Thomas Daum
Biographic Data
| ID | 175945 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Thomas Daum |
| GIVEN NAMES | Thomas |
| FAMILY NAME | Daum |
| SIGNATURE | DAUM T |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Hohenheim |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7575-1763 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 21 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 36 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 21 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2019 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
“We are just like ploughing bulls”: A comparative analysis of power relations and cooperation in Fulani and Mossi polygynous households in Burkina Faso
Polygynous households constitute a significant share of agricultural producers in sub-Saharan Africa, which can influence productivity and food security through intrahousehold cooperation. Economic analyses often focus on the outcomes of cooperation while overlooking the diverse institutional mechanisms that shape it. This study aims to address this gap by analysing cooperation within polygynous households as a collective action problem using an …
Agri-tech startups in India: Knowledge recombination under resource constraints
Non-traditional entrants innovate by recombining accumulated agricultural knowledge. • Institutional networks mediate access to public research and legitimacy. • Rural entrepreneurship increasingly operates through knowledge infrastructures. • Resource constraints are offset through network-enabled collaboration. • Agri-tech ventures reconfigure segments of agricultural value chains in India
Decoding conservation agriculture discourses in Zambia: Advocacy politics, contestations, and emerging narratives
Conservation Agriculture is globally promoted as a sustainable response to food insecurity and climate change, yet adoption in Zambia remains low despite decades of promotion. This study explores the discursive roots of this challenge, moving beyond economic and agronomic explanations. Using an integrated framework of discourse analysis and narrative policy analysis, and a hybrid purposive-random sampling, data were collected from 111 stakeholder…
Levelling the field: A review of the ICT revolution and agricultural extension in the Global South
Information and communications technology has evolved significantly over the last seven decades, beginning with radio and video vans and culminating in the rise of smartphones and mobile internet in remote areas of the Global South. While ICT is an integral part of agricultural extension, little is known about how these changes have influenced agricultural extension practices. After a systematic review of 131 papers, we find that changes in ICT h…
What factors are inducing or impeding the adoption of agricultural mechanization? Revisiting farm scale, overhead capital and spatial divergence
Atmospheres of spaces in transformation: A methods overview for spotting them in field research
But don't think it is a game: Agricultural videogames and “good farming
Made in Africa – How to make local agricultural machinery manufacturing thrive
Manufacturing has the potential to drive economic growth, job creation and poverty reduction, but African manufacturers face challenges in competing with global markets. Agricultural machinery manufacturing may be one niche where African manufacturers can succeed. This paper examines the challenges and opportunities facing local agricultural manufacturers in Africa based on a survey of 386 manufacturers in four countries and qualitative methods. …
How do coffee farmers engage with digital technologies? A capabilities perspective
A reality-design gap in the conceptualization and practice of digital agriculture has been systematically reported in the literature. This condition is favored by the lack of understanding and inclusion of local worldviews around digital technologies. Informed by Amartya Sen’s capabilities approach, this study looks to bring stories of local appropriation to the spotlight. Based on a qualitative approach that included data collected through inter…
Unpacking the behavioral intentions of ‘emergent farmers’ towards mechanized conservation agriculture in Zambia
Entering the Digital Research Age: Investigating the Effectiveness of Visual Digital Tools in Agricultural Research
Agricultural studies mainly rely on quantitative research approaches. Despite growing interest in and uptake of qualitative, participatory, and visual methods due to their perceived advantages in gathering in-depth information and empowering participants, visual-digital research methods have yet to be largely applied. In our study on adaptation strategies to climate change among smallholder farmers in Uganda we compared different data collection …
Nutrition‐sensitive lockdowns: Conceptual framework and empirical insights from Africa during Covid ‐19
The Farming Question: Intergenerational Linkages, Gender and Youth Aspirations in Rural Zambia☆
