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The article discusses a study which examined how farmers viewed the use of treated paper mill effluent for irrigation in Tamil Nadu, India using a well-structured interview. The study revealed that about 54% of respondents considered the effluent was appropriate for sugarcane cultivation. It was noted that most water intensive industries have applied treated effluent irrigation technology to the disposal of wastewater. Factors linked to such perception are cited including farmers' characteristics such as educational status and mass media exposure.

The lack of health insurance for smallholder farmers in most sub‐Saharan African countries hurts the families and can also negatively affect agriculture production, exports, and tax revenues. This paper analyzes the linkage between medical emergencies and agriculture exports and the corresponding tax revenues for smallholder farmers in Côte d'Ivoire. It uses two complementary datasets: the 2016 Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) smallholder survey and the 2015 Côte d'Ivoire living standard survey. The paper finds that a medical emergency is negatively and significantly associated with a decrease in the likelihood that a smallholder farmer cultivates cocoa of 3.9 percentage points, driving them into poverty and reducing productivity at the lower quantiles. The paper then estimates that medical emergencies can be correlated with the decline in cocoa exports of $853 million and in tax revenues of $125 million, representing 0.2% of the Ivorian gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deploys the material and discursive politics of storage as a lens into agrarian change in rural India. Focusing on onions (Allium cepa), a price volatile crop and a kitchen staple, it maps out the contested meanings of and motivations for storage among growers, governments, and agri‐logistics companies. Specifically, this paper asks why storage is increasingly positioned as a key solution to the problem of price instability. This emphasis, I argue, represents a distinct regime of agrarian biopower that seeks to intervene into the physical properties of the bulb to extend its material life, and thereby, manage produce, prices, and populations. In doing so, however, fundamental issues of social inequality and guaranteed prices are bypassed. Moreover, innovations in storage technologies lay the grounds for the entry of corporate capital into agriculture. Ultimately, techno‐capital‐intensive biopolitical infrastructures of storage portend the restructuring of India's agrarian economy in favour of elite farmers and agri‐logistics firms by circumventing the issue of a fixed and fair price for producers and consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sustainable transition in the agri‐food system holds society‐wide implications. Farmers play central roles in responding to climate change, environmental degradation and sustainable food production. Still, factors underlying how farmers make decisions and manage their farms are often marginalised in efforts to develop policies to tackle these issues.The concept of relational values, defined as preferences, principles and virtues based on human–nature relationships, recently emerged to expand understandings of environmental decision‐making in general and that of farmers specifically. As agricultural landscapes are dynamic and characterised by the interaction of various actors with diverse values and interests, how these interactions influence farmers' decisions remains underexplored.This paper engages with these issues by using qualitative data on Norwegian horticultural farmers' motivations, opportunities and challenges in farming. We find that their relational values (a) are influential in shaping farmers' decisions about farm management and (b) are continually unfolding and embedded within a web of other actors, including grocers, retailers, consumers, farm advisors and policymakers, which shapes farmers' enactment of their relational values.In the context of agriculture, this research underlines the utility of an in‐depth understanding of relational values as embedded in wider social systems to enrich analyses of farmer decision‐making. How farmers' relational values are shaped and realised through interactions with other actors holds important implications for policy and programming to navigate tensions between different interests and actors for sustainable and long‐term change. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smallholder farmers in developing nations face multifaceted challenges as they strive to secure fair prices for their agricultural products. With a primary focus on bolstering sustainable agricultural value chains (SAVC), this conceptual paper investigates the transformative potential of Financial Technology (FinTech) solutions. The study synthesizes insights from prior research on SAVC, hurdles faced by smallholder farmers, conventional strategies, and the untapped prospects offered by FinTech solutions in the agricultural sector. Utilizing the PRISMA strategy for comprehensive documentation retrieval, the study underscores the significance of creating a robust SAVC to empower smallholder farmers within the broader value chain landscape. It is found that Agri‐FinTech solutions represent a pivotal avenue for advancing living standards and cultivating agricultural sustainability in developing nations. The integration of FinTech solutions for agri‐credit mechanisms and product market facilitation catalyzes enabling pre‐production financing and ensures fair prices for smallholder farmers in the post‐production phase while neutralizing the value chain's exploitation potential. The study advocates for the expeditious adoption of information technology in developing countries, spotlighting the transformative role of Mobile Financial Services (MFS), which fortifies the agriculture sector, ensuring its resilience and responsiveness to the evolving demands of a globalized market. Drawing upon an evaluation of existing literature on FinTech‐enhanced agricultural initiatives in developing nations, the study outlines directions for future research and creates a path for a more nuanced understanding of the strategic enhancements necessary to fortify the SAVC, fostering a sustainable and equitable ecosystem for smallholder farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major limiting factor affecting the uptake of conservation agriculture practices in smallholder farming systems in sub‐Saharan Africa is the limited availability of sufficient crop residues for use as surface mulch. This paper assesses the trade‐offs in crop residue utilization among smallholder farmers and its implications for soil management in the face of climate change risks in northern Ghana. The paper triangulated data from 350 household surveys with participatory key informant interviews from seven selected communities in three districts of northern Ghana. The problem confrontation index (PCI) was adopted to identify and rank the challenges associated with farmers' decision to use crop residues, while a multivariate probit model was used to analyse and predict the factors that influence farmers' choice of crop residue management practices. Results showed that crop residues were used as cooking fuel in households (21%), livestock feed (21%), left on the farm to decompose as mulch (34%) or burned to clear the land (24%). Key challenges identified included high labour cost (PCI = 404), high labour intensity (PCI = 388), the cost and transport for collection and storage of externally sourced crop residue (PCI = 383) and the low benefit from crop residue to farm output/soil fertility (PCI = 339). Results from the multivariate probit model revealed that household and farm variables, institutional and socio‐psychological factors, and experience of some climate shocks all influence farmers' choice of crop residue management practices. Crop residue use and management practices adopted were determined by factors including the crops being grown, challenges faced by farmers and the management options available. The study recommends the need for the Government of Ghana to empower farmers through the provision of technical knowledge and machinery for the