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Helen Hambly Odame
School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada

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Journal article
Published: 20 November 2020 in Sustainability
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Printed pictures are traditional forms of agricultural extension for smallholder farmers. They receive historical academic criticism but remain inexpensive, do not require technical skills (unlike smartphones), and bypass language/literacy barriers. Here, a comprehensive participatory pipeline is described that included 56 Nepalese women farmer editors to develop 100 picture-based lessons. Thereafter, the Theory of Planned Behavior is used as a framework to evaluate 20 diverse lessons using quantitative and qualitative data (Nvivo-11) collected from four groups, focusing on low-literacy women: the women farmer editors (n = 56); smallholder field testers who had prior exposure to extension agents and the actual innovations (control group, n = 120), and those who did not (test group, n = 60); expert stakeholders (extension agents/scientists, n = 25). The expected comprehension difference between farmer groups was non-substantive, suggesting that the participatory editing/testing approaches were effective. There were surprising findings compared to the academic literature: smallholders comprehended the pictures without the help of extension agents, perhaps because of the participatory approaches used; children assisted their mothers to understand caption-based lessons; the farmers preferred printed pictures compared to advanced information and communication technologies (ICTs); and the resource-poor farmers were willing to pay for the printed materials, sufficient to make them cost-neutral/scalable. These findings have implications for smallholder farmers beyond Nepal.

ACS Style

Rachana Devkota; Helen Hambly Odame; John Fitzsimons; Roshan Pudasaini; Manish Raizada. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Picture-Based Agricultural Extension Lessons Developed Using Participatory Testing and Editing with Smallholder Women Farmers in Nepal. Sustainability 2020, 12, 9699 .

AMA Style

Rachana Devkota, Helen Hambly Odame, John Fitzsimons, Roshan Pudasaini, Manish Raizada. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Picture-Based Agricultural Extension Lessons Developed Using Participatory Testing and Editing with Smallholder Women Farmers in Nepal. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (22):9699.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rachana Devkota; Helen Hambly Odame; John Fitzsimons; Roshan Pudasaini; Manish Raizada. 2020. "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Picture-Based Agricultural Extension Lessons Developed Using Participatory Testing and Editing with Smallholder Women Farmers in Nepal." Sustainability 12, no. 22: 9699.

Journal article
Published: 24 August 2020 in Sustainability
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Kandyan homegardens are traditional agroforestry systems that exist to support rural livelihoods in Kandy District, Sri Lanka. These agro-ecosystems have been sustained over generations of socio-ecological change and are recognized today for their biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services. The main drivers of adaption and the sustainability of homegardens are the local farmers who manage them on a daily basis. However, despite being key stakeholders, local communities have seldom been included in research, especially through participatory approaches. This study utilized a participatory and visual method called photovoice to reveal the local perspectives and experiences of socio-ecological change as viewed by 24 Kandyan homegardeners. The results highlight visual documentation and narrative that publicly displayed farmers’ perspectives of their current homegardening situation and the major challenges they face. The priorities for future conservation of homegardens include addressing wildlife conflict and crop damage, the lack of land to grow, and a decline in available labor and interest in agriculture, especially among younger household members. Our results indicate that the photovoice process allowed for rich, varied, and in-depth stories of the human-ecological relationship in homegardens to emerge. Consideration of these relationships and the knowledge of local communities are necessary for understanding socio-ecological change in homegardens, and key to sustainable development. Photovoice, we conclude, is a robust method for research in agroforestry systems that can effectively engage local farmers and produce participant-driven data that are potentially well suited to complement other methods for a more holistic approach to understanding homegardens.

ACS Style

Rachel Dehaan; Helen Hambly Odame; Naresh Thevathasan; Sarath Nissanka. Local Knowledge and Perspectives of Change in Homegardens: A Photovoice Study in Kandy District, Sri Lanka. Sustainability 2020, 12, 6866 .

