The Status of Perception, Information Exposure and Knowledge of Soil Fertility among Small-Scale Farmers in Ghana, Kenya, Mali and Zambia

Autor/inn/en	Spurk, Christoph; Asule, Pamellah; Baah-Ofori, Rebecca; Chikopela, Louis; Diarra, Boubacar; Koch, Carmen
Titel	The Status of Perception, Information Exposure and Knowledge of Soil Fertility among Small-Scale Farmers in Ghana, Kenya, Mali and Zambia
Quelle	In: Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 26 (2020) 2, S.141-161 (21 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1389-224X
DOI	10.1080/1389224X.2019.1656089
Schlagwörter	Soil Science; Agricultural Occupations; Foreign Countries; Socioeconomic Influences; Mass Media Effects; Knowledge Level; Attitudes; Access to Information; Radio; Agricultural Engineering; Cultural Differences; Individual Characteristics; Ghana; Kenya; Mali; Zambia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Bodenkunde; Agriculture; Occupation; Landwirtschaft; Beruf; Landwirtschaftlicher Beruf; Ausland; Sozioökonomischer Faktor; Wissensbasis; Attitude; Einstellung; Verhalten; Agrarindustrie; Agronomie; Agrarwissenschaft; Kultureller Unterschied; Personality characteristic; Personality traits; Persönlichkeitsmerkmal; Kenia; Sambia
Abstract	Purpose: Soil fertility is decreasing in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. To mitigate this trend, various agricultural technologies are available, but their uptake by farmers has been low. Perception of the problem, information exposure, and knowledge play a major role in adoption of technologies. This study assessed empirically the levels of perception, knowledge and information exposure among African farmers as an indicator for potential adoption of soil fertility technologies. Design/Methodology/approach: The study used survey data of more than 2,400 small-scale farmers selected through random sampling from Ghana, Kenya, Mali and Zambia. The survey investigated socio-economic factors, exposure to media, perception and knowledge of soil fertility and other information. Findings: Many farmers did not perceive soil fertility as a major challenge, except in Mali; farmers were hardly receiving information on soil fertility from professional agricultural sources, and they often lacked accurate knowledge about soil fertility technologies. Radio was by far the most used information source for farmers. Practical Implications: The study has exposed the need for interventions to increase awareness, information exposure, and knowledge about soil fertility among farmers to strengthen the adoption of soil fertility technologies. It also calls for innovative ways of strengthening extension services through links with radio. Theoretical implications: The role of communication in the uptake of agricultural innovations is still under-researched, and hence this study exposes the need to investigate in-depth knowledge, perception levels, and quality and frequency of information exposure on various channels of soil fertility management. Originality: This is one of the few studies empirically measuring perception, information frequency on various channels, and knowledge of soil fertility among small-scale farmers in African countries. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01