Academic literature on the topic 'Dis-adoption'

Efforts of national governments and international agencies aimed at alleviating hunger and poverty are often undermined by lack of long-term adoption of agricultural innovations. Studies commonly explain farmers’ adoption decisions using household general determinants, yet decision-making, particularly for under-resourced smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, is a complex process. Using the case of conservation agriculture [CA], this article analyses dis-adoption of agricultural technologies by examining multiple domains of Malawi’s CA innovation system and how these influence farmer decision-making. It analyses institutional arrangements of CA promoters, national policies and farmers’ experiences. From this, we empirically derive a multifaceted dis-adoption drivers’ framework to explain CA dis-adoption in smallholder farming systems. Our findings reveal that adverse features in national policies, institutional arrangements, technological attributes and social cultural dimensions all lead to unfavourable experiences of CA for smallholder farmers, which can culminate in dis-adoption. The CA dis-adoption drivers’ framework we develop in this study provides a useful troubleshooting tool. It can be used to guide improvements in the design and implementation of project-based interventions seeking long-term adoption of agricultural innovations across sub-Saharan Africa.

This study evaluates the drivers of the adoption and dis-adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices in the suppression of mango fruit-fly infestation in Embu County, Kenya. It employs a Correlated Random Effects Probit Model and a Discrete-time Proportional Hazard Model on two-wave panel data of 149 mango farmers selected using a cluster sampling technique. The descriptive results show that 59% and 17% of the respondents were adopters and dis-adopters of mango fruit fly IPM practices, respectively. Empirical findings reveal that the cost of IPM and training on IPM positively and significantly influenced adoption, while the unavailability of the technology had a negative and significant effect on adoption. For dis-adoption, the results indicate that farm size and the quality of IPM positively influenced the hazard of exit from IPM use, and hence, enhanced the sustained adoption of IPM. The study recommends capacity building for mango farmers through training and increased access to extension services to enhance the adoption of this technology and prevent dis-adoption.

PurposeThe Bass model is widely used in the literature to capture the diffusion of innovations and shows excellent predictive power in the context of durable goods. However, the model's efficacy fades when services are the target of analysis. Services that users adopt and subsequently utilize regularly are regarded as a continuous process that entails the possibility of dis-adoption and re-adoption. These aspects are not accounted for in the traditional Bass model. Thus, this study extends the Bass model to information system (IS)-based services by taking into account the unique nature of service adoption: the possibility of dis-adoption and re-adoption.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed hypotheses were empirically tested using a longitudinal study of mobile service usage over 18 months. The longitudinal design provides a stronger position than the typical cross-sectional survey to understand the dynamics and infer causality.FindingsResults show that the inclusion of the dis-adoption and re-adoption rates in the Bass model significantly improves the explanatory power over the traditional Bass model.Originality/valueConsumption of services delivered through IS has exponentially increased. However, understanding on the diffusion pattern of IS-based services is limited. Our study is the first to examine the effect of dis-adoption and re-adoption together in the innovation diffusion process. The study offers significant implications for researchers and practitioners. The extended Bass model can help service firms develop an accurate prediction about the number of adopters at different periods of time.

Purpose New agricultural technologies are continuously generated and promoted for adoption by farmers with the expectation that they bring about higher benefits than older technologies. Yet, depending on the perceived benefits, the user of the technology may choose to stop using it. This paper aims to analyze what drives farmers to dis-adopt climate smart sorghum varieties in Tanzania. Design/methodology/approach The study uses cross-sectional farm household level data collected in Tanzania from a sample of 767 households. The determinants of dis-adoption are explored using a bivariate probit with sample selection model. Findings The authors find that while farmers switch between different sorghum varieties, most farmers actually quit sorghum production. Older farmers and those facing biotic stresses such attacks by birds are more likely to dis-adopt sorghum. Practical implications These findings suggest that there is scope for improving and sustaining the adoption of sorghum varieties in Tanzania once extension services are strengthened. The findings also point to a well-founded theory on the role of markets in enhancing the overall sustainability of food systems. Social implications The study findings have broader implications for understanding the sustainability of improved technology adoption Originality/value Dis-adoption is also positively associated with the lack of access to markets underscoring the role of markets in enhancing the overall sustainability of technology adoption and food systems.

