November 2010

Spatial relationship between human well-being and community capital in the Black Belt region of Alabama

This paper examines the relationship between human well-being and forms of community capital in the eight Black Belt counties in the west-central region of Alabama. This region is one of the poorest in the United States with high proportion of African-American populations. Cross-sectional spatial regression models were estimated using the data from the U.S. Population and Economic Census, Geographic Information System,...

Author(s): Buddhi Raj Gyawali, Rory Fraser, James Bukenya and Swagata “Ban” Banerjee        

November 2010

Is PLAR (Participatory learning and action research) a sufficient approach for the purpose of supporting transitions for sustainable agriculture? A case study from Sweden

This article examines whether Participatory Learning and Action Research (PLAR) is a sufficient approach for the purpose of supporting transitions to improved sustainability in agriculture. Relevant outputs and outcomes are presented from a case study of Swedish organic greenhouse tomato growers researching their own views on what the concept ‘organic’ could comprise, and the sustainability of their...

Author(s): Karin Eksvärd and Johanna Björklund  

November 2010

Effects of farmer’s computer abilities and self-efficacy on their learning performance and adoption intention of the farming management information system

This study explores how farmer’s self-efficacy influences their performance to use the farming management information system, FMIS. Six instruments were developed to evaluate computer ability, self-efficacy, performance, acceptance and attitude of 23 farmers who were enrolled in a two-day training workshop on FMIS. The results of this study have shown the training program improved farmer’s self-efficacy in...

Author(s): Hsiu-Ping Yueh and Yi-Lin Liu

November 2010

Use of children and the issue of child labour in Ghanaian cocoa farm activities

Cocoa cultivation is vital to the livelihood of thousands of farm families and their dependents in Ghana. The Government of Ghana has been concerned about recent media reports of the use of child labour in cocoa production in Ghana. It consequently set up the national programme for the elimination of worst forms of child labour in cocoa (NPECLC) at the ministry of manpower youth and employment.  This paper presents...

Author(s): Francis Baah