With agriculture considered key to generating jobs for Africa's growing population, several studies have explored youth aspirations toward farming. While many factors explaining aspirations have been well studied, little is known about the actors' shaping aspirations. We developed a novel framework that focuses on the factors and actors shaping the formation and actual aspirations of rural youth and applied a unique 'whole-family' approach based …
Are emerging farmers the missing link for mechanised Conservation agriculture? Viewpoints from Zambia
Conservation agriculture’s (CA) potential to improve resilience to climate change, environmental degradation, and food insecurity across Africa is hampered by critical challenges, especially high labour requirements without mechanisation. Yet, whether medium-scale farmers owning 5–100 hectares of farmland and tractors can be the antidote for CA upscaling remains unclear. Based on insights from Zambia, the authors argue that medium-scale farmers c…
Who Wants to Farm? Answers Depend on How You Ask: A Case Study on Youth Aspirations in Kenya
While there is a consensus that rural poverty has to be reduced, there are two opposing views on the role that agriculture can play in this regard: a “farm-based” and an “off-farm led” development paradigm where the respective other sector is merely a complementary income source during a transition period. The latter paradigm is supported by studies finding that rural youth in sub-Saharan Africa are not particularly interested in agriculture. How…
Uber for tractors? Opportunities and challenges of digital tools for tractor hire in India and Nigeria
Digital tools hold great promise to promote agricultural transformation and benefit smallholder farmers in the developing world. One such tool is Uber for tractors, which aims to enable farmers to access tractor hire services in a way that is deemed similar to the Uber service for ride-hailing. While widely praised, Uber for tractors has not yet been rigorously analyzed. How does it work in practice? And what is its potential to reduce the transa…
Governance challenges of small-scale gold mining in Ghana: Insights from a process net-map study
The artisanal small-scale mining (ASM) sector – commonly described as low-tech, labor-intensive mineral extraction and processing, in developing countries, is increasingly associated with the use of heavy earth moving machines and hazardous chemicals for ore extraction, which can have negative implications on agricultural land use and the environment. Moreover, land reclamation, or the lack thereof, associated with ASM is a rising concern. Despit…
Using smartphone app collected data to explore the link between mechanization and intra-household allocation of time in Zambia
Digital tools may help to study socioeconomic aspects of agricultural development that are difficult to measure such as the effects of new policies and technologies on the intra-household allocation of time. As farm technologies target different crops and tasks, they can affect the time-use of men, women, boys, and girls differently. Development strategies that overlook such effects can have negative consequences for vulnerable household members.…
Can small farms benefit from big companies’ initiatives to promote mechanization in Africa? A case study from Zambia
After years of neglect, there is a renewed interest in agricultural mechanization in Africa. Since government initiatives to promote mechanization are confronted with major governance challenges, private-sector initiatives may offer a promising alternative. However, given limited scientific studies on such private-sector options such approaches are often viewed skeptically. One concern is that multi-national agribusiness companies take advantage …
Of bulls and bulbs: Aspirations, opinions and perceptions of rural adolescents and youth in Zambia
In Africa, policymakers and development practitioners focus heavily on making farming more attractive for the youth. To reach this goal, different actions are proposed, often emphasising the need for modern technology. These proposed actions are mostly based on anecdotes and prior policy beliefs. Using interviews and drawing exercises, this article shows that the aspirations, opinions and perceptions of adolescents (pre-youth) and youth are more …
Times Have Changed: Using a Pictorial Smartphone App to Collect Time-Use Data in Rural Zambia
One challenge of collecting socioeconomic data, such as data on time-use, is recall biases. While time-use researchers have continuously developed new methods to make data collection more accurate and easy, these methods are difficult to use in developing countries, where study participants may have low literacy levels and no clock-based concepts of time. To contribute to the closing of this research gap, we developed a picture-based smartphone a…
Can small farms benefit from big companies’ initiatives to promote mechanization in Africa? A case study from Zambia