Rice consumption in Ghana has increased steadily over the years. To enhance rice productivity to meet demand, several high-performing rice varieties have been disseminated via numerous interventions to smallholders in Northern Ghana. Nevertheless, productivity is still low at farm gate compared to research stations, due to smallholder poor adoption of the varieties. Using primary data collected from 404 farmers, the study examines the adoption levels of the main rice varieties among farmers and investigates the reasons for their adoption and dis-adoption. The empirical results revealed that rice varieties namely, Agra, Sakai, Jasmine 85, and Afife were the most adopted in the study area. Also, the study finds that GR-18, Nerica, Digang, Tox, Mandee, and Faro-15 were the most dis-adopted rice varieties. The main reasons for which farmers adopted the improved rice varieties were availability of a ready market for the produce, crop resistance to pests and diseases, consumer higher demand for rice, advice by extension staff to cultivate, and encouragement from researchers to adopt. The reasons for the dis-adoption of improved rice varieties in the study area were high input requirements, lack of ready market for the varieties, and unfavorable climatic conditions. The findings of the study give direction as to the angle from which the adoption of improved rice varieties can be stepped up while dis-adoption is reduced. Research scientists should research into rice varieties that are more suitable for the soil and climatic conditions of the study area and continue to sensitize and motivate the farmers to adopt them, while government should step up its support for the research scientists as well as the extension officers to deliver on their mandate.

SUMMARYThere is a quest for resource-conserving technologies that can save water, reduce production costs and improve production to address the slow down in productivity growth in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, the cereal bowl of South Asia. Findings from farm surveys are used to evaluate the farm household factors that affect the adoption of zero tillage (ZT) wheat in the rice-wheat systems of India's Haryana State and Pakistan's Punjab province. Three adoption classes are distinguished in each site: ZT adopters, dis-adopters and non-adopters. Bivariate analysis shows that adopters typically have the most favourable values for most of the indicators compiled and the non-adopters the least favourable, with dis-adopters often taking an intermediate position. The study highlights that ZT adoption in the initial diffusion stage is strongly linked to the wealth of the farm household. This indicates the need for closer consideration of equity implications in future research and development. The structural differences between adoption categories also easily confound the assessment of ZT impact.

Dis-adoption of conservation agriculture (CA) remains a perplexing challenge in development efforts aiming to enhance sustainable agricultural production. While international development partners, governments and non-governmental organisations are actively promoting CA across sub-Saharan Africa, increasing evidence shows that farmers practice the technology for a short time, and then often dis-adopt. Due to limited scholarly attention to date, reasons for dis-adoption are not well known. Examining underlying reasons for smallholders’ dis-adoption is imperative to improve delivery of CA, achieve sustained adoption, improve agricultural production and ensure enduring impacts of agricultural development interventions more broadly. This research investigates why smallholders dis-adopt CA in Malawi by examining institutional arrangements of CA promoters, relevant national policies and farmers’ experiences and perception of CA. A mixed methods approach was used, involving key informant interviews, policy analysis, household questionnaire surveys, and focus group discussions across two study Districts. Findings reveal that complex, multi-dimensional and multi-layered drivers across the CA innovation system underlie CA dis-adoption decisions. Shortfalls in institutional arrangements play a critical role in dis-adoption as they promulgate unfavourable experiences and perceptions among farmers during CA implementation. Limited engagement of smallholders in project design and implementation diminishes local ownership and commitment while inadequate resources constrain extension service support. The study shows that smallholder farmers encounter various social, technological and economic challenges, which coupled with unfulfilled expectations, lead to dis-adoption. Findings suggest that to address CA dis-adoption in Malawi and similar contexts in sub-Saharan Africa, there is a need to: (1) collaboratively design projects to suit local needs, preferences and context; (2) emphasise environmental and climate resilience benefits of CA rather than economic benefits; (3) apply longer-term, flexible, low-cost and inclusive project management options; and (4) create an enabling policy and institutional environment for sustained CA adoption.

