PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine how use of agriculture information systems could impact farmers' intention to convert from traditional to organic agriculture production in the ...mountainous areas of Northern Vietnam, based on a research framework developed from integrating Diffusion of Innovation Theory and Theory of Planned Behavior. Specifically, the authors aim to test the direct impact of use of agriculture information systems on converting intention and the interaction between use of agriculture information systems and perceived economic benefits, perceived non-economic benefits of organic production and market access on the formation of converting intention.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from a sample survey that included 634 agriculture-producing households in Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang and Cao Bang provinces of Northern Vietnam. The logistic regression was used for data analysis.FindingsResearch findings indicate that perceived economic benefits, non-economic benefits, market access and use of agriculture information systems positively support the converting intention. Moreover, the use of information systems strengthens the links between the converting intention and perceived economic benefits, perceived non-economic benefits and market access.Originality/valueThis research is innovative in incorporating the use of agriculture information systems as both direct contributor and moderator in converting decisions.
•The agent-base model allows examining the impact of traffic network on the MSW transportation.•The integration of GIS, Equation-based, and ABM is better than individual one in the dynamic ...context.•In application at Hagiang City, the total distance of each garbage truck in a day is reduced by 11.3%.
The amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) has been increasing steadily over the last decade by reason of population rising and waste generation rate. In most of the urban areas, disposal sites are usually located outside of the urban areas due to the scarcity of land. There is no fixed route map for transportation. The current waste collection and transportation are already overloaded arising from the lack of facilities and insufficient resources. In this paper, a model for optimizing municipal solid waste collection will be proposed. Firstly, the optimized plan is developed in a static context, and then it is integrated into a dynamic context using multi-agent based modelling and simulation. A case study related to Hagiang City, Vietnam, is presented to show the efficiency of the proposed model. From the optimized results, it has been found that the cost of the MSW collection is reduced by 11.3%.
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, Livestream sales are becoming an emerging trend in developing countries. However, there is very little research on tea farmers' intention to participate in ...Livestream sales. This paper combines the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and barrier factors to examine the tea farmers' intention to participate in Livestream sales in four Northern midlands and mountainous provinces of Vietnam. Our interview data are from 398 tea farm households whose heads have been in business for at least three years and are between the ages of 26 and 53. Using general structural equation modeling (GSEM), we found that farmers' perceived ease of use and usefulness of Livestream sales motivate their intention to participate in this selling channel. However, regarding barrier factors, the lack of knowledge and experience, information, and professionals’ support, and normative barriers reduce tea farmers’ perception of ease of use and usefulness of Livestream sales. Based on the research findings, we propose several solutions to encourage tea farmers to participate in Livestream sales. We emphasize that solutions must be associated with the cultural and traditional standards of the local people, especially for ethnic minority farmers.
•The perceived usefulness and ease of use lever farmers using livestream sales.•Knowledge and experience barriers reduce the most tea farmers' perception.•The cultural and traditional factors of tea farmers should be integrated into solutions.
Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) show their potential for lightweight low-power inferences because they mimic the functionality of the biological brain. However, one of the major challenges of SNNs ...like other neural networks is memory-wall and power-wall when accessing data (synaptic weights) from memory. It limits the potential of spiking neural networks implemented on edge devices. In this paper, we present a novel spiking computing hardware architecture named NASH-3DM using 3D-IC-based stacking memory with power supply awareness to effectively decrease power consumption for AI-enabled edge devices. Instead of storing one or multiple weights in a single memory word, we split them into small subsets and allocate each subset into a separate memory in every stacking layer. With the natural separation of stack layers, our system can activate and deactivate each layer separately. Therefore, it can offer in-situ (online, post-manufacture, and without interruption) dynamic quantization with multiple operating modes. With the CMOS 45nm technology, our energy per synaptic operation for MNIST classification can reduce by 36.67% while having 0.93%-1.14% accuracy loss at 5-bit quantization. The energy per synaptic operation reduction for the CIFAR10 dataset is 36.68% when switching from the 16-bit active operation to the in-situ 10-bit one with an accuracy loss of 5.69%.
While task mapping for multi-core systems is known as an NP-hard problem, mapping for neuromorphic systems even scale it up due to a high number of neurons per core and a high number of core per ...system. Moreover, mapping for neuromorphic systems also has several challenges such as heterogeneous computing core or communication fabrics, and potential defects in neurons or routing units. Therefore, this paper presents a genetic algorithm framework named HeterGenMap which is a Genetic Algorithm framework for mapping multiple-layer Spiking Neural Network systems to solve the aforementioned problems. The results show that HeterGenMap improves the overall communication cost by 11.04-26.77% in comparison to the linear mapping. Moreover, under link faulty scenarios, neuron defects, or multi-chip designs, HeterGenMap can reduce the communication cost by 3.41-31.34%, 7.01%-41.51%, and 34.21-45.56% in comparison to the linear approach, respectively. The validation in hardware also demonstrated that HeterGenMap reduces the inference time by 63.10-77.87% from the linear mapping.