After years of neglect, there is a renewed interest in agricultural mechanization in Africa. Since government initiatives to promote mechanization are confronted with major governance challenges, private-sector initiatives may offer a promising alternative. However, given limited scientific studies on such private-sector options such approaches are often viewed skeptically. One concern is that multi-national agribusiness companies take advantage …
Uber for tractors? Opportunities and challenges of digital tools for tractor hire in India and Nigeria
Digital tools hold great promise to promote agricultural transformation and benefit smallholder farmers in the developing world. One such tool is Uber for tractors, which aims to enable farmers to access tractor hire services in a way that is deemed similar to the Uber service for ride-hailing. While widely praised, Uber for tractors has not yet been rigorously analyzed. How does it work in practice? And what is its potential to reduce the transa…
Who Wants to Farm? Answers Depend on How You Ask: A Case Study on Youth Aspirations in Kenya
While there is a consensus that rural poverty has to be reduced, there are two opposing views on the role that agriculture can play in this regard: a “farm-based” and an “off-farm led” development paradigm where the respective other sector is merely a complementary income source during a transition period. The latter paradigm is supported by studies finding that rural youth in sub-Saharan Africa are not particularly interested in agriculture. How…
Governance challenges of small-scale gold mining in Ghana: Insights from a process net-map study
The artisanal small-scale mining (ASM) sector – commonly described as low-tech, labor-intensive mineral extraction and processing, in developing countries, is increasingly associated with the use of heavy earth moving machines and hazardous chemicals for ore extraction, which can have negative implications on agricultural land use and the environment. Moreover, land reclamation, or the lack thereof, associated with ASM is a rising concern. Despit…
Times Have Changed: Using a Pictorial Smartphone App to Collect Time-Use Data in Rural Zambia
One challenge of collecting socioeconomic data, such as data on time-use, is recall biases. While time-use researchers have continuously developed new methods to make data collection more accurate and easy, these methods are difficult to use in developing countries, where study participants may have low literacy levels and no clock-based concepts of time. To contribute to the closing of this research gap, we developed a picture-based smartphone a…
The Farming Question: Intergenerational Linkages, Gender and Youth Aspirations in Rural Zambia☆
With agriculture considered key to generating jobs for Africa's growing population, several studies have explored youth aspirations toward farming. While many factors explaining aspirations have been well studied, little is known about the actors' shaping aspirations. We developed a novel framework that focuses on the factors and actors shaping the formation and actual aspirations of rural youth and applied a unique 'whole-family' approach based …
How do coffee farmers engage with digital technologies? A capabilities perspective
A reality-design gap in the conceptualization and practice of digital agriculture has been systematically reported in the literature. This condition is favored by the lack of understanding and inclusion of local worldviews around digital technologies. Informed by Amartya Sen’s capabilities approach, this study looks to bring stories of local appropriation to the spotlight. Based on a qualitative approach that included data collected through inter…
Entering the Digital Research Age: Investigating the Effectiveness of Visual Digital Tools in Agricultural Research
Agricultural studies mainly rely on quantitative research approaches. Despite growing interest in and uptake of qualitative, participatory, and visual methods due to their perceived advantages in gathering in-depth information and empowering participants, visual-digital research methods have yet to be largely applied. In our study on adaptation strategies to climate change among smallholder farmers in Uganda we compared different data collection …
Are emerging farmers the missing link for mechanised Conservation agriculture? Viewpoints from Zambia
Conservation agriculture’s (CA) potential to improve resilience to climate change, environmental degradation, and food insecurity across Africa is hampered by critical challenges, especially high labour requirements without mechanisation. Yet, whether medium-scale farmers owning 5–100 hectares of farmland and tractors can be the antidote for CA upscaling remains unclear. Based on insights from Zambia, the authors argue that medium-scale farmers c…
Using smartphone app collected data to explore the link between mechanization and intra-household allocation of time in Zambia