sustainable utilization of crop residues due to the high labour intensity and cost associated with such practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes rainfall data to characterize the rainy season and define rice and maize crop calendars for current and future conditions in Madagascar. The daily rainfall data are taken from observational climate records and climate model simulations from the CMIP6 under the SSP245 and SSP585 scenarios. Rainy season characteristics are calibrated to fit rice and maize crop growth stages. The comparison between the past (1950–2018) and the future (2030–2100) highlights changes in the onset and cessation dates, which happen later and earlier, respectively. This causes the reduction of the rainy season duration, which affects the rice and maize crop calendars, especially its sowing or seeding periods. The worst (best) case is mainly observed in the southeast (southwest). On the one hand, the southwestern region may need to adapt to grow rice and maize crops with short or medium crop cycles in the future. In the Highland or Central land, the length of the sowing or seeding period increases. On the other hand, the North and East face a significant reduction in the length of the sowing or seeding period. Rice endures more than maize. Growing rice crops twice a year may not be possible in the future. But rather, we observe minor changes in the West. Our analysis suggests the imperative necessity to advise smallholder farmers to rely on short crop cycle varieties of rice and maize crops. Predominantly, the harvesting period is postponed. It is recommended to carefully consider our results for the definition of food policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire is a highly relevant governance challenge in the tropics: altered fire regimes, among other phenomena, threaten the persistence of various ecosystems. Fire is also widely used by smallholders. Yet, wildfires can put people's livelihoods in danger through direct damages and by impoverishing ecosystem services. Conventional approaches have sought to suppress any type of fire in the landscape. However, since the late twentieth century, researchers and practitioners have recognized the benefits of strategic fire use and, in some cases, of local fire use traditions. In many tropical areas, the coexistence and interaction of the conventional ('suppression‐only') approach, integrated approaches, and communities' traditional ways of using fire, create a complex network of actors with different interests and outlooks. The ways these actors make decisions and interact can be summed up under the notion of fire governance. There is a growing body of literature dealing with this kind of situations, although they do not always mention the term governance. This paper thematically analyses 38 studies in this field, showing that research has been scattered and often addresses the issue partially, leaving out key aspects of environmental governance. Based on this analysis, the paper proposes a more connected and holistic research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper asks whether value chain integration increases smallholder resilience during shocks. Using a qualitative research study design and the test case of the 'sugar‐belt' in Zambia, the paper draws on interviews with participants from different stakeholder groups, including household case studies and group discussions. Results show sugarcane value chain integration enhances smallholder livelihood resilience during pandemics through its coordination arrangement, but more could be done. Indirect involvement in, and joint procurement processes of inputs between smallholders and the management company, existing ready and stable access to markets and access to Fairtrade relief funds that point to direct livelihood support proved crucial for strengthening smallholder livelihood resilience during the pandemic. There were COVID‐19‐related adjustments by the management company, which further increased smallholder support. However, in as much as coordination arrangements seemed to have worked well during COVID‐19, smallholder livelihoods remained narrow and risky, raising the need for diversification that could strengthen sustainable resilience. This paper sheds light on how value chains could be organised to enhance pandemic recovery and build livelihood resilience. It helps us to reflect on the '(in)effectiveness' of value chain institutions and the role and importance of smallholder coordination arrangements during pandemics. Ultimately, the result is a contribution to livelihood resilience thinking in value chains—one we hope is appropriate to our conjuncture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmland fragmentation is a typical feature of arable land use in the economies dominated by smallholder production mode, and scientific evaluation of farmland fragmentation is an effective and crucial process to find and solve problems. Farmland fragmentation, as a kind of long‐standing physiographic landscape and agricultural economic phenomenon under the comprehensive effect of "human‐land‐property rights", not only contains the scale status and spatial distribution of cultivated patches but also is featured with farming and tenure right. However, the theoretical interpretation of the multidimensional characteristics of farmland fragmentation was insufficient, and it was rare to evaluate the farmland fragmentation based on plot scale. To this end, an evaluation framework of farmland fragmentation with four dimensions and 12 indicators was constructed in this paper. Moreover, regarding Minqing County located in China's southeast coast as a case, empirical research was thus conducted. The findings indicated that the physical properties of farmland patches were depicted through scale fragmentation. Spatial fragmentation represented the spatial distribution of farmland patches. Farming fragmentation revealed agricultural production and management differences while tenure fragmentation embodied the tenure rights segmentation induced by the land distribution system. Farmland fragmentation consolidation was an effective way to solve these issues, and some differential tactics should be conducted in accordance with the path of "zoning types–obstacle factors–consolidation directions–treatment measures". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examined the risk preferences and management strategies of cereal and legume farmers of Ghana's savannah zones using both the exploratory factor analysis and the linear regression model. Using primary cross‐sectional data and employing the multistage sampling technique made up of purposive, cluster and random sampling techniques, the paper found that cereal farmers are more risk averse than legume farmers. Rainfall variability was ranked topmost by cereals and legumes farmers. Both cereal and legume farmers employ multiple but dissimilar risk management strategies to manage these sources of risk. The commonest sources of risk to cereal and legume farmers were climate and market risk, while off‐farm activities are the commonest management strategy. Production risk faced by cereal farmers was managed by both off‐farm and farm production strategies whereas human risk faced by legumes farmers was managed by both off‐farm and financial management strategies. The importance of market risk implies that policy initiatives should aim at reducing market‐related risks by focusing on increasing off‐farm opportunities for rural households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper advances the literature on the 'good farmer' by considering the role social media may play in the presentation, refinement and reworking of notions of good farming. In exploring these ideas, the paper brings current understandings of the good farmer into conversation with those literatures on online capital exchange and the extensions of Goffman's ideas of identity performance. The paper draws on analysis of 5,000 farming tweets and interviews with 22 farmers who utilize Twitter. The paper considers how social media offers a change to the geographies and temporalities of good farming as it allows connection to a broader, geographically unrestricted, audience, might open up the previously un(der)observed or inaccessible