The International Potato Center (CIP) and Peruvian National Agricultural Research Institute (INIA) have invested a substantial amount of resources towards the development of improved potato varieties in Peru. These varieties are adaptable to the agro-ecologies of the Andes and have specific biotic and abiotic attributes. These efforts have led to the release of several prominent varieties including Canchan-INIA, Amarilis, Unica, Serranita and others. A 2013 household survey conducted by CIP was used to describe the diffusion of improved potato varieties in Peru. These data were also used to identify specific constraints to their adoption and dis-adoption. The assessment focused on a two-step adoption model, adoption and dis-adoption, by utilizing a Heckman Probit model to demonstrate two-steps of the adoption process. The Heckman Probit model was used to analyze variables affecting adoption and dis-adoption of improved varieties. Results suggest that adoption is region specific, time dependent, and in some cases relies on informal transmission methods. Risk to food insecurity and recurrent natural phenomena affect adoption and sometimes dis-adoption. Additionally, factors affecting a farmer's exposure to risk, such as information constraints and household head age, wealth, and social network were found to affect the adoption and dis-adoption of improved varieties.
Master of Science

La digitalització del món és imparable, les funcionalitats que ofereix mobile learning proporcionen possibilitats il·limitades per millorar l'aprenentatge, i la literatura existent sobre mobile learning ha evidenciat resultats positius. Tot i això, hi ha una bretxa entre la disponibilitat de tecnologia i l'ús en educació, fins i tot quan succeeix, sovint no optimitza els resultats. Existeixen pocs models per a l'adopció de mobile learning. En aquest context, l'objectiu principal d'aquesta investigació és millorar l'adopció i l'ús sostenible de mobile learning a través de la creació d'un marc teòric. Design-based research (DBR) és la metodologia que guia aquesta investigació. S'ha desenvolupat en quatre cicles de disseny amb la utilització de múltiples metodologies d'investigació per desenvolupar, provar i refinar el marc teòric per a l'adopció de mobile learning. El primer cicle de disseny identifica els problemes i les preguntes de recerca. Durant el segon cicle de disseny s'identifiquen els principis de disseny i en base a aquests principis, es desenvolupa el primer prototip. El tercer cicle de disseny inclou tres iteracions amb l'objectiu de testejar i refinar el disseny inicial. Una primera iteració detalla els factors que afecten l'adopció de mobile learning a Catalunya i es basa en un judici d'experts. Una segona iteració valida i ordena els factors identificats, un qüestionari recull les percepcions de 147 docents. Finalment, una tercera iteració va identificar els principals indicadors per avaluar i ajustar l'adopció de mobile learning, y proposa un quadre de comandament.
La digitalización del mundo es imparable, las funcionalidades que ofrece mobile learning proporcionan posibilidades ilimitadas para mejorar el aprendizaje, y la literatura existente sobre mobile learning ha evidenciado resultados positivos. Sin embargo, existe una brecha entre la disponibilidad de tecnología y su uso en educación, incluso cuando sucede, a menudo no optimiza los resultados. Existen pocos modelos para la adopción de mobile learning. En este contexto, el objetivo principal de esta investigación es mejorar la adopción y el uso sostenible de mobile learning mediante la creación de un marco teórico. Design-based research (DBR) es la metodología que guía esta investigación. Se ha desarrollado en cuatro ciclos de diseño para desarrollar, probar y refinar el marco teórico para la adopción de mobile learning. El primer ciclo de diseño identifica los problemas y las preguntas de investigación. Durante el segundo ciclo de diseño se identifican los principios de diseño y en base a estos principios, se desarrolla el primer prototipo. El tercer ciclo de diseño incluye tres iteraciones con el objetivo de testear y refinar el diseño inicial. Una primera iteración detalla los factores que afectan la adopción de mobile learning en Cataluña y se basa en un juicio de expertos. Una segunda iteración valida y ordena los factores identificados, un cuestionario recoge las percepciones de 147 docentes. Finalmente, una tercera iteración identifica los principales indicadores para evaluar y ajustar la adopción de mobile learning, y propone un cuadro de mando.
The digitization of the world is unstoppable, the functionalities offered by mobile learning provide unlimited possibilities to improve learning, and the existing literature on mobile learning has proven positive results. However, there is a gap between the availability of technology and its use in education, even when it happens, it often does not optimize the results. There are few models for the adoption of mobile learning. In this context, the main objective of this research is to improve the adoption and sustainable use of mobile learning by developing a framework. Design-based research (DBR) is the methodology that guides this research. It has been developed in four design cycles to develop, test, and refine the theoretical framework for the adoption of mobile learning. The first design cycle identifies problems and research questions. During the second design cycle, the design principles are identified and based on these principles, the first prototype is developed. The third design cycle includes three iterations with the aim of testing and refining the initial design. A first iteration details the factors that affect the adoption of mobile learning in Catalonia and is based on an expert judgment. A second iteration validates and orders the identified factors, a questionnaire collects the perceptions of 147 teachers. Finally, a third iteration identifies the main indicators to evaluate and adjust the adoption of mobile learning and proposes a scorecard. Based on the three design cycles, the fourth cycle proposes design principles and presents a refined version of the first prototype of the framework.

