Newest publications
Participatory research at scale: a comparative analysis of four approaches to large-scale agricultural technology testing with farmers
(2024) Oberson, Nathalie; Moussa, Hannatou O; Aminou, Ali M; Kidane, Yosef Gebrehawaryat; Luo, Juliet Nangamba; Giuliani, Alessandra; Weltzien, Eva; Haussmann, Bettina IG
Tailoring agricultural technology options to the diverse conditions of smallholder farmers requires innovative approaches for testing these technologies with farmers across varied contexts, while incorporating their feedback into learning and decision-making processes. This study compares four such approaches: the Farmer Field School on Participatory Plant Breeding (FFS-PPB), Farmer Research Network (FRN), Crowdsourcing–Triadic comparisons of technologies (Tricot), and adapted Mother–Baby Trial (MBT) as implemented by four concrete projects. The objectives are to provide detailed descriptions of these approaches and their project-specific implementations, identify and analyze common aspects and differences, and derive insights to guide future farmer-inclusive projects aiming at contextual scaling of agricultural technologies. A literature review, key informant interviews, and a systematic content analysis were conducted for the analysis. Common features include cascade training models, simple farmer-managed experiments, and the use of digital tools for data collection. Major differences lie in the extent of farmer–researcher collaboration and decision-making, as well as how technology option-by-context interactions are addressed. The FRN, FFS-PPB, and adapted MBT approaches involve farmers in decision-making throughout most stages of research, including co-learning cycles that adapt the research design and technology options to farmers’ needs. Although these approaches require more training and expertise, they increase the likelihood of achieving relevant results that farmers can implement in practice. In contrast, more standardized approaches like the Crowdsourcing–Tricot streamline the implementation, data management and analysis of large-scale trials, but have limitations in capturing the underlying reasons for farmers’ preferences. Among the studied approaches, the FRN as implemented by the Women's Fields project in Niger is particularly effective in identifying which options best suit specific farming contexts.
Seeds in rocky soil: the interactive role of entrepreneurial legacy and bridging in family firms’ organizational ambidexterity
(2023) Wilmes, Rolf; Brändle, Leif; Kuckertz, Andreas
Existing research on family firms emphasizes the importance of entrepreneurship across generations but leaves the role of entrepreneurial transmissions between predecessors and successors relatively unexplore. Building on the concept of entrepreneurial legacy, we ask how interactions of entrepreneurial mindsets and resources influence organizational ambidexterity in family firms. The study’s central argument (and metaphor) is that organizational ambidexterity thrives in multigenerational family firms if successors’ awareness of the family’s entrepreneurial legacy (the right seed) interacts with predecessors’ provision of entrepreneurial resources during succession (the fertile soil), also known as entrepreneurial bridging. We analyze a unique sample of successors from 296 multigenerational family firms in the agricultural sector. Our results point to the relevance of entrepreneurial resources in predecessor-successor collaborations to unlock the family firm’s ability to balance entrepreneurial exploration and exploitation.
On the effects that motivate pesticide use in perspective of designing a cropping system without pesticides but with mineral fertilizer - a review
(2023) Pergner, Isabell; Lippert, Christian
In the future, a cropping system that guarantees food security by delivering high yields and, simultaneously, protects our environment is desperately needed. This can be achieved through a cropping system that waives chemical synthetic plant protection products, which endanger, for example, biodiversity and water resources. However, such a system, referred to here as the mineral-ecological cropping system (MECS), should still allow for the usage of mineral fertilizers to ensure high yields. It can be thought of as a compromise between the current conventional and organic cropping systems. This article presents a comprehensive literature review on the economic, social, and environmental effects of pesticides and the resulting reasons farmers have to use (or not use) them. Hereby, regarding future pesticide reduction, we identify hindrances and potential benefits that could be mobilized to design the MECS. The major points are the following: in a MECS, (1) it is expected that yields and temporal stability of yields will be higher than in organic farming, but lower than in conventional farming; (2) profitability might suffer due to high input costs and energy consumption; (3) it is expected that soil fertility and biodiversity protection will increase along with the promotion of alternative disease and pest control measures; (4) crop rotations will be wider and more diverse than in conventional farming; (5) mineral fertilizer cannot be optimally used by the crops unless a balanced supply of nitrogen is achieved. Farmers who want to switch to MECS should be compensated as they are likely to experience higher costs and lower yield and yield stability. The lessons learned from this review will help to progress toward an innovative and sustainable cropping system. Further research should focus on rational farmers’ adaptation possibilities when abandoning pesticides while still using mineral fertilizers.