microspaces of the farm, and allow the multifarious and often ephemeral aspects of farming practices to be captured. In moving, conceptually, beyond the idea of identity performance toward one of curation, the paper introduces the idea of didactic text, which serves to contextualize what is seen as good (and bad) farming practice. The paper shows how social media's ability to offer this regular and contextual information allows us to move beyond abstracted and decontextualized symbols of good farming toward recognizing the context‐specific nature of the 'rules of the game,' and how a broader audience beyond the farming community may be beginning to play a role in (re)shaping the symbols and practices of good farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognizing the diversity of preferences for, and values ascribed to, ecosystems in decision‐making can help to realize more sustainable and equitable policies for transformative change.The goal of this paper was to assess how rankings of ecosystem products (i.e. their relative importance in people's lives) relate to people's individual characteristics, their social–ecological context and the values they ascribe to each ecosystem product.In our case study in southwestern Ethiopia, we considered 11 ecosystem products and four value types (direct use, exchange, relational, intrinsic). We used descriptive statistics, hierarchical clustering and chi‐square tests of independence to analyse the data.On average, maize and teff were ranked as most important, and direct use and relational value were the most important value types. Beneficiaries often ascribed multiple values to each ecosystem product, and direct use and relational values better explained overall importance rankings than exchange or intrinsic values.Five groups of beneficiaries, who each prioritized a different set of ecosystem products, differed in their occupation, and in their social–ecological context, in terms of the villages they lived in and the ecosystem products they produced. Beneficiaries in each of the five groups ascribed different value types to their prioritized ecosystem products, and these did not always align with the value types that were generally judged most important by the group.We recommend that sustainable landscape management should reflect the diversity of people's value ascription, including non‐exchange values. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Senegal, agriculture is an important sector underpinning the socioeconomic fabric of the populace. Notably, the agricultural production in this region exhibits heightened sensitivity to climatic perturbations, particularly droughts and heat waves. This study aims to determine the resilience of different agronomic interventions for farmers practicing mixed farming that produce both crops (i.e., groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.)) and raise animals in the Groundnut Basin in Senegal, which holds historical and socioeconomic significance. To understand the current situation regarding demographics, economics, consumption behavior, and farm operations for smallholder farmers, data were comprehensively collected from government and nongovernment organizations (NGO) reports, scientific papers, organization databases, and surveys. Additionally, the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) was used to understand how combinations of three planting dates, three plant densities, and six urea nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates affected the yield of pearl millet, which were used as the alternative scenarios to the baseline in the farm modeling and analyses. All the collected and generated data were used as inputs into the Farm Simulation Model (FARMSIM) to generate economic, nutritional, and risk data associated with mixed farming systems. The generated data were then used to determine the resilience of the alternative scenarios against the baseline. Initially, a multi‐objective optimization was employed to meet nutritional needs while maintaining a healthy diet at the lowest cost. Then, the scenarios that met the population's nutritional requirements were evaluated based on four economic indicators: net cash farm income (NCFI), ending cash reserves (EC), net present value (NPV), and internal rate of return (IRR). Lastly, those that passed the economic feasibility test were ranked based on risk criteria certainty equivalent (CE) and risk premium (RP). The analyses found N fertilizer rates of 0, 20, and 100 kg N ha−1 were generally economically not feasible. Additionally, medium (early‐July to late‐August) and late (late‐July to mid‐September) planting dates generally performed better than early (early‐June to late‐July) planting dates, while plant densities of 3.3 and 6.6 pL m−2 performed better than 1.1. The robust resilience approach introduced in this study is easily transferable to other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Jamaican specialty coffee industry operates in an ecologically sensitive landscape that is institutionally, politically and socio‐economically complex. Birthed under colonial rule, the industry has undergone a confluence of events that have shaped its contemporary organisation and exacerbated deeply rooted institutional and structural conditions. Through the lens of environmental justice, the paper sheds light on the plural claims to justice under changing climatic conditions and reveals the politics of adaptation within the context of market capitalism. Using stakeholder interviews, the paper captures the articulations and manifestations of injustice by exploring the local perceptions of procedural justice and justice as recognition. Through an examination of power and politics, the paper begins by contextualising the pre‐existing conditions that shape the disabling environment in which smallholders operate. This includes the neoliberal restructuring of the industry, smallholders' access to low farm gate prices, expensive farm inputs, low‐value chain participation, and limited support services. As these conditions are exacerbated by climate change impacts, the paper then discusses the disparity in justice claims between farmers and industry stakeholders surrounding the deployment of suitable climate change adaptation response. This is an area of contestation, as even though smallholders face multiple stressors, industry leaders have continued to operate the island's major coffee‐producing spaces as areas where profits can be mined and privileges reinforced. Effectively, the smallholder livelihoods embedded within Jamaica's coffee‐producing landscapes have been subjected to asymmetrical structures of power which legitimise whose voices are heard and which adaptation pathway takes precedence, thus generating injustices, nurturing vulnerabilities and stifling agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate evaluation of the relationship between nature reserves and poverty is highly significant for the harmonious coexistence between human and nature. It is widely recognized that the establishment of nature reserves is of great importance to the income poverty of farmers, but less attention has been paid to the impact of different reserves on the multidimensional relative poverty of farmers. Based on the survey data of Panda Nature Reserves in China, we analyze the influence of reserve regulation (or not) and regulation intensity on the multidimensional relative poverty of farmers and its mechanism. Results show that farmers in reserves are more likely to fall into multidimensional relative poverty than those outside the reserves, and there is a U‐shaped relationship between regulation intensity and multidimensional relative poverty. Further, the mechanism analysis show that, on average, the establishment of reserves has no significant impact on farmers' resource utilization capability, but too high or too low regulation intensity will affect farmers' resource utilization capacity, and aggravate their multidimensional relative poverty. The conclusions of this paper are not only conducive to the expansion of theoretical research on regulation and poverty, but also provide policy implications for realizing the coordinated development between biodiversity conservation of nature reserves and rural livelihood. Recommendations for Resource Managers: The effects of the regulation of nature reserves on the relative poverty of farmers is analyzed in this paper. We find that there is a "quantity" problem of the impact of reserve regulation on the farmers' relative poverty. The following implications could be realized based on the observations: •When identifying the relative poverty of farmers, it is necessary to make an in‐depth analysis from the perspectives of economic poverty and multidimensional poverty, and provide targeted and accurate assistance policies for different types of farmers.