AMA Style

Rachel Dehaan, Helen Hambly Odame, Naresh Thevathasan, Sarath Nissanka. Local Knowledge and Perspectives of Change in Homegardens: A Photovoice Study in Kandy District, Sri Lanka. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (17):6866.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rachel Dehaan; Helen Hambly Odame; Naresh Thevathasan; Sarath Nissanka. 2020. "Local Knowledge and Perspectives of Change in Homegardens: A Photovoice Study in Kandy District, Sri Lanka." Sustainability 12, no. 17: 6866.

Journal article
Published: 19 March 2020 in ARCTIC
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Communication is recognized as the foundation of developing partnerships in science. In this study, we assess the effectiveness of several communication processes, practices, and tools used by wildlife researchers in northern communities in Arctic Canada. A case study was conducted in the communities of Cape Dorset and Coral Harbour (Salliq), Nunavut, Canada, to assess the effectiveness of research communication approaches carried out by the northern marine bird research group of Environment and Climate Change Canada, which has a long-standing research relationship with these two communities. Our objectives were to 1) explore local experiences with research—marine bird research in particular, 2) examine what communication approaches and tools Nunavummiut viewed as most effective for learning about research activities and feeling engaged in the process, and 3) identify new and emerging communication needs in Nunavut communities to support more effective research partnerships. Our findings indicate that several communication methods used by wildlife researchers, such as community meetings, have become less effective because of changing information-sharing practices at the community level. Other communication practices, such as using social media, hold much promise, but as of yet are underutilized by researchers, though of interest to northern communities. Acknowledging that every northern community is unique, with context-specific priorities, capacities, and needs, effective research partnerships should be built upon communication approaches that foster cooperative inquiry and learning. In progress towards this goal, we explore two emerging and related themes: first, access to information and communication technologies in the two communities, and second, the engagement of youth in Arctic research communication and delivery.

ACS Style

Dominique A. Henri; Nicolas D. Brunet; Hillary E. Dort; Helen Hambly Odame; Jamal Shirley; H. Grant Gilchrist. What is Effective Research Communication? Towards Cooperative Inquiry with Nunavut Communities. ARCTIC 2020, 73, 81 -98.

AMA Style

Dominique A. Henri, Nicolas D. Brunet, Hillary E. Dort, Helen Hambly Odame, Jamal Shirley, H. Grant Gilchrist. What is Effective Research Communication? Towards Cooperative Inquiry with Nunavut Communities. ARCTIC. 2020; 73 (1):81-98.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Dominique A. Henri; Nicolas D. Brunet; Hillary E. Dort; Helen Hambly Odame; Jamal Shirley; H. Grant Gilchrist. 2020. "What is Effective Research Communication? Towards Cooperative Inquiry with Nunavut Communities." ARCTIC 73, no. 1: 81-98.

Articles
Published: 03 March 2020 in Reflective Practice
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This paper examines how doctoral students of sustainability science acquired reflective practice skills and engaged in critical reflection. Using the experience of a doctoral theory course on rural studies at the University of Guelph, students and faculty employed the principles of co-production and dialogue to explore the question: What does it mean to reflectively braid knowledge systems for sustainability? To do this, each doctoral scholar independently responded to the question, and then followed the response with an additional individual reflection. As a final discussion, we extended the reflection process and shifted the focus of conversation to ourselves and to the methodological aspects of the dialogical writing that we engaged in. Throughout this process, we used reflective practice and co-production to demonstrate how such processes must be integrated into the skills training and education of students who are taking inter- and trans-disciplinary programs. To finish, we reflect on the role of critical reflection, one that takes the normative dimensions of sustainability seriously, concluding that it is inseparable from reflective sustainability research and practice.

ACS Style

Graeme Reed; Winifredo Dagli; Helen Hambly Odame. Co-production of knowledge for sustainability: an application of reflective practice in doctoral studies. Reflective Practice 2020, 21, 222 -236.

AMA Style

Graeme Reed, Winifredo Dagli, Helen Hambly Odame. Co-production of knowledge for sustainability: an application of reflective practice in doctoral studies. Reflective Practice. 2020; 21 (2):222-236.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Graeme Reed; Winifredo Dagli; Helen Hambly Odame. 2020. "Co-production of knowledge for sustainability: an application of reflective practice in doctoral studies." Reflective Practice 21, no. 2: 222-236.