Increasing domestic demand for dairy products presents market opportunities for smallholder dairy farmers in Indonesia. However, low productivity and poor milk quality prevent most smallholder dairy farmers from benefitting from these opportunities. The adoption of improved dairy farming technologies and practices can increase smallholder dairy farmers’ milk productivity and milk quality. There have been many dairy development programs in Indonesia attempting to increase technology adoption; yet, adoption of key technologies remains low. This thesis attempts to understand Indonesian smallholder dairy farmers’ awareness of technologies, their adoption behaviour, and their main barriers to adopting multiple technologies. It also examines the effects of technology adoption on smallholders’ milk production. The thesis has three main analytical chapters, which address the research objectives through multiple methods: descriptive analysis, cluster analysis and econometric modelling. The analytical chapters use a primary cross-sectional dataset from a survey of 600 dairy farming households located in four dairy producing districts in West Java Province, Indonesia. A Latent Class cluster analysis is used in the first analytical chapter to identify two unique subgroups of dairy farming households based on their awareness and adoption patterns (adoption, dis-adoption, and continued adoption) of multiple on-farm dairy technologies. Relative to the ‘High awareness/high adoption’ cluster, households in the ‘Low awareness/low adoption’ cluster have significantly lower levels of awareness of all technologies; and, among ‘aware’ households, technology adoption rates are also significantly lower. Farmers in the Low awareness/low adoption cluster are older, have less formal education, manage fewer dairy cows, have less productive and profitable dairy enterprises, live further away from the cooperative and farmer group leader, and have fewer contacts with dairy extension staff. Farmers face multilayered and heterogenous constraints to adopting dairy technologies. Thus, technology dissemination programs need to ensure they meet the unique needs of subgroups of farmers. A Multinomial Endogenous Switching Regression (MESR) approach is used in the second analytical chapter to estimate the effects of three feed technology bundles on milk production. The adoption of feed technology bundles is significantly associated with smallholder farmers’ ownership of capital. Further, the adoption of technology bundles has positive and robust effects on milk production per cow, with greater effects if the technology bundle includes high protein feed concentrates. We suggest improving farmers’ awareness of the benefits of complementary technologies and improving access to inputs, such as high-quality feed concentrates. The final analytical chapter uses a new institutional economics lens to understand factors contributing to the dis-adoption of key technologies. Farmers’ reasons for dis-adoption centred on limited availability and affordability of inputs, as well as limited knowledge and lack of improved skills required for adoption. Current institutional arrangements for milk and input quality assessment and institutions provision of dairy farm inputs and services are ineffective, and contribute to dis-adoption. Programs and policies aiming to increase farmers’ adoption of technologies need to address constraints at both a farm and an institutional level.
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Centre for Global Food and Resources, 2021