•The formulation and implementation of the reserve regulations should consider the difficulty of farmers' livelihood transformation to balance the relationship between the community development and ecological protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I assess the utility of two targeted qualitative interview questions: descriptions of a 'good farmer' and a 'good day', for eliciting rich textual data. Studies where farmers have been asked to describe or define a good farmer have been utilized across a growing range of international contexts in order to identify farmers' cultural scripts, symbolic capital and social norms. The constitution of a 'good day' is new to rural studies but has been employed academically to assess perceptions of well‐being and job satisfaction. I employ document analysis to analyse the multiple uses of the 'good farmer' question in the rural studies literature and introduce a contrasting empirical application the 'good day' question in a rural case study in the United Kingdom. Findings demonstrate that both interview questions can generate rich textual descriptions of embodied performances. 'Good farmer' definitions may also include a moral judgement, whereas the 'good day' question specifically yields descriptions of affect. Farmers are reluctant to identify 'bad farmers', but asking about a 'bad day' can open up discussion of the vulnerabilities of farming life. Both questions are thus suited to more‐than‐representational research, gaining utility from their congruence between common parlance and academic conceptualization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Irrigation & Drainage is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper surveys recent literature on decision support for beef and dairy farming, covering 110 articles published between 2016 and 2022. We classify these articles based on the type of farm, country of application, objectives and decisions, model scope, and methodology. The paper provides guidance for future research efforts by discussing the choice between whole farm and intrafarm modeling, the choice between optimization and simulation, and how to leverage existing modeling frameworks. Additionally, we identify opportunities for future research and discuss possibilities for increasing the adoption of decision‐support tools in practice by farmers and industry advisors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To clarify the influence mechanism and action path of social networks on farmland abandonment, taking the hilly and mountainous areas of Ganzhou, China as the study area, this paper first explores the influence of farmers' social networks on abandonment; furthermore, a mediation effect model is introduced to test the inhibiting effect of farmland transfer on abandonment under the scenario of expanding farmers' social networks. The results show that the expansion of farmers' social networks directly aggravates farmland abandonment, but with the development of land transfer market, farmers' social networks help to reduce the transaction cost of farmland transfer, thus promoting land circulation and restraining abandonment. Considering the double‐edged effect of farmers' social networks on abandonment, this paper recommends that policies aimed at curbing abandonment should be channeled through local farmers‐based social networks, and encourage land transfer among farmers' relatives, friends, or neighbors, and so forth to reduce transaction cost in rural society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing global emphasis on sustainable agriculture to reduce human impacts and improve delivery of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With increasing investment in critical zone observatories (CZOs), it becomes important to understand how sustainable agricultural knowledge is produced, shared and used between different groups including farmers, scientists and government. To explore these issues, scientists leading the knowledge exchange (KE) component of a China‐UK CZO program studied three farming regions with contrasting geologies and varying economic levels, using a practice‐based research method. We demonstrate how additional funding for social science research allowed us to understand how farmers access and share farming knowledge through bonding, bridging and linking networks, and how this varies spatially, using interviews and survey questionnaires. Knowledge flows, barriers and opportunities for designing locally suited two‐way KE activities were identified. First, we highlight the need for a more locally, socially embedded and reflexive approach to build trust and better address pressing local environmental challenges. Second, we show how social science can usefully inform KE for collaborative, international development science, to draw on local knowledge, promote research impacts and capacity building while avoiding knowledge mismatches. Lastly, a blueprint for the design and funding of future CZOs, social‐ecological and planetary health research agendas that combine science, social science, local knowledge and KE is presented, including the need for substantive social science research to take place in addition to science research in human‐modified landscapes—enabling the CZ science to be better grounded in, informed by and useful to local communities. Plain Language Summary: There is a growing global need for sustainable agriculture to reduce human impacts on the environment. To do this, we need to have a better understanding of how sustainable agricultural knowledge is produced, shared and used between different groups including farmers, scientists and government. In this paper, we explored these issues in three farming regions in China, using a practice‐based research method where we interviewed and surveyed several 100 farmers. We found that in two of the three regions, farmers access and share farming knowledge through family networks, whilst in the third region farmers learned from a broader range of groups including scientists and government. We recommend that future science studies in stressed agricultural landscapes use a more local approach to build trust and carry out science that better addresses pressing local environmental challenges. This requires us to study people, the residents in these landscapes, using social science, alongside understanding how the landscape is functioning ecologically. Lastly, we propose a new "blueprint" for funding of future science, social‐ecological and planetary health research agendas that combine science, social science, local knowledge and knowledge exchange. This will enable environmental science to be better grounded in, informed by and useful to local communities. Key Points: A blueprint for future critical zone observatories and planetary health research is presented that combines science, social science and local knowledgeWe show how social science can usefully inform knowledge exchange (KE) for collaborative science, to build capacity while avoiding knowledge mismatchesSpatial variations in how farmers learn through bonding, bridging and linking networks exist, showing the need for a local approach to KE [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Irrigation & Drainage is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Issue Addressed: Farmers experience skin cancer and die from melanoma at significantly higher rates than the general Australian population. This study examined Australian farmers' engagement with self‐skin examinations (SSE), participation in clinical skin examinations (CSE) by a health professional, and self‐reported barriers to engagement with these important skin cancer detection practices. Methods: A