Journal article
Published: 02 January 2020 in Sustainability
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Agricultural mechanization in developing countries has taken at least two contested innovation pathways—the “incumbent trajectory” that promotes industrial agriculture, and an “alternative pathway” that supports small-scale mechanization for sustainable development of hillside farming systems. Although both pathways can potentially reduce human and animal drudgery, the body of literature that assesses the sustainability impacts of these mechanization pathways in the local ecological, socio-economic, cultural, and historical contexts of hillside farms is either nonexistent or under-theorized. This paper addresses this missing literature by examining the case of Nepal’s first Agricultural Mechanization Promotion Policy 2014 (AMPP) using a conceptual framework of what will be defined as “responsible innovation”. The historical context of this assessment involves the incumbent trajectory of mechanization in the country since the late 1960s that neglected smallholder farms located in the hills and mountains and biased mechanization policy for flat areas only. Findings from this study suggest that the AMPP addressed issues for smallholder production, including gender inequality, exclusion of smallholder farmers, and biophysical challenges associated with hillside farming systems, but it remains unclear whether and how the policy promotes small-scale agricultural mechanization for sustainable development of agriculture in the hills and mountains of Nepal.

ACS Style

Rachana Devkota; Laxmi Prasad Pant; Hom Nath Gartaula; Kirit Patel; Devendra Gauchan; Helen Hambly-Odame; Balaram Thapa; Manish N. Raizada. Responsible Agricultural Mechanization Innovation for the Sustainable Development of Nepal’s Hillside Farming System. Sustainability 2020, 12, 374 .

AMA Style

Rachana Devkota, Laxmi Prasad Pant, Hom Nath Gartaula, Kirit Patel, Devendra Gauchan, Helen Hambly-Odame, Balaram Thapa, Manish N. Raizada. Responsible Agricultural Mechanization Innovation for the Sustainable Development of Nepal’s Hillside Farming System. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (1):374.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rachana Devkota; Laxmi Prasad Pant; Hom Nath Gartaula; Kirit Patel; Devendra Gauchan; Helen Hambly-Odame; Balaram Thapa; Manish N. Raizada. 2020. "Responsible Agricultural Mechanization Innovation for the Sustainable Development of Nepal’s Hillside Farming System." Sustainability 12, no. 1: 374.

Original articles
Published: 20 March 2018 in Journal of Agricultural & Food Information
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This case study assessed local food stakeholders' use of Facebook and Twitter to support interaction and build their networks of innovation in Ontario. Data were collected using Netlytic − an online data mining tool from the social media platforms − and key informant interviews. Findings revealed that stakeholders could be more innovative in their use of social media, but they would be unlikely to do so, without tapping into beneficial interactions of weak ties, as well as fostering strong ties. They also need to utilize the high brokerage role of key facilitating organizations and develop a social media strategy by integrating both ‘online’ and ‘offline’ interactions.

ACS Style

Pawandeep Kaushik; Ataharul Chowdhury; Helen Hambly Odame; Annemarie Van Paassen. Social Media for Enhancing Stakeholders' Innovation Networks in Ontario, Canada. Journal of Agricultural & Food Information 2018, 19, 331 -353.

AMA Style

Pawandeep Kaushik, Ataharul Chowdhury, Helen Hambly Odame, Annemarie Van Paassen. Social Media for Enhancing Stakeholders' Innovation Networks in Ontario, Canada. Journal of Agricultural & Food Information. 2018; 19 (4):331-353.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pawandeep Kaushik; Ataharul Chowdhury; Helen Hambly Odame; Annemarie Van Paassen. 2018. "Social Media for Enhancing Stakeholders' Innovation Networks in Ontario, Canada." Journal of Agricultural & Food Information 19, no. 4: 331-353.