This study aims to evaluate the impact of the neighborhood effect on farmers’ intention to sell organic tea through e-commerce platforms (ECPs) in Thai Nguyen province of Northern Vietnam. Our ...study’s innovative aspect is combining the technology acceptance model (TAM) theory with the theory of herd behavior (THB). Besides, we tested the magnitude of the neighborhood effect by analyzing it at two points in time (before and after farmers attended the training course). Using interview data from 264 farmers and applying generalized structural equation modeling (GSEM), we found that the neighborhood effect positively affects farmers’ intention to sell organic tea via ECPs. This effect is more pronounced when the neighbors have a close relationship with the farmers under study (such as relatives or close friends). Besides, it becomes more vital when farmers have more time to interact and exchange information with their neighbors (e.g., they participate in the training course on using ECPs together). Additionally, the perception of usefulness and ease of use positively affect farmers’ intention to sell organic tea via ECPs, both before and after the training course. Therefore, to encourage farmers to sell their agricultural products via ECPs, it is recommended that local authorities organize more training courses on using ECPs.
This study aims to elucidate whether switching from business households to enterprises brings higher financial performance than not switching. The study was carried out in Thanh Hoa province, ...Vietnam. Our sample includes 366 establishments that were originally business households. Of which, 184 business households switched to enterprises (switchers), and 182 remained as business households (non-switchers). Using propensity score matching, we discovered several exciting findings. First, switching to enterprises has a positive impact on the financial performance of the switchers. Second, applying different matching algorithms, we found that business households that switched to enterprises have higher financial performance than those which did not, with an average increase in ROA from 0.134 to 0.164. Finally, our research findings suggest that provincial leaders and the Vietnamese government should encourage business households to switch to enterprises. In particular, leaders should focus on training programs, loan support, and strengthening support services from the government.
Purpose This study uses a comprehensive theoretical framework that combines social cognitive theory and neighborhood effect to investigate the influence of neighborhood effects on farmers’ outcome ...expectations, observational learning and self-efficacy. This study aims is to analyze the mechanisms that underlie the adoption of social media by farmers for knowledge exchange in the agricultural context. Specifically, this research explores the role of neighborhood effects, outcome expectations, observational learning and self-efficacy in shaping farmers’ decision-making process regarding the use of social media platforms for exchanging agricultural knowledge. Design/methodology/approach The study data was collected through a sample survey conducted among 570 agricultural households residing in the provinces of Thai Nguyen, Cao Bang, Bac Kan and Phu Tho, located in the northern region of Vietnam. To analyze the data, structural equation modeling was used as the statistical technique of choice. Findings The findings of the study indicate a significant influence of neighborhood effects on outcome expectations, observational learning and self-efficacy. These factors, derived from social cognitive theory, also exhibit a positive association with farmers’ adoption of social media for knowledge exchange. Additionally, the study highlights that neighborhood contribute to a favorable adoption of social media among farmers via outcome expectations, observational learning, and self-efficacy. Research limitations/implications The study is limited in examining farmers’ social media adoption for agriculture knowledge exchange in Northern mountainous area of Vietnam. This study could be replicated across various regions or nations, providing comparative insights into the adoption of social media among farmers for knowledge exchange. Practical implications The study findings suggest practical and innovative means to promote farmers’ social media adoption for agriculture knowledge exchange. Originality/value This study presents a pioneering approach by integrating social cognitive theory and neighborhood effect to elucidate the factors influencing farmers’ adoption of social media for the purpose of agriculture knowledge exchange.
This study aims to analyze the influence of neighborhood effects (NE) on tea farmers' intention to convert from traditional to organic farming in the mountainous areas of northern Vietnam. It differs ...from previous studies in two aspects. First, we combine the theory of planned behavior and the theory of herd behavior to explain farmers' intention to convert from traditional to organic farming, focusing on the impact of the NE. Secondly, to measure NE, we use a combination of questionnaires and methods of measuring herd behavior by McCartney and Shah. Using the generalized structural equation modeling and data collected from 263 tea farmers in Thai Nguyen, we found that NE has a positive and direct significant effect on farmers' intention to convert to organic tea production in the case where neighbors both live nearby and have a close relationship with the subject. In addition, it indirectly impacts farmers' conversion intention through attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavior control. To encourage tea farmers to convert to organic farming, policymakers and extension workers should take advantage of the NE to increase farmers' confidence about the benefits and the possibility of successful organic farming.
This study aims at determining if organic tea farming results in higher net income than conventional tea farming in the mountainous areas of Northern Vietnam. Our sample includes 226 traditional and ...319 organic tea-producing households in the provinces of Thai Nguyen, Phu Tho, Ha Giang, and Lai Chau. Using a propensity score matching approach, the study finds that the adoption of organic tea production had a positive impact on households’ farm income in the study area. Using different matching algorithms, organic tea adopters earned higher income than did non-adopters, from 1038.8 to 1059.0 thousand Vietnamese Dong (VND) per hectare of cultivation plot