cross‐sectional, mixed‐methods design was used. Australian farmers were recruited through an industry‐based organisation representing livestock farmers. Farmers (N = 498; 22–89 years; 83.1% male) responded to a paper‐based survey that included closed‐ and open‐ended questions. Results: Farmers reported engagement with self‐conducted SSE and routine CSE that was comparable to findings in the general population, but 29.4% of farmers reported that they had not sought a CSE as soon as possible after noticing changes to their skin. Farmers reported a range of barriers to SSE, including physical difficulties examining their skin, difficulties identifying changes in their skin, forgetfulness, and lack of motivation. Barriers to CSE included accessibility, cost, difficulties finding the right doctor, and avoidance and complacency. Conclusions: There is a need to make clinical skin cancer detection more accessible to farmers, in addition to promoting self‐skin examination and help‐seeking behaviours within this at risk population. So What?: Novel approaches are needed to address systemic barriers faced by Australian farmers. These may include the use of teledermatology or artificial intelligence to assist with CSE. Remote training delivery methods may be also utilised to teach SSE skills to farmers who may be otherwise unable to access such opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Cassava is an important crop for the survival of smallholder farmers in Cameroon. However, the cassava sector has a low production per unit area compared to the technological potential in this country. In this context, breeders have developed varieties based mainly on their potential in terms of yield and disease resistance. These varieties have been widely disseminated in Cameroon within the framework of development projects. However, these releases have not achieved the expected adoption and yield levels at the national level. Therefore, it appears important to rethink the determinants of dissemination with a broader examination of the cassava production system. RESULTS: This paper analyses varietal complementarity as a key strategy in support of optimizing the experimental and continuous use of cassava varieties by farmers in the Central and Eastern regions of Cameroon. These two regions account for 50% of the country's production. A total of 111 semi‐structured interviews were conducted with farmers selected through purposive sampling in four villages in Central and Eastern Cameroon where improved varieties have been disseminated. The research revealed four types of complementarity, related to use, crop management, risk management and cultural complementarity. CONCLUSION: Our results argue for considering varietal complementarities practiced by farmers, within research and development programs to develop more effective breeding and dissemination approaches. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the potential impacts of a hypothetical implementation of the Income Stabilisation Tool (IST) in France for the field crops sector. The IST is a risk management tool available within the 2014–2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to support farmers facing a severe drop in their incomes. This analysis was conducted using a farm‐level model relying on expected utility theory and based on positive mathematical programming with risk. The model was applied to a sample of 1375 field crop farms in France derived from Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) data. Simulation results show that the uptake rate of the tool is relatively low, less than 37% in all scenarios. It is strongly dependent on CAP public support and on how much premium farmers have to pay. Highest uptake rates are observed in farms specialising in Other Field Crops, such as potatoes, pulses and sugar beet, and farms located in regions highly exposed to climatic risks. Previous experience with insurance favours the acceptance of the IST. Model results also show that the IST improves adopters' income and reduces income inequality. However, its impacts on crop diversity, measured by the Shannon index, are negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vulnerable households, often the target for efforts to increase resilience, likely hold beliefs about their ability to control outcomes that make them less likely to invest in new technologies. Locus of control provides one way to elicit these beliefs and can help identify populations requiring additional support prior to widespread adoption of new technologies. This paper presents evidence from a large sample of maize‐producing households in Mozambique and Tanzania. A more external locus of control is strongly associated with lower expected returns to improved maize varieties and a reduced probability of their adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents abstracts of studies on agricultural economics in the United States. 'The Farmer Decision Process in Purchasing Supplies,' by Thomas F. Funk; 'Effects of Reduced Birth Rates on U.S. Milk Consumption,' by Ronald A. Schrimper; 'Household Purchase Response to Changes in Retail Milk Prices--Some New Evidence,' by William T. Boehm; 'Consumer Attitudes Toward Food Price Increases,' by Larry D. Jones, Loys L. Mather and John Gibbs.

Given the structure and functioning of agricultural markets and the policies and institutional space, smallholder farmers in India often face the risks of strategic failures, which force them to either opt for distress selling, operate as fringe retailers or participate in the existing supply or value chains on given conditions. In this perspective, this paper examines if smallholder farmers' collectives can potentially strengthen their market position vis‐à‐vis other individual players and enable them to explore strategic options in a greater way. On the basis of the structure–conduct–performance theory and field experiences from two selected villages of West Bengal (India), the paper finds that the collectivization of smallholder farmers helps in exploring a larger set of strategic options for better outcomes. Further, the choice of the strategy set varies across the collectives depending on their composition, functioning, and resource endowments. Nevertheless, there is a possibility of strategic failures because of intra‐ as well as intercollective conflicts and competition from other players. The success in this regard would, therefore, depend on how the collectives democratically resolve such conflicts and develop capacity and capabilities to enhance their competitiveness for greater strategic success. Besides, addressing market imperfections through policy and institutional interventions would also be crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper applies exogenous shocks to investigate the impact of digital financial inclusion (DFI) on farmers' poverty vulnerability in China. We find that farmers in highly developed DFI areas are less vulnerable to the poverty trap. The result is robust to various checks, including propensity score matching and difference‐in‐differences method and the instrumental variable approach. Moreover, we find that income diversification is the possible economic channel through which DFI affects farmers' poverty vulnerability. Further analyses show that DFI has a "targeting" effect on those who are poor and vulnerable, and a synergistic effect by working with medical insurance and informal finance in terms of reducing farmers' poverty vulnerability. Our research findings provide new theoretical insights and useful guidance in enhancing financial inclusiveness and sustainable development in the post‐COVID‐19 era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores COVID‐19 policy responses and experiences of their impact on food systems and livelihoods, and other factors shaping vulnerability among peri‐urban small‐scale farmers in Zambia. We draw on household surveys and case studies, multi‐level interviews and group discussions to make sense of 'new normal' policy (in)action and its (in) effectiveness in shaping peri‐urban production, market linkages and livelihoods during the pandemic. Results show COVID‐19 policy responses affected peri‐urban production supply and demand for food and inputs. The 'new normal' policy responses aimed at striking