The International Conference on Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Equality and Diversity in Sports (ICMPEDS) is organized by GESPORT with the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union from the 14th to the 16th of July 2021. The conference is an excellent forum for academics, researchers, practitioners, athletes, man- agers and professionals of federations, associations and sport organizations, and those other- wise involved in sport to share and exchange ideas in different areas of sport related equality worldwide. We will keep you informed by email and post the latest information on this matter on the GESPORT website and social media. Sport and its management continues to be a field where men and masculinity strongly prevail. This conference aims to investigate the complexities attached to the following questions: What does gender openness mean in the context of sport in the 21st century? What persists as gen- der closure in the same context? What are the gender cultures that signify sport continuing to be defined by regimes that resort to a dominant masculinity embodied in a strong and athletic male body? Moreover, and albeit some exceptions, athletes, practitioners, decision and policy makers, and sports spectators are predominantly men. In this sense, gender discrimination and segregation are present in multiple aspects of sport. Some illustrations include: a) male athletes have high salaries, more career opportunities, and get more recognition by society than female athletes; b) management and leadership positions in sports organizations are mainly occupied by men, including in sports traditionally considered as feminine and which have become feminised (e.g. gymnastics and dance); c) masculinised sports and its male athletes have much more attention and recognition from the media than female athletes; d) sports journalism continues to be predominantly produced and managed by men; e) some sports spectatorships cultures are marked by rituals and interactions that resort to masculine tribalism, often leading to aggressive and violent behaviours. Gender discrimination in sport is somehow socially normalised and accepted through a dis- course that essentialises the embodied sexual differences between genders. This gender dis- course legitimises the exclusion of women in some sports modalities and traps female bodies in sociocultural constructions as less able to exercise and engage in sport, or as the second and weaker version of the ideal masculine body. However, there are signs that the context of sport may be changing. The European Union and some national governments have made an effort to promote gender equality and diversity by fostering the adoption of gender equality codes/policies in different modalities and in in- ternational and local sports organizations. These new policies aim to increase female partic- ipation and recognition in sport, their access to leadership positions and involvement in the decision-making in sport structures. Additionally, the number of women practising non-com- petitive sport and as sports spectators have started growing, leading to new representations of sport and challenging the role of women in such a context. Finally, different body constructions and the emergence of alternative embodied femininities and masculinities are also challeng- ing how athletes of both genders experience their bodies and sports practice. Yet, research is scarce about the impact of these changes/challenges in the sports context. This conference will focus on mapping gender relations in sport and its management by taking into account the different modalities, contexts, institutional policies, organizational structures and actors (e.g. athletes, spectators, media professionals, sport decision makers and man- agers). It will treat sport and its management as one avenue where gender segregation and inequality occurs, but also adopt such as a space that presents an opportunity for change and does so as a widely applicable topic whose traits and culture are reflected in organizations and work more broadly. In this sense, the conference is interested in theoretical and empirical research work that may explore, but are not limited to the following issues: • Women representativeness in sports modalities and in sport organizational structures in different countries; • Women and management accounting in sport organizations; • The gender regimes that (re)produce different sports policies, modalities, and institu- tions in sport; • The stories of resistance/conformity of women that already occupy different roles in sport contexts; • The challenges and impact of conventional and new body representations in sports institutions and including athletes of both genders; • The discourses of masculinities in sport and its effect on women and men athletes; • The emergence of nationalism and populist discourses in political and governments states and their impact on the (re)shaping of masculinity and femininity constructions in sport; • The gendered transformations of the spectators’ gaze in what concerns different sports modalities; • The effects of new groups of sports spectators on gender relations in sport; • The discourses in media and its participation in the sports gender (in)equality; • The impact of new technologies, and new practices of training/coaching in the body- work and identities of athletes of both genders.

The chapter is the conclusion. It gives an overview of the context of the present book and outlines its main findings. It examines the various issues treated in this book and recaps them in the form of a short summary of the chapters which form Parts I (Concepts), II (Standards) and III (Implementation). It then takes another look at the aim to make disability an integral part of international human rights law. The chapter explains the shift in addressing disability from a scattering of welfare policies to a focus on non-discrimination the limitations of which the idea of the dis-abled subject allows to break through. It finally addresses how to capitalise on the adoption of the CRPD by uniting the entire human rights community.