Digital tools may help to study socioeconomic aspects of agricultural development that are difficult to measure such as the effects of new policies and technologies on the intra-household allocation of time. As farm technologies target different crops and tasks, they can affect the time-use of men, women, boys, and girls differently. Development strategies that overlook such effects can have negative consequences for vulnerable household members.…
Can small farms benefit from big companies’ initiatives to promote mechanization in Africa? A case study from Zambia
After years of neglect, there is a renewed interest in agricultural mechanization in Africa. Since government initiatives to promote mechanization are confronted with major governance challenges, private-sector initiatives may offer a promising alternative. However, given limited scientific studies on such private-sector options such approaches are often viewed skeptically. One concern is that multi-national agribusiness companies take advantage …
Of bulls and bulbs: Aspirations, opinions and perceptions of rural adolescents and youth in Zambia
In Africa, policymakers and development practitioners focus heavily on making farming more attractive for the youth. To reach this goal, different actions are proposed, often emphasising the need for modern technology. These proposed actions are mostly based on anecdotes and prior policy beliefs. Using interviews and drawing exercises, this article shows that the aspirations, opinions and perceptions of adolescents (pre-youth) and youth are more …
Times Have Changed: Using a Pictorial Smartphone App to Collect Time-Use Data in Rural Zambia
One challenge of collecting socioeconomic data, such as data on time-use, is recall biases. While time-use researchers have continuously developed new methods to make data collection more accurate and easy, these methods are difficult to use in developing countries, where study participants may have low literacy levels and no clock-based concepts of time. To contribute to the closing of this research gap, we developed a picture-based smartphone a…
Using smartphone app collected data to explore the link between mechanization and intra-household allocation of time in Zambia
Digital tools may help to study socioeconomic aspects of agricultural development that are difficult to measure such as the effects of new policies and technologies on the intra-household allocation of time. As farm technologies target different crops and tasks, they can affect the time-use of men, women, boys, and girls differently. Development strategies that overlook such effects can have negative consequences for vulnerable household members.…
Who Wants to Farm? Answers Depend on How You Ask: A Case Study on Youth Aspirations in Kenya
While there is a consensus that rural poverty has to be reduced, there are two opposing views on the role that agriculture can play in this regard: a “farm-based” and an “off-farm led” development paradigm where the respective other sector is merely a complementary income source during a transition period. The latter paradigm is supported by studies finding that rural youth in sub-Saharan Africa are not particularly interested in agriculture. How…
Uber for tractors? Opportunities and challenges of digital tools for tractor hire in India and Nigeria
Digital tools hold great promise to promote agricultural transformation and benefit smallholder farmers in the developing world. One such tool is Uber for tractors, which aims to enable farmers to access tractor hire services in a way that is deemed similar to the Uber service for ride-hailing. While widely praised, Uber for tractors has not yet been rigorously analyzed. How does it work in practice? And what is its potential to reduce the transa…
Governance challenges of small-scale gold mining in Ghana: Insights from a process net-map study
The artisanal small-scale mining (ASM) sector – commonly described as low-tech, labor-intensive mineral extraction and processing, in developing countries, is increasingly associated with the use of heavy earth moving machines and hazardous chemicals for ore extraction, which can have negative implications on agricultural land use and the environment. Moreover, land reclamation, or the lack thereof, associated with ASM is a rising concern. Despit…
Are emerging farmers the missing link for mechanised Conservation agriculture? Viewpoints from Zambia
Conservation agriculture’s (CA) potential to improve resilience to climate change, environmental degradation, and food insecurity across Africa is hampered by critical challenges, especially high labour requirements without mechanisation. Yet, whether medium-scale farmers owning 5–100 hectares of farmland and tractors can be the antidote for CA upscaling remains unclear. Based on insights from Zambia, the authors argue that medium-scale farmers c…
Nutrition‐sensitive lockdowns: Conceptual framework and empirical insights from Africa during Covid ‐19
The Farming Question: Intergenerational Linkages, Gender and Youth Aspirations in Rural Zambia☆
