Enhancing climate-smart coastal farming system through agriculture extension and advisory services towards the avenues of farm sustainability

doi:10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100243

Abstract

Abstract:

Agriculture extension and advisory services (AEAS) are integral to smart agricultural systems and play a pivotal role in supporting sustainable agricultural development. The study aimed to assess the role of AEAS in strengthening climate-smart coastal farming system to enhance coastal agricultural sustainability. A mixed-methods study was conducted in the southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh in 2023, which involved administering a structured questionnaire and conducing face-to-face interviews with 390 farmers. Perceived role index (PRI) was employed to assess the potential role of AEAS. To forecast the perceived role outcomes, the machine learning model was undertaken by utilizing suitable algorithms. Additionally, feature importance was calculated to underpin the significant factors of perceived role outcomes. The findings showed that coastal farming communities held a comprehensive understanding of the role of AEAS. Key roles included diffusion of agricultural innovations, acting as a bridge between farmers and research organizations, using demonstration techniques to educate farmers, training farmers on food storage, processing, and utilization, and promoting awareness and adoption of best practices. The machine learning model exposed a significant relationship between farmers’ socio-economic characteristics and their perception behavior. The results identified that factors like innovativeness, awareness, training exposure, access to AEAS, and access to information significantly influenced how farmers perceived the efficacy of AEAS in promoting a smart coastal farming system. However, farmers confronted multiple constraints in receiving demand-driven services and maintaining coastal farm sustainability. These insights can guide concerned authorities and policy-makers in providing AEAS for the purpose of strengthening climate-smart coastal farming system, particularly with a special focus on capacity building programs and machine learning application. Moreover, the outcomes of this study can assist the authorities of similar coastal systems throughout the world to initiate potential strategies for enhancing region-specific agricultural sustainability.

Key words: Agriculture extension and advisory services (AEAS), Climate-smart coastal farming system, Climate change, Machine learning, Farm sustainability

Md Maruf BILLAH, Mohammad Mahmudur RAHMAN, Santiago MAHIMAIRAJA, Alvin LAL, Asadi SRINIVASULU, Ravi NAIDU. Enhancing climate-smart coastal farming system through agriculture extension and advisory services towards the avenues of farm sustainability[J]. Regional Sustainability, 2025, 6(4): 100243.

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Role of AEAS perceived by coastal farmers	PRI	Percentage (%)	Rank order
Diffusion of agricultural innovations	1483	76.05	1
Conducting field days to publicize technologies	1223	62.72	6
Use of farmer field schools for training farmers	960	49.21	15
Promoting awareness and adoption of best practices	1229	63.03	5
Training farmers on food storage, processing, and utilization	1270	65.13	4
Disseminating weather information and early warnings	932	47.81	19
Raising awareness to stop cutting trees and promote planting new ones	972	49.85	13
Conducting on-farm adaptive research and trial	962	49.31	14
Retraining and capacity building of extension staff	951	48.82	16
Building resilience capacities of vulnerable farmers	1021	52.36	10
Using information and communication technologies to serve farmers	945	48.52	17
Using demonstration techniques to educate farmers	1287	66.03	3
Providing feedback to concerned authorities	998	51.18	11
Encouraging and educating young farmers	972	49.91	12
Setting up an emergency management unit	943	48.36	18
Organizing seminars, workshops, and field exposure	1065	54.62	8
Development of local leaders	1025	52.56	9
Formation of farmers’ organizations	1204	61.74	7
Acting as a bridge between farmers and research organizations	1336	68.51	2
Maintaining collaboration among organizations	891	45.69	20

Perceived effect of farmers’ access to AEAS	Percentage (%)	Perceived effect of farmers’ access to AEAS	Percentage (%)
Boosting adoption of innovations	66.40	Standardized livings and livelihood	49.80
Easy access to services	75.90	Changing farmers’ knowledge, skills, and attitude	70.60
Confirming farm mechanization	64.20	Influencing better decision-making ability	63.50
Ensuring food security	67.90	Identifying and solving farmers’ needs	62.40
Combating climate change	51.90	Developing entrepreneurship	49.10
Accelerating the adoption of climate-resilient farming	46.20	Formation of farmers’ organizations	48.30
Increased productivity and cropping intensity	70.80	Formation of farmers’ group	54.80
Increased annual family income	64.60

Capacity building approach	Percentage (%)	Rank order	Capacity building approach	Percentage (%)	Rank order
Training on climate-smart agriculture	84.90	1	Pests and diseases control	77.30	2
Formation of farmers’ organizations	68.10	6	Entrepreneurship development	63.60	7
Using information and communication technologies in agriculture	74.60	3	Smart farm management skills	74.20	4
Formation of farmers’ group	51.60	8	Organic farming skills	49.20	9
Non-formal education	47.50	11	Utilization of agricultural apps	72.10	5
Developing leadership capacity among farmers	48.10	10

Constraint confronted in receiving AEAS	Mean	Rank order	Constraint confronted in receiving AEAS	Mean	Rank order
Illiteracy	0.74	13	Irregular visits from extension officers	1.81	1
Lack of communication	1.05	9	Land tenure system	0.39	15
Lack of information	1.56	6	Isolation from farmers’ groups	1.71	3
Inability to give instant solutions	1.44	8	Insufficient resources	0.86	12
Remote accessibility	1.52	7	Inadequate extension staff	1.79	2
Influence of local leader	0.44	14	Frequent contact with resource-rich farmers	1.59	5
Lack of awareness	0.97	11	Lack of knowledge and experience	0.99	10
Lack of training	1.68	4