a balance between health concerns and economic development as a pathway to recovery have not been followed by systematic peri‐urban agriculture support, leading to failure to stimulate production and drive urban market linkages, including supermarkets. Findings bring nuance to fragilities in national food systems and the need for long‐term and transformative interventions that can strengthen peri‐urban agriculture and livelihoods beyond the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercial smallholder production is touted as a mechanism for reducing rural poverty and transforming African agriculture. In line with this ideology, the Ghanaian state introduced two policies to provide incentives for commercial food and tree crop cultivation among smallholder farmers. Policy implementation is done in a blanket manner without considerations of gendered differences in agricultural asset distribution, such as land, and the particular sociocultural opportunities and constraints men and women face in undertaking commercial production. The paper investigates these gendered trajectories using a qualitative methodology. Results reveal the varied nature of women's constraints and related levels of vulnerability. Although native women are structurally disadvantaged in commercial food crop production, tree crop commercialisation presents an opportunity for them to reclaim dormant land rights safeguarded by their male kin. These results provide perspective for considering gender‐sensitive agricultural incentives as well as potential for leveraging on the tree crop sector for attaining gender neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As farmworkers were reframed as "essential" workers during the COVID‐19 pandemic, US growers demanded unfettered access to foreign farm labor. After initially announcing a freeze on all immigration processing, the Trump administration bowed to farmers' demands, granting a single exception for agricultural guestworkers under the H‐2A visa program. Through a focus on H‐2A farmworkers in Georgia, this paper highlights how the pandemic exacerbated farm labor conditions in the US South. The author interrogates these conditions through the lens of racial capitalism, exposing the legacies of plantation political economies and a longstanding agricultural labor system premised on devaluing racialized labor. These histories are obscured by the myth of agricultural exceptionalism—the idea that agriculture is too different and important to be subject to the same rules and regulations as other industries. Agricultural exceptionalism naturalizes the racial capitalist system and informs state responses that privilege agricultural production through the exploitation of farmworkers, remaking "essential" farmworkers as sacrificial labor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the contribution of "The New World of Work" to farming, a career often viewed as unattractive among youth, and, as highlighted by the "young farmer problem" in the literature. This paper draws upon research on the role of "new ways of working" in work engagement and farmer identity among young farmers. A mixed‐method approach is used based on data from two Mediterranean Islands, Crete and Cyprus. Based on the polymedia‐ new theory of digital media, the study focuses both on new media use and new media engagement for work‐related tasks. Our findings highlight that the "The New World of Work" is an important phenomenon for initiating positive change toward cohesive social‐self in a career (subjective perception of a farming career concerning others). However, we identified binary terms used by farmers when explaining conflicts between cohesive self‐concept (expression of a strong sense of self regarding their farming career) and social‐self in a career. The study concludes that the duality between career self‐concepts and social‐self still holds patterns even among young generation farmers, regardless of their integration level to new media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article represents the perspective of one retired, academic forage breeder and cultivar developer after 50 years of working experience. Developing cultivars that help farmers within pastoral agriculture is the main goal, a system where livestock is the consumer. International Grassland Congress proceedings, as well as the general literature, are historical guides for the state of forage breeding. Efficiency was achieved through technologies; better equipment for planting and harvesting; and advances in computer computation and communication. Biotechnology achievements were fitful and continue to evolve. Cultivar performance mean‐reversion, cost to the program, and what the farmer seed buyer was willing to pay are important considerations for applying any technology, especially biotechnologies. Biotech promises were too optimistic. This was due, in part, to a lack of understanding that traditional phenotypic/genotypic field selection programs operate in a complex way with multiple species and several traits screened simultaneously at a modest cost. The majority of current forage cultivars are from field‐based selection. Industry participation at scientific conferences declined over time, with less sharing of information the result. Cultivar developers will continue using basic field selection methods but should explore applying any technology; just be clever on when, how, and with whom to use them. Practical advice and experiences are also presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about psychosocial or 'internal' behaviours that can perpetuate chronic poverty and how to alleviate them in development programmes. This paper presents a conceptual and evaluation framework examining the relationship between a person's psychosocial behaviours, empowerment and economic wellbeing. The framework shows empowerment is enabled or limited by internal behaviours – including one's identity, aspiration, hope and confidence. We tested the framework on a behaviour change intervention among 1508 extremely poor smallholder farmers in Zambia. The intervention was a six‐session curriculum for promoting positive mindsets using faith‐based messages. We used concurrent mixed methods to examine changes and differences in levels of empowerment for individuals exposed to the intervention and those not. We found significant correlations between participation in the intervention and improvements in participants' internal attitudes and overall empowerment. The framework and mixed methods evaluation offer insights into how to design programmes to address internal constraints to empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formal credit plays an important role for the development of the agriculture sector in developing countries because many farmers are characterized as liquidity constrained. Access to credit can increase farmers' purchasing power for inputs and agricultural technology, thus raising the overall productivity. Farmers in Mali are particularly vulnerable to shocks, such as heavy precipitation events. Access to liquidity to increase the resilience of the agricultural sector is essential. Therefore, higher financing volumes are required, which make the analysis of loan demand in agriculture of interest. The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the role of the interest rate, the macroeconomic environment, the agricultural cycle and the gender of the farmer on the loan demand in the agricultural sector from a country in the Sahel. Unique and comprehensive loan data at the farm level, provided by a commercial Malian bank, is used for this analysis. The analysis covers the period from 2010 to 2020. Two different estimation strategies are combined. First, an ordinary least square regression is applied with the granted loan amount as the dependent variable. Second, the machine learning technique, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, is applied to select the most relevant features to be used as explanatory variables in the estimation. The results reveal that the interest rate, the gross value added, the farmer's gender as well as the agricultural cycle have statistically significant effects on the granted loan demand in agriculture. These results are of interest to policymakers, who