvest. The rate at which farmers adopt hermetic bags largely depends upon their access to information and training about the technology. The adoption of hermetic storage bags in Dormaa, Ghana, was the focus of this quantitative cross-sectional research study. This study sought to describe maize farmers’ perceptions of the hermetic storage bags in Dormaa, Ghana, based on the perceived innovation attributes and to ascertain farmers’ stages of adoption of the hermetic storage bags …

Developing Writing Self-Efficacy: Perspectives From Agricultural Communications Students, Haley M. Banwart, Shuyang Qu

Journal of Applied Communications

While there is mounting consensus writing is an essential skill required of agricultural communications graduates, there are opposing views as to what educators can do to improve students’ writing education and performance. Self-efficacy research provides one perspective for exploring the relationship between students’ performance and their beliefs in their writing abilities. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore how agricultural communications students perceive their writing self-efficacy and what underlying sources shape their self-efficacy beliefs. The findings confirmed agricultural communications students use a variety of sources to inform their self-efficacy beliefs including their interpretations of their writing performance and …

Farmer-Centered Pesticide Risk Reduction Education In Senegal: A Novel, Participatory Approach, Mary L. Halbleib, Berit Dinsdale

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

As pest pressures continue to intensify across Sub-Saharan Africa, many smallholder farmers are increasing their use of pesticides, including highly hazardous options, to meet the market demands for high-quality fresh produce. Many of these farmers, however, have not had access to pesticide risk reduction training or have participated in programs that have not enabled them to protect themselves and their families. Given the risks posed by dried and invisible though still toxic pesticide residues, new forms of information and realistic learning strategies are required. This study combined the innovative Adaptive Learner-Centered Education (ALCE) approach with the Farmer Field School (FFS) …

The Intersection Of Gender, Media, And Policy: A Qualitative Analysis On Thai Newspaper Coverage Of Women In Agriculture, Morgan A. Richardson Gilley, Richie Roberts, J. Joey Blackburn, Kristin Stair

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

Women empowerment and gender equality have been found to be statistically significant and positive predictors of global agricultural development. Therefore, reducing gender disparities can encourage economic progress and growth in developing nations. As such, determining effective ways to stimulate social progress and women’s empowerment has emerged as a critical need. One strategy used to raise the public’s consciousness about gendered issues in Thailand has been through mass media. In response, this study aimed to (1) determine to what extent Thailand’s newspaper coverage focused on topics related to women and the agricultural industry; and (2) describe how women in agriculture …

Going The Distance: Examining The Impact Of A Long-Term International Fellowship, Meikah Dado, Jessica R. Spence, Jack Elliot

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

AgriCorps, an American organization, created a fellowship program to connect agricultural professionals to school-based agricultural education in developing countries. Previous scholars researched the impacts of international experiences on learners, usually through the lens of short-term study abroad. This study seeks to examine the impact of long-term international fellowship experiences in education and provide recommendations for future like-programs by analyzing the experiences of previous AgriCorps fellows. Fellows lived and taught school-based agricultural education in a community in Ghana or Liberia. Eighteen previous AgriCorps fellows participated in a semi-structured interview through a virtual meeting platform. The interviews were used to collect data …

Modernizing High School Agricultural Communications Competencies: A National Delphi Study, Mackenzie Atkins, Kati Lawson, Ricky Telg

Journal of Applied Communications

The purpose of this study was to identify current competencies needed for high school students to succeed in their agricultural communication courses. This study also identified an ideal introduction level for each competency and provides up-to-date consensus on the most important agricultural communication competencies for high school students as determined by university faculty. Twenty years have passed since secondary agricultural communication competencies have been evaluated at a national level (Akers, 2000). Since then, industry standards have changed, including the emergence of social media, which is reflected in the results of this study. This study was conducted through a two-round Delphi …

Exploring The Impacts Of Lead Farmer Selection On Community Social Learning: The Case Of Farmer-To-Farmer Model: A Review Of Literature, Willis Ochieng, Colby J. Silvert, John Diaz

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

Agricultural extension has shifted towards community-centric, farmer-centered, and participatory approaches that enhance rural change through a social learning lens, resulting in the emergence of the farmer-to-farmer extension model. The purpose of the study was to understand lead farmer selection criteria within the farmer-to-farmer model and their impacts on community social learning. We applied Torraco’s (2005) integrative literature review method to guide our discussion around lead farmer selection processes, types of lead farmers selected and their impacts on social learning. The study indicated farmer-to-farmer extension model has the potential of re-invigorating the provision of agriculture extension services owing to its low …

Building Global Leaders Through Field Research And Extension Experiences In Belize, Tom Gill, Adam S. Willcox