Journal article
Published: 20 December 2017 in Animals
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Short scenarios were used to examine how equine professionals evaluated potentially welfare-compromising situations as part of a larger survey project. Participants were asked to score scenarios based on perceived severity, justify their answer, and provide an explanation for what might cause a person to put the horse in that situation. Based on the answers provided, it was determined that the duration of the situation and extent of its consequences most greatly impacted scoring values, though a large variation in score values was seen. Results from this study suggested that professionals were most sensitive to situations that had the potential to cause horses pain, which is likely to influence how they perceive and react to horses experiencing a state of poor welfare. Overall, responses from the vignettes allowed for a picture of welfare perception based on personal values. As part of a larger Delphi survey project, equine professionals (n = 14) were presented with twelve short scenarios in which a horse’s welfare could be compromised. They were asked to rank each scenario (with 0 indicating no welfare concerns and 5 indicating a situation where immediate intervention was necessary), provide justification for their ranking, and give examples of what might have been the motivation behind the scenario. The wide range within vignette scores demonstrated the diversity of opinion even among a relatively small group of equine professionals. Qualitative analysis of responses to vignettes suggested that respondents typically ranked situations higher if they had a longer duration and the potential for greater or longer-lasting consequences (e.g., serious injury). Respondents were also the most sensitive to situations in which the horse’s physical well-being (e.g., painful experience) was, or could be, compromised. Financial reasons, ignorance, and human convenience were also areas discussed as potential motivators by survey respondents. Overall, responses from the vignettes allowed for a picture of welfare perception based on personal values.

ACS Style

Cordelie Dubois; Helen Hambly Odame; Derek B. Haley; Katrina Merkies. An Exploration of Industry Expert Perception of Equine Welfare Using Vignettes. Animals 2017, 7, 102 .

AMA Style

Cordelie Dubois, Helen Hambly Odame, Derek B. Haley, Katrina Merkies. An Exploration of Industry Expert Perception of Equine Welfare Using Vignettes. Animals. 2017; 7 (12):102.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Cordelie Dubois; Helen Hambly Odame; Derek B. Haley; Katrina Merkies. 2017. "An Exploration of Industry Expert Perception of Equine Welfare Using Vignettes." Animals 7, no. 12: 102.

Journal article
Published: 01 August 2017 in Journal of Rural Studies
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ACS Style

Laxmi Prasad Pant; Helen Hambly Odame. Broadband for a sustainable digital future of rural communities: A reflexive interactive assessment. Journal of Rural Studies 2017, 54, 435 -450.

AMA Style

Laxmi Prasad Pant, Helen Hambly Odame. Broadband for a sustainable digital future of rural communities: A reflexive interactive assessment. Journal of Rural Studies. 2017; 54 ():435-450.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Laxmi Prasad Pant; Helen Hambly Odame. 2017. "Broadband for a sustainable digital future of rural communities: A reflexive interactive assessment." Journal of Rural Studies 54, no. : 435-450.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2013 in Journal of Co-operative Organization and Management
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ACS Style

Justine Dol; Helen Hambly Odame. Stitching toward empowerment: A case study of Tabiro Ladies’ Club. Journal of Co-operative Organization and Management 2013, 1, 70 -80.

AMA Style

Justine Dol, Helen Hambly Odame. Stitching toward empowerment: A case study of Tabiro Ladies’ Club. Journal of Co-operative Organization and Management. 2013; 1 (2):70-80.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Justine Dol; Helen Hambly Odame. 2013. "Stitching toward empowerment: A case study of Tabiro Ladies’ Club." Journal of Co-operative Organization and Management 1, no. 2: 70-80.