With agriculture considered key to generating jobs for Africa's growing population, several studies have explored youth aspirations toward farming. While many factors explaining aspirations have been well studied, little is known about the actors' shaping aspirations. We developed a novel framework that focuses on the factors and actors shaping the formation and actual aspirations of rural youth and applied a unique 'whole-family' approach based …
Made in Africa – How to make local agricultural machinery manufacturing thrive
Manufacturing has the potential to drive economic growth, job creation and poverty reduction, but African manufacturers face challenges in competing with global markets. Agricultural machinery manufacturing may be one niche where African manufacturers can succeed. This paper examines the challenges and opportunities facing local agricultural manufacturers in Africa based on a survey of 386 manufacturers in four countries and qualitative methods. …
How do coffee farmers engage with digital technologies? A capabilities perspective
A reality-design gap in the conceptualization and practice of digital agriculture has been systematically reported in the literature. This condition is favored by the lack of understanding and inclusion of local worldviews around digital technologies. Informed by Amartya Sen’s capabilities approach, this study looks to bring stories of local appropriation to the spotlight. Based on a qualitative approach that included data collected through inter…
Unpacking the behavioral intentions of ‘emergent farmers’ towards mechanized conservation agriculture in Zambia
Entering the Digital Research Age: Investigating the Effectiveness of Visual Digital Tools in Agricultural Research
Agricultural studies mainly rely on quantitative research approaches. Despite growing interest in and uptake of qualitative, participatory, and visual methods due to their perceived advantages in gathering in-depth information and empowering participants, visual-digital research methods have yet to be largely applied. In our study on adaptation strategies to climate change among smallholder farmers in Uganda we compared different data collection …
Decoding conservation agriculture discourses in Zambia: Advocacy politics, contestations, and emerging narratives
Conservation Agriculture is globally promoted as a sustainable response to food insecurity and climate change, yet adoption in Zambia remains low despite decades of promotion. This study explores the discursive roots of this challenge, moving beyond economic and agronomic explanations. Using an integrated framework of discourse analysis and narrative policy analysis, and a hybrid purposive-random sampling, data were collected from 111 stakeholder…
Levelling the field: A review of the ICT revolution and agricultural extension in the Global South
Information and communications technology has evolved significantly over the last seven decades, beginning with radio and video vans and culminating in the rise of smartphones and mobile internet in remote areas of the Global South. While ICT is an integral part of agricultural extension, little is known about how these changes have influenced agricultural extension practices. After a systematic review of 131 papers, we find that changes in ICT h…
What factors are inducing or impeding the adoption of agricultural mechanization? Revisiting farm scale, overhead capital and spatial divergence
Atmospheres of spaces in transformation: A methods overview for spotting them in field research
But don't think it is a game: Agricultural videogames and “good farming
“We are just like ploughing bulls”: A comparative analysis of power relations and cooperation in Fulani and Mossi polygynous households in Burkina Faso
Polygynous households constitute a significant share of agricultural producers in sub-Saharan Africa, which can influence productivity and food security through intrahousehold cooperation. Economic analyses often focus on the outcomes of cooperation while overlooking the diverse institutional mechanisms that shape it. This study aims to address this gap by analysing cooperation within polygynous households as a collective action problem using an …
Agri-tech startups in India: Knowledge recombination under resource constraints
Non-traditional entrants innovate by recombining accumulated agricultural knowledge. • Institutional networks mediate access to public research and legitimacy. • Rural entrepreneurship increasingly operates through knowledge infrastructures. • Resource constraints are offset through network-enabled collaboration. • Agri-tech ventures reconfigure segments of agricultural value chains in India
Agriculture (15 works) · Agricultural Innovations and Practices (14 works) · Economics (13 works) · Business (11 works) · Geography (11 works) · Economic growth (9 works) · Innovation and Socioeconomic Development (7 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Political science (6 works) · Agricultural economics (5 works)