Research Articles

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Browsing Research Articles by Author "Ochago, Robert"

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    How innovation platforms govern the experiential learning process of coffee farmers in Uganda
    (African Journals Online, 2024-12-16) Ochago, Robert
    While researchers, development actors, and policymakers recognize that Innovation Platforms govern farmers' development knowledge when attempting to address challenges, the question of how IPs’ governance mechanisms affect their learning process remains unaddressed. Using data from a cross-sectional survey of 214 coffee IP farmers, this study employs Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the relationships between IP governance and farmers’ experiential learning. The relationship between challenges, reflection, experiential knowledge, active experimentation, and IP governance mechanisms (that is, IP members' commitment and trust, IP members' involvement, and Member access to IP resources) was specifically examined. Results show that when farmers try to address their challenges, IP governance mechanisms positively and negatively affect their acquisition of experiential knowledge through reflection and active experimentation using existing knowledge. Specifically, Innovation Platform members' commitment, trust, and involvement significantly and positively moderate the link between farmers’ challenges and their reflection, while the influence of members' access to IP resources is insignificant. Similarly, while access to IP resources has an insignificant and negative moderation effect on the link between farmers’ reflection and experiential knowledge, IP members' commitment, trust, and involvement have positive but insignificant effects on them. Farmers' commitment, trust, involvement, and access to IP resources did not affect the relationship between their experimentation and experiential knowledge. Finally, the IP members' commitment, trust, involvement, and access to IP resources have insignificant effects on the relationship between farmers’ active experimentation and their challenges. Coffee farmers should use their networks to encourage commitment and involvement in intellectual property to reflect and gain knowledge. Similarly, IP facilitators should build trust among their members. Agriculture extension policymakers can use IPs as units to identify practical interventions to local challenges and improve targeted rural agriculture value chains by connecting different stakeholders to farmers at the community level because reflection as a learning activity must be consciously elicited through learning actions.
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    Strengthening the resilience and sustainability of Uganda’s coffee sector: investigating governance mechanisms in coffee innovation platforms
    (International Journal of Agricultural Extension, 2025-03-14) Ochago, Robert
    Effective governance mechanisms for coffee innovation platforms are crucial to fostering resilience and sustainability in Uganda’s vital sector. Despite extensive research on the governance of innovation platforms, a clear and unified definition of innovation platform governance mechanisms remains elusive. This lack leads to inconsistencies in interpreting and implementing innovation platform governance mechanisms, obstructing efforts to tackle critical challenges in the coffee sector. This study examines the governance mechanisms of coffee innovation platforms in Uganda, which serve as collaborative networks for stakeholders throughout the coffee value chain. Coffee innovation platforms play a crucial role in addressing sector-specific challenges by facilitating knowledge exchange, encouraging stakeholder engagement, and promoting the co-creation of solutions. Data from 91 farmers (54 males, 37 females) on the coffee innovation platform were collected using qualitative methods, specifically focus group discussions and individual interviews. Thematic analysis generated overarching themes for governance structures, processes, and principles. The study reveals that innovation platform governance structures encompass a diverse range of stakeholders, facilitators, interaction spaces, and frameworks. The innovation platform processes include stakeholder engagement, knowledge sharing, and capacity building. The fundamental principles of these platforms are participation, partnerships, and collaborative knowledge sharing. This research yields actionable insights for agricultural extension policymakers, leaders of coffee innovation platforms, and extension workers to enhance the governance of coffee innovation platforms.
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    The effect of Ugandan coffee farmers’ role identity on their experiential learning
    (Sage, 2024-04-07) Ochago, Robert; Dentoni, Domenico; Mahdad, Maral
    Background: Although the literature on education and learning sciences determined how student identities influence their experiential learning process, this link is less clear in the agricultural context, where farmers have faced unique value chain challenges i.e., production to marketing. Purpose: This study contributes to examining how farmers’ role identities support or hamper farmers’ experiential learning processes. Methodology: First, a qualitative analysis of 91 interviews with coffee farmers in Uganda was carried out to understand the nature and relevance of farmers’ role identities. Second, using partial least squares regression-based path analysis, the moderating effect of 214 coffee farmers’ production role identity on their experiential learning was assessed. Findings: Findings reveal that farmers’ identification as coffee farmers shape what, how, and when they learn from their value chain challenges. Farmers’ role identity, in particular, supports their reflection on past challenges to increase their challenge-solving knowledge, as well as experimentation to solve their challenges. Implications: This study integrates role identity theories in the study of learning processes in rural coffee value chains. Moreover, the findings suggest that agricultural extension workers should understand farmers’ identities and their influence on their learning to select the targets and developments of their training programs.
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    What does the reflective learning of Ugandan coffee farmers mean for agricultural extension and advisory services?
    (EScience Press, 2024-08-23) Ochago, Robert
    Whereas reflection is essential for learners to make sense of their challenging experiences, little is known about how farmers reflect on their challenging experiences in agricultural practices. This study explores how farmers reflect on their challenges in coffee value chain practices. Using qualitative methods, including focus group discussions and individual interviews with 91 coffee IP farmers from diverse backgrounds, the study identified various challenges—pests and diseases, low and poor coffee quality, and untrustworthy and unreliable coffee buyers—that impact their livelihoods and production. Findings reveal that farmers' reflection varies in frequency and depth, with many engaging in informal discussions with fellow farmers in their communities and a smaller number using individual reflective methods. The research highlights that people who actively engage in reflective practices make more informed decisions, resulting in adaptive methods that improve resilience and sustainability in their farming operations. The study stresses the need to create an atmosphere that promotes structured reflection and peer-to-peer sharing, which will lead to better agricultural practices and outcomes in coffee sector.