Articles
Published: 26 July 2013 in The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension
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Purpose: The rapidly evolving nature of agricultural innovation processes in low-income countries requires agricultural extension agencies to transform the classical roles that previously supported linear information dissemination and adoption of innovation. In Bangladesh, strengthening agricultural innovation calls for facilitation of interactive communication and a wide range of mediation tasks within (and between) stakeholders operating in different social spheres. This paper examines how a public-sector agricultural extension agency has attempted to change its roles in implementing a major agricultural extension project in order to strengthen agricultural innovation. This role adjustment is a key outcome of an effectively functioning innovation system because it enables collective actions and enhances performance that meets the needs of clients. Methodology: The study uses a case study design that includes mixed methods data collection and analysis. Using interviews, group discussions, observations, and a semi-structured survey, data were collected from stakeholders of a major regional agricultural extension project in Bangladesh. Findings: The findings suggest that the agricultural extension agency missed the opportunity to deliver the agricultural extension project in such a way that it strengthens collective actions and functions that would respond to the needs of all clients within the system. This is due to institutions that create obstacles within the agricultural innovation system. These obstacles relate to the tendency to remain in a linear paradigm of technology transfer and dependency on public service, the under-estimation and depreciation of intermediary roles of extension personnel (e.g. brokering, negotiating, convening), and finally, an inability to foresee extension methods (e.g. training, demonstration) as the facilitation of interactive learning and knowledge embedding processes. Originality/ Practical Implications: This is the first case study from Bangladesh that provides insights into extant initiatives taken by a public-sector agricultural extension agency to put innovation system thinking into use. The paper discusses a number of lessons, which will be useful for evolving new forms of extension work and applying agricultural innovation systems thinking in low-income countries.

ACS Style

Ataharul Huq Chowdhury; Helen Hambly Odame; Cees Leeuwis. Transforming the Roles of a Public Extension Agency to Strengthen Innovation: Lessons from the National Agricultural Extension Project in Bangladesh. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension 2013, 20, 7 -25.

AMA Style

Ataharul Huq Chowdhury, Helen Hambly Odame, Cees Leeuwis. Transforming the Roles of a Public Extension Agency to Strengthen Innovation: Lessons from the National Agricultural Extension Project in Bangladesh. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension. 2013; 20 (1):7-25.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ataharul Huq Chowdhury; Helen Hambly Odame; Cees Leeuwis. 2013. "Transforming the Roles of a Public Extension Agency to Strengthen Innovation: Lessons from the National Agricultural Extension Project in Bangladesh." The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension 20, no. 1: 7-25.

Articles
Published: 18 November 2009 in Knowledge Management for Development Journal
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Positive deviants challenge existing organisational structures and institutional set-ups, and promote alternative approaches to solving seemingly intractable social problems, either playing direct role of a boundary spanner or indirect role as activists. However, these roles of positive deviants have not yet been recognised to its potential in international development because the legacy of deviancy theory lies on negative deviants, such as addicts and criminals. This paper investigates the promise of positive deviants to bridging scientific research and local practices using empirical evidence from community-based participatory research of rice, a crucial subsistence crop in the Chitwan district of Nepal. Non-profit private and public stakeholders worked as boundary spanners, specifically to initiate stakeholder interaction with non-traditional partners, in spite of the lack of enabling environments to do so. Similarly, one of the members of a farmers' group developed a rice variety from a handful of seeds taken from a scientific experimental plot, initially without the knowledge of participating scientists. This research suggests that positive deviants have ingenuity to innovate, deviating from norms particularly when social and organisational environments limit stakeholder interaction for learning and innovation. This paper concludes that the collective intelligence of positive deviants can sustain or even stimulate innovation permitting people to survive, experiment new ways of doing things and even improve their living conditions under adverse social, political and agro-ecological circumstances.

ACS Style

Laxmi Prasad Pant; Helen Hambly Odame. The promise of positive deviants: bridging divides between scientific research and local practices in smallholder agriculture. Knowledge Management for Development Journal 2009, 5, 160 -172.

AMA Style

Laxmi Prasad Pant, Helen Hambly Odame. The promise of positive deviants: bridging divides between scientific research and local practices in smallholder agriculture. Knowledge Management for Development Journal. 2009; 5 (2):160-172.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Laxmi Prasad Pant; Helen Hambly Odame. 2009. "The promise of positive deviants: bridging divides between scientific research and local practices in smallholder agriculture." Knowledge Management for Development Journal 5, no. 2: 160-172.