deal with financial inclusion as well as market failures, and agricultural financial institutions who could incorporate such information in the design of future loan products to stimulate farmers' loan demand, especially for female farmers. [EconLit Citations: G20, G21, O13, O16, Q14, Q18]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of mobile money account ownership on farmers' participation in farmer‐based organisations (FBOs), structured market and off‐farm work. Relying on recursive bivariate probit model, our results reveal that owning a mobile money account increases the likelihood of farmers' participating in an FBO, structured market and off‐farm work by 15.4%, 33.3% and 37.5%, respectively. Furthermore, mobile money account ownership is influenced by socioeconomic and institutional factors as well as the presence of mobile money vendors within a community. Our finding calls for sustained efforts to deepen digital financial inclusion for increased participation in FBOs, structured market and off‐farm work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there is a growing number of studies on the export‐ and firm‐level implications of non‐tariff measures for developing countries, there is little evidence on the trickle‐down effects on the farm level. In this paper, we analyse the recent regulations of the European Union regarding the maximum allowed cadmium (Cd) contents for cocoa‐derived products. We assess the potential economic costs associated with these Cd regulations for smallholder cocoa farmers in Ecuador. We rely on data from a nationwide survey among 1392 cocoa producers and a contingent valuation method to estimate producers' willingness to convert cocoa orchards to other land uses in case cocoa bean Cd levels exceed the limit. We estimate that farmers' economic cost of abandoning cocoa production is, on average, about 4400 US$ per hectare. Combining this value with a Cd distribution map and cocoa production statistics, we estimate that abandoning cocoa cultivation in areas with bean Cd concentrations above the 0.6 mg/kg target comes at a total economic cost of about 750 million US$. We conclude that the potential total economic cost of the EU Cd standard at the producer level in Ecuador could be very large if compliance strategies are not implemented to minimise welfare loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Storage of food commodities for some time after harvest can play an important role in alleviating the downside of price fluctuations in developing countries. While storage can offer smallholder farmers substantial inter‐temporal arbitrage opportunities, existing evidence shows that many farmers in developing countries store little of their harvest. Using a cross sectional survey of 502 households in Nyandarua and Bomet Counties of Kenya, this paper assessed smallholder farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) for cold storage and compares their WTP with the arbitrage opportunities. Our results reveal that the storage of potato was generally limited with only 26% storing in the season preceding the study. Using a hypothetical scenario with double‐bounded contingent valuation formats, our findings show that a considerable proportion of households (70.7%) were willing to rent cold storage facilities. The WTP for storing a 90 kg bag of Shangi, a common variety with a short shelf life (1 month) was Kenya shillings (KES) 104 (1.16/kg/month) compared KES 96.4 (1.07/kg/month) for the Unica variety (slightly longer shelf life). The probit model results show that gender (being female), and transaction costs associated with access to markets (e.g., geographical location and distance to the road) were positively associated with WTP. Furthermore, household endowment, reflected in household expenditure, income and level of potato commercialization had a positive influence on WTP to store. In addition, institutional characteristics of collective action, previous experience with storage and use of certified seed (often associated with extension) enhanced households WTP for potato storage. The results on potato prices over a 5‐year period (2014–2019) show that seasonal price gaps were higher than the estimated WTP, suggesting that potato storage could be economically viable. These findings have significant policy implications not only for commodities whose harvest is perishable and season bound (e.g., vegetables, fruits) where arbitrage may offer price stabilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, has emerged as one of the most serious invasive species in many countries across Africa, Asia and Oceania. The pest is causing extensive damage to maize production and the intensification of pesticide use. In this paper, we examined the effectiveness of three mass‐extension channels (plant health rallies, radio drama and SMS) in enhancing farmers' knowledge and management of FAW and in increasing maize productivity. Applying matching techniques to data from 720 smallholder farmers and 1077 maize plots in Eastern Rwanda, we found that exposure to the information channels is significantly associated with increased knowledge outcomes, including knowledge of the correct identification of FAW and the use of cultural practices as the first resort to pest management. Moreover, the information channels showed positive effects on the adoption of environmentally friendly management practices. Generally, the treatment effects are larger for households exposed to multiple (especially all) channels, indicating complementary effects of the channels. We also found suggestive evidence that the information channels are associated with maize yield increases ranging from 10% to 34%, depending on the channel. Overall, the results imply that multi‐channel information campaigns can be effective in enhancing farmers' knowledge on how to identify and sustainably manage the FAW pest. Our findings also suggest that while there is a growing popularity in the use of digital extension approaches to deliver timely information to farmers in a cost‐effective manner, much greater gains can be achieved if they are combined with other low‐cost face‐to‐face extension methods, such as plant health rallies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effect of financial structure on technical efficiency of sugarcane farmer cooperatives (FCs) in Eswatini. Using annual data on 114 FCs from 2014 to 2017, the paper employs the one‐step Stochastic Frontier Analysis technique to estimate technical inefficiency and its determinants. The results indicate that the sugarcane FCs operate with high level of technical efficiency, averaging 85.48%. While all sources of financing were observed to improve technical efficiency, the effects were observed to follow a 'pecking‐order', with the greatest effect observed from internal revenue followed by grants and loans. The implications of the findings for financing decisions of FCs in emerging economies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Income Stabilisation Tool (IST), which was recently added to the European Common Agricultural Policy's risk management toolkit, is a mutual fund that aims at stabilising farmers' income. We investigate the drivers of farmers' participation in an IST for the apple sector in the Autonomous Province of Trento in Italy, which is the only region that has operationalised the IST in the European Union. Our analysis is based on a theoretical framework based on the Unified Theory of Use and Acceptance of Technology. Using a three‐year panel dataset of 3268 farm households, we estimated a logit model with the Mundlak–Chamberlain procedure. Our results show that higher crop production specialisation, associated with greater risk exposure, favours participation in the IST. Similarly, previous experience with mutual funds increases the acceptance of the IST. The analysis also provides evidence of how the new tool interacts with existing on‐farm protection strategies, leading to a discussion of the presence of adverse and advantageous selection effects. Our paper sheds light on farmers' acceptance of newly implemented sector‐specific ISTs and generates better knowledge and understanding of lock‐ins and levers that influence participation in such schemes, which are relevant to other EU regions or member