UDSspace Collection:

TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION BEHAVIORS OF FARMERS DURING CRISES: WHAT ARE THE KEY FACTORS TO CONSIDER?

2025-07-07T12:30:32Z

Title: TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION BEHAVIORS OF FARMERS DURING CRISES: WHAT ARE THE KEY FACTORS TO CONSIDER? Authors: Akudugua, M. A.; Nkegbeb, P. K.; Wongnaac, C. A.; Millard, K. K. Abstract: The Covid-19 pandemic required economic agents, in this case farmers, to make immediate decisions with an eye on a future characterized by high level of uncertainty. Using a multivariate probit, this paper examines the factors that farmers, as economic agents, considered at the peak of the pandemic in their digital (e-service) technology adoption decisions. The results indicate that the key factors that influence digital technology adoption behaviors of farmers are age, gender, education, level of dependency, experience in farming, access to credit and perceived possible impact of the pandemic on production activities. These factors were found to have different levels of influences on the adoption of different digital technologies that could help reduce physical contacts in line with nationally determined Covid-19 protocols whiles sustaining agricultural production activities. Digital technologies that facilitate easy access to good agronomic practices, weather information services, input and output market information services and financial services were identified as crucial. The general conclusion of this paper is that farmers are willing to adopt technologies that add value to their welfare through timely resolution of problems that confront them. Thus, value propositions – such as relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and impact – must be the key considerations in policy interventions that promote positive technology adoption behaviors

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY, CREDIT AND FARM SIZE NEXUS IN AFRICA: A CASE STUDY OF GHANA

2025-02-10T11:32:09Z

Title: AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY, CREDIT AND FARM SIZE NEXUS IN AFRICA: A CASE STUDY OF GHANA Authors: Akudugu, M. A. Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the connections of agricultural productivity, access to credit and farm size in Africa using Ghana as a case study. Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs mixed methods – quantitative and qualitative strategies for data collection and analyses. The hierarchical competitive model was used for the quantitative analyses supplemented with qualitative analyses using key informant interviews, focus group discussions and household case studies. Findings – The results show that there is significant relationship between credit from formal and informal sources and agricultural productivity. Thus access to formal and informal credit increases farm household agricultural productivity by about 0.10 ( p = 0.05) and 0.45 ( p < 0.01), respectively. The quadratic terms of formal and informal credit as well as farm size were found to significantly influence agricultural productivity. The implication of this is that the relationships between formal credit, informal credit and farm size on one hand and agricultural productivity on the other are non-linear in nature. The interactions of formal credit with informal credit; informal credit with farm size; and formal and informal credit with farm size have significant relationships with agricultural productivity. The amount of remittance received by farm households has negative and insignificant influence on agricultural productivity. Market access is also an insignificant determinant of agricultural productivity in Ghana. Originality/value – This paper provides new insights on whether the scale of production (farm size as proxy) and access to financial services (credit as a proxy) matter in promoting agricultural productivity in Africa using Ghana as a case study. Thus the paper is of relevance to policy-makers and practitioners in Africa and Ghana in particular who are seeking to make informed policy decisions on effectively incorporating credit provision into the agricultural transformation agenda of the continent.

MEASUREMENT OF PREGNANCY-RELATED ANXIETY WORLDWIDE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

2025-01-30T15:11:33Z

Title: MEASUREMENT OF PREGNANCY-RELATED ANXIETY WORLDWIDE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW Authors: Hadfield, K.; Akyirem, S.; Sartori, L.; Abdul-Latif, A. M.; Akaateba, D.; Bayrampour, H.; Daly, A.; Hadfield, K.; Abiiro, G. A. Abstract: Background: The perinatal period is often characterized by specific fear, worry, and anxiety concerning the pregnancy and its outcomes, referred to as pregnancy-related anxiety. Pregnancy-related anxiety is uniquely associated with negative maternal and child health outcomes during pregnancy, at birth, and early childhood; as such, it is increasingly studied. We examined how pregnancy-related anxiety is measured, where measures were developed and validated, and where pregnancy-related anxiety has been assessed. We will use these factors to identify potential issues in measurement of pregnancy-related anxiety and the geographic gaps in this area of research. Methods: We searched the Africa-Wide, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO; PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, SciELO Citation Index, and ERIC databases for studies published at any point up to 01 August 2020 that assessed pregnancy-related anxiety. Search terms included pregnancy-related anxiety, pregnancy-related worry, prenatal anxiety, anxiety during pregnancy, and pregnancy-specific anxiety, among others. Inclusion criteria included: empirical research, published in English, and the inclusion of any assessment of pregnancy-related anxiety in a sample of pregnant women. This review is registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020189938). Results: The search identified 2904 records; after screening, we retained 352 full-text articles for consideration, ultimately including 269 studies in the review based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. In total, 39 measures of pregnancy-related anxiety were used in these 269 papers, with 18 used in two or more studies. Less than 20% of the included studies (n = 44) reported research conducted in low- and middle-income country contexts. With one exception, all measures of pregnancy-related anxiety used in more than one study were developed in high-income country contexts. Only 13.8% validated the measures for use with a low- or middle-income country population. Conclusions: Together, these results suggest that pregnancy-related anxiety is being assessed frequently among pregnant people and in many countries, but often using tools that were developed in a context dissimilar to the participants’ context and which have not been validated for the target population. Culturally relevant measures of pregnancy-related anxiety which are developed and validated in low-income countries are urgently needed

ICT: BREAKING BARRIERS TO CONTRACEPTIVES INFORMATION AND USAGE AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN THE SUNYANI EAST MUNICIPALITY, BRONG AHAFO REGION, GHANA

2024-03-22T08:52:17Z

Title: ICT: BREAKING BARRIERS TO CONTRACEPTIVES INFORMATION AND USAGE AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN THE SUNYANI EAST MUNICIPALITY, BRONG AHAFO REGION, GHANA Authors: Abubakari, A.; Prah, E. Abstract: Introduction: Information Communication Technology (ICT) is the use of computers, mobile phones and internet to access, process, receive, send, and use various kinds of data and information. With the expansion of mobile phone users and availability of internet services, teenagers are now using ICT to create awareness and use contraceptives, an area considered to be the preserved of married couple. Purpose: The paper examines how the application of ICT by teenagers broken traditional and religious barriers to accessing and utilizing contraceptive information in the Sunyani East Municipality. Methodology: The research design was a mixed method combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. The target population was teenagers between the ages of 11 and 19 years in Senior High and Junior High Schools. Out of 87 schools, 16 schools were randomly selected using simple random sampling technique. The total sample size was 212 teenagers. Data was collected from the respondents, using interviews, questionnaires and focus group discussions. The paper found that ICT is a major means of accessing, sharing and using information about contraceptives by the teenagers, information is hard to access because of societal perceptions, sociocultural and psycho-religious barriers. Findings: The paper found that ICT has impact on their perceptions, utilization or otherwise, because they now the effects of various kinds of contraceptives. Recommendation: The paper recommends that teenagers should be given proper ICT education to enable them use credible websites on the internet to get contraceptive information. Education should be intensified through the mass media, free lectures, radio and television discussions to augment the use of ICT to expand the number of teenagers using contraceptive.