Author: Muhammad Yaseen
AIT Library Call Number: AIT Diss. no.RD-18-01
Year: 2018
Academic Program: Regional and Rural Development Planning (RRDP)
Type: Thesis (Ph. D.) – Asian Institute of Technology, 2018
Examination Committee: Mokbul Morshed Ahmad (Chairperson); Peeyush Soni, John K. M. Kuwornu, Netra B. Chhetri(Examination Committee Members)
Abstract: This study analyzed the effect of agricultural information on cotton production and income by investigating cotton farmers’ access to and use of quality information. Farmers need a range of information, such as weather forecasts, inputs availability and prices, seed quality, tillage and sowing practices, soil fertility management, insect pest and disease control, irrigation management, picking, storage, transportation, markets, and prices, at different stages of cotton production and marketing. Information is obtained from various formal and informal sources. Formal information sources comprise extension services, which include government and private extension services traditional media, which include television, radio, and newspapers or magazines and information and communication technologies (ICTs), which include the Internet and mobile phone. Informal sources of information comprise social networks, which include other farmers, relatives and friends, agricultural input dealers, and market commission agents or output dealers. The importance of information in agriculture is widely recognized. However, effo11s toward a comprehensive investigation of cotton farmers’ access to and use of quality information from various formal and informal sources, as well as its effect on farm productivity and income, are lacking. The present study addressed this research gap. Based primarily on a field survey conducted in the Bahawalnagar district of Punjab, Pakistan, this study collected data from 399 cotton farm households using multistage sampling technique. Focus group discussions with farmers and key informant interviews of officials were conducted for an in-depth evaluation of existing problems and needs. A composite index approach was used to measure the farmers’ degree of information access from various sources. A multivariate probit model was employed to analyze the socioeconomic and institutional factors that influence farmers’ use of various sources to access cotton production and marketing information. Social scali
Scholarship Donor(s): Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan; AIT Fellowship
Note: A dissertation submitted in paitial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Regional and Rural Development Planning, School of Environment, Resoruces and Development
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