Martyn Warren

Farmers online: drivers and impediments in adoption of Internet in UK agricultural businesses

Farm businesses appear to have much to gain from the use of Internet technology, particularly given their spatial dispersion and typically small scale (in terms of employment and turnover), but available statistics show a lower rate of adoption than small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in general, with less than one‐third of UK farmers using the Internet for business purposes. This article reports on an investigation by the University of Plymouth of Internet adoption by farmers in two contrasting agricultural areas, with three iterations over six years. Insights will be of value to anyone interested in the adoption of information and communication technology in microbusiness, and/or in the development of e‐commerce in the farm sector. Identifies research and policy issues outstanding in the field of Internet adoption in agriculture, including the rollout of broadband infrastructure, the development of human capital, the key role of farm family members, and the understanding of the complexity underlying the adoption process.

Revolutions and Second-Best Solutions: Education for Sustainable Development in Higher Education.

Despite widespread policy support for education for sustainable development in higher education, and a strong academic literature arguing for a radical rethink of curriculum, pedagogy and institutional culture, progress towards the educational reforms advocated remains limited. Based on in‐depth interviews with lecturers at a case‐study university, this article explores reasons for the slow pace of change, in particular how constraining variables (such as class size, patchy managerial support, perceived irrelevance to some disciplines, and conflict with prevalent higher education pedagogies) inhibit the widespread use of the holistic, interdisciplinary, transformative learning approaches advocated by theorists. Coping strategies employed by lecturers to bring education for sustainable development into their teaching practices are investigated and reviewed in the context of the ‘theory of the second best’. We conclude with a plea for greater recognition in the literature of the merits of such ‘second‐best’ approaches in higher education.

Young people and the division of labour in farming families

The family farm has been identified as the main unit of agricultural production in Britain and it has been widely studied as an economic unit in agricultural research. However, it is also a social unit: one with a division of labour based upon gender and generation. Here we will consider a relatively unexplored area of agricultural production: the contribution of children to the family farm, based upon a quantitative survey of young people in a rural area and detailed qualitative interviews. The approach is to look at the farm family in terms of a ‘household work strategy’ although in the paper we argue that this should take into account the importance of moral obligation and patriarchal ideology. The importance of gender and generation are explored as intersecting factors in the division of labour.

AN ANALYSIS OF ICT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FRAMEWORK IN CHINESE RURAL AREAS

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development strategy in Chinese rural areas is an indispensable part of national development strategies. This paper reviews the ICT framework in agriculture and rural areas launched by the Department of Agriculture in China. It compares the rural ICT policies and strategies between China and the European Union (EU). The ICT development strategy framework is analyzed based on the situation in Chinese rural area and the experiences of the EU. Some lessons and suggestions are provided.

SWARD: participatory knowledge transfer at work

Abstract Extension specialists have long been advocating more participatory approaches to the transfer of knowledge in the agricultural community. This paper examines the case of the South West Agricultural and Rural Development project (SWARD) in England, in which a network of self-selected ‘cells’ of rural business people are encouraged to establish their own agenda for training and advice, supported by a central information provider. Early results suggest a successful attempt to allow a degree of participatory activity within an organised framework, with high levels of satisfaction for those taking part.

Education for Integrated Rural Development: transformative learning in a complex and uncertain world

A key question addressed in this article is: How does the increased pressure for expertise in IRD translate itself into the demand for educational services and the design of appropriate curricula on a European-wide basis? This article examines these issues and generates a number of stepping stones for the development of Education and Training for Integrated Rural Development (ETIRD) in tertiary education, based on a two-year inter-institutional curriculum development project carried out under the umbrella of the AFANeti.

Practising what we preach: Managing agricultural education in a changing world

Abstract Using the UK experience as its main focus, this paper examines the pressures on rural higher education, their impact on institutions, and the consequences for those who work in those institutions. It argues that much of the adjustment that has taken place has been an incremental, ad hoc reaction to a succession of crises, rather than as a result of a planned strategy. One of the results is a loss of direction and self-confidence in the sector. Those charged with managing agricultural education can learn from examining anew what their institutions teach students about business management, and questioning whether they really practise what they preach.