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

One of the most complex agricultural and natural resources challenges of our time is reconciling sustainable global food security and biodiversity conservation. Providing undergraduate students effective, learning experiences to develop technical and cultural competency prepares them to address this challenge and become global leaders in their disciplines. A three-year experiential research and extension project brought together 14 students and 10 faculty mentors to investigate smallholder farmers practicing conservation-compatible adjacent to the Vaca Forest Reserve in Belize. We used an agroecological approach to foster systems-level thinking and develop transdisciplinary skills of undergraduate students. Students completed applied individual research projects that explored …

Training, Trust, And Technology: A Mixed-Methods Study Of Latin American Extension Workers’ Experiences During Covid-19, Pablo Lamiño Jaramillo, Amy Boren-Alpizar, Sarahi Morales Vanegas, Carla Millares-Forno

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected people's lives around the world, including agricultural extension workers. To date, few studies have been conducted to understand the adaptation of extension services in Latin American countries during the pandemic. This mixed-methods study explored Latin-American extension professionals’ preparation to implement knowledge-sharing activities and sought to understand extension professionals' responsiveness to COVID-19. The results revealed significant differences in extension responsiveness, between field extension workers and in-office extension workers. Delving into this difference revealed that field extension professionals perceived lower responsiveness because they were not able to continue their pre-pandemic, face-to-face activities in the field with …

The Biggest Grower - A Youth Gardening Competition For Growing Specialty Crops And Urban Farmers, Stacy A. Adams, Terri James

Urban Food Systems Symposium

Youth today have tendencies for unhealthy lifestyles, being sedentary, consuming high fat diets low in fruits and vegetables, all contributing to child obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and precedence for life-long health concerns. School lunch programs provide opportunity for youth to consume balanced diets but does not make a significant change in lifestyle. Research has identified that youth participating in gardening at home were positively impacted with making lasting healthy choices by improved knowledge and garden connection. For rural and economically disadvantaged urban households, poor diet is directly attributed to the inaccessibility of fresh produce, affordability and understanding of preparation …

Leveraging Skype In The Classroom For Science Communication: A Streaming Science – Scientist Online Approach, Peyton N. Beattie, Jamie Loizzo, Kevin Kent, Christine L. Krebs, Teresa Suits, J. C. Bunch

Journal of Applied Communications

A growing need exists to identify, implement, and research alternative methods to communicate with, educate, and engage youth about science, in order to increase science literacy and knowledge of future societal decision-makers. Electronic field trips (EFTs) are one channel of non-formal communication and education that have been introduced in agricultural and natural resources to reach youth audiences with science-based information in real-time. EFTs can be conducted in several different ways due to the proliferation of video production and web-streaming technologies. The following professional development article offers science communication professionals and scientists a detailed model and specific steps to develop and …

Impact Of Computer-Based Peer Review On College Students’ Performance And Perceived Self-Efficacy In An Online Graphic Design Course, Sharon P. Wagner, Tracy Rutherford

Journal of Applied Communications

Prior research has indicated that the incorporation of computer-based peer review into writing instruction increases student engagement, improves student performance, and increases student perceptions of self-efficacy. This study used a quasi-experimental untreated control group design to examine the impact of computer-based peer review on student performance and perceived self-efficacy in an undergraduate agricultural graphic design course. The impact of participation in computer-based peer review on performance scores was investigated using a MANOVA. After two rounds of peer review, students improved their overall course performance by one-half letter grade. Perceptions of self-efficacy were further analyzed using a one-way repeated measures ANOVA. …

The Economics Of Food And Agricultural Markets, Andrew Barkley

NPP eBooks

The Second Edition of Economics of Food and Agricultural Markets is written for applied intermediate microeconomics courses. The book showcases the power of economic principles to explain and predict issues and current events in the food, agricultural, agribusiness, international trade, labor markets, and natural resource sectors. The field of agricultural economics is relevant, important and interesting. The study of market structures, also called industrial organization, provides powerful, timely, and useful tools for any individual or group making personal choices, business decisions, or public policies in food and agricultural industries.

Readers will benefit from a large number of real-world examples and …

Assessing Training Methods To Educate Dairy Workers, L. Mendonca, B. E. Voelz, A. Scanavez

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports

Training employees is fundamental for dairy producers to achieve efficiency in order to increase profitability. Training videos offered online are becoming more common and recommended to train employees. The goals of this survey were to evaluate the comfort level of dairy employees in using computers and tablets, and preferred training delivery methods. A total of 71 employees from 6 dairies were interviewed. Interviews were conducted in the preferred language of the interviewee – English or Spanish. Of the respondents, 52 and 65.6% of employees consider computers and tablets easy to use, respectively. More than half of the employees reported that …