states that are considering the introduction of ISTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropologists developed the lifeways construct to understand how communities make a way of life on certain landscapes. In this paper, we pair the lifeways construct with that of "lived experiences" to include processes of change in lifeways. Using a case study of farmers in Idaho's Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer region, we explore farmers' efforts to adapt to changes in agricultural water policy. Based on interviews with farmers, we identify several components of farmers' lifeways, including place‐based identity, stewardship, trust in decision‐makers, and financial well‐being. Our findings suggest that the relationships between farmers and their landscapes are shifting as a result of water governance changes. When combined with dynamic global economic factors, ever‐shifting regulatory and governance priorities and social‐ecological changes are likely to continue producing new and interacting challenges to which farmers—and their lifeways—will need to adapt to survive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the voices of tomato industry workers, this paper offers a multi‐sited ethnographic view of largely unrecognized practices in the conventional, field‐grown, fresh‐market wholesale tomato industry in the southeastern United States. Tomato industry workers—including agricultural cooperative extension agents, farmers, labor contractors, marketers, and harvesters—present their distinctive perspectives on production‐exchange relations, shifting political economic identities, and what I call emerging redistributive practices found throughout a southeastern U.S. tomato circuit. I argue that two specific emerging redistributive practices take place while the tomatoes are technically still in the production stage in certain conventional tomato fields: (i) pinhooking and (ii) buying the field. Studying these practices helps us better understand the complexities of the southeastern U.S. tomato industry. By looking at tomato enterprises that plant, cultivate, harvest, transport, and/or market produce, this paper presents a body of evidence that counter‐constructs the racialized stereotype concerning Mexicans and Mexican Americans' contributions to agriculture in the southeastern United States. It shows how an ethnographically informed picture of a regional tomato industry circuit reveals commonly unrecognized features of social change, enterprise, production‐exchange relations, and redistributive practices. It concludes by suggesting that these enterprise arrangements and practices could support the creation of more equitable regional food production systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper explores the implications of contract farming for patterns of agrarian change in India. The paper draws on a detailed analysis of primary qualitative data from a case study of potato contract farming in the state of Maharashtra. It argues that debates on contract farming are often ideological in nature, leading to overly simplified narratives of "win–win" or "win–lose." Instead, by combining the strengths of agrarian political economy and rural livelihood analysis, the paper offers a concrete exploration of the intersections between contract farming, livelihoods, and agrarian change. It finds that contract farming activities in the case study villages are focused on a group of petty commodity producers. However, rather than sparking dynamic new processes of accumulation among contract farmers or leading to new forms of exploitation, the paper argues that contract farming is contributing to processes of agrarian change "already under way." These processes are intimately connected to livelihood diversification and the struggles of new classes of fragmented labour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main barriers to adopting smallholder agricultural mechanization in developing countries is the mismatch between the economies of scale of machines and farm size. Private sector‐led mechanization services hold a promise to address this challenge, but there is a lack of evidence on demand for smallholder mechanization services. This study estimates the farmers' willingness to pay for mechanization services using the double‐bounded contingent valuation method and data from 1512 households. Results show that, on average, farmers are willing to pay 11%, 33%, and 5% more than prevailing market rates for land preparation, maize shelling, and transportation services, respectively. The amounts farmers are willing to pay for the mechanization services vary by sex, age group, size of cultivated land, the value of farmer assets, market access, and agroecology. Men are willing to pay 26%, 25%, and 11% more than women for land preparation, maize shelling, and transportation services. Moreover, 40% of female and 90% of male farmers are willing to pay more than or equal to the prevailing market rate for land preparation services. The high demand for mechanization services among smallholder farmers points to the need for making the machinery available to rural communities through mechanization service providers or machinery hiring centers run by the private sector. The paper concludes by discussing the contextual factors and policy options for promoting smallholder mechanization in Malawi. [EconLit Citations: O33, Q11, Q13, Q16]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imaginaries of empty, verdant lands have long motivated agricultural frontier expansion. Today, climate change, food insecurity, and economic promise are invigorating new agricultural frontiers across the circumpolar north. In this article, I draw on extensive archival and ethnographic evidence to analyze mid‐twentieth‐century and recent twenty‐first‐century narratives of agricultural development in the Northwest Territories, Canada. I argue that the early frontier imaginary is relatively intact in its present lifecycle. It is not simply climactic forces that are driving an emergent northern agricultural frontier, but rather the more diffuse and structural forces of capitalism, governmental power, settler colonialism, and resistance to those forces. I also show how social, political, and infrastructural limits continue to impede agricultural development in the Northwest Territories and discuss how smallholder farmers and Indigenous communities differently situate agricultural production within their local food systems. This paper contributes to critical debates in frontiers and northern agriculture literature by foregrounding the contested space between the state‐driven and dominant public narratives underpinning frontier imaginaries, and the social, cultural, and material realities that constrain them on a Northwest Territories agricultural frontier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imaginaries of empty, verdant lands have long motivated agricultural frontier expansion. Today, climate change, food insecurity, and economic promise are invigorating new agricultural frontiers across the circumpolar north. In this article, I draw on extensive archival and ethnographic evidence to analyze mid‐twentieth‐century and recent twenty‐first‐century narratives of agricultural development in the Northwest Territories, Canada. I argue that the early frontier imaginary is relatively intact in its present lifecycle. It is not simply climactic forces that are driving an emergent northern agricultural frontier, but rather the more diffuse and structural forces of capitalism, governmental power, settler colonialism, and resistance to those forces. I also show how social, political, and infrastructural limits continue to impede agricultural development in the Northwest Territories and discuss how smallholder farmers and Indigenous communities differently situate agricultural production within their local food systems. This paper contributes to critical debates in frontiers and northern agriculture literature by foregrounding the contested space between the state‐driven and dominant public narratives underpinning frontier imaginaries, and the social, cultural, and material realities that constrain them on a Northwest Territories agricultural frontier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]