Effect of relative humidity on the thin-layer chromatographic separation of E 472 emulsifiers
(2023) Schuster, Katharina; Oellig, Claudia
E 472 emulsifiers are organic acid esters of mono- and diacylglycerides. These emulsifiers are categorized into six subgroups (E 472a-f) based on the specific acid component, e.g., acetic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, or mixtures of tartaric and acetic acid. The present study investigated the effect of relative humidity (RH) on the thin-layer chromatographic separation of four E 472 emulsifier subgroups, addressing practical concerns due to RH variations between seasons and within laboratories. Three RH-setting techniques affecting plate activity and chamber climate were assessed using saturated salt and aqueous sulfuric acid solutions. Aqueous sulfuric acid solutions for RH adjustment resulted in decreased hRF values, while no trends in hRF value changes were observed for saturated salt solutions. Unlike RH itself, the RH setting technique led to substantial changes in the chromatographic fingerprint. Thus, the choice of the RH setting method should be tailored to the specific analyte and analysis goal. Despite variations in chromatographic fingerprints between the three RH setting techniques, the fingerprint remained consistent within the same technique across the tested RH range.
Risk factors for omphalitis in neonatal dairy calves
(2024) Meier, Kim K.; Stock, Annegret; Merle, Roswitha; Arndt, Heidi; Dachrodt, Linda; Hoedemaker, Martina; Kellermann, Laura; Knubben-Schweizer, Gabriela; Volkmann, Maria; Müller, Kerstin-Elisabeth
Knowledge about potential risk factors for animal health is crucial to achieve animal welfare. The aim of this study was to provide practical guidance for farmers to improve the health status of their youngstock by identifying and eliminating risk factors for omphalitis in neonatal calves. A cross-sectional study including 3,445 dairy calves from 567 farms located in three structurally different regions of Germany was performed from December 2016 to July 2019. On each farm calves aged five to 21 days underwent clinical examinations with special consideration of the umbilicus for signs of inflammation. Information regarding animal health, hygiene, and management was obtained via interviews with the farmers. Rearing conditions were recorded following visual inspection using written standard operating procedures. Multifactorial statistical analyses were performed to identify potential risk factors for omphalitis on animal and farm level. The overall omphalitis prevalence in calves aged five to 21 days was 30.9%. Across all regions and farms, every fourth calf per farm exhibited signs of omphalitis (median farm prevalence: 25.0%, interquartile range: 0.0–50.0%). According to the farmers, however, only 4.5% of the calves had been treated for omphalitis in the preceding 12 months. Risk factors for omphalitis identified included the dampness of the lying area in the first 2 weeks of life, a body condition score of the dam after calving outside the optimal range, and the time that calves spent with their dam after birth. Calves on farms providing dry lying areas in the first 2 weeks of life had 0.77 times the risk of omphalitis compared to calves on farms with predominantly damp bedding. When the dams were judged under- or over-conditioned after calving, their offspring had a 1.4 times higher omphalitis risk, respectively, compared to calves from dams optimal conditioned. Calves from farms separating calf and dam beyond 12 h after birth were 0.75 times as likely to develop omphalitis than calves from farms performing immediate separation. These results highlight the complexity of multifactorial diseases such as umbilical infection. The evidence presented can help to establish guidelines for dairy farmers to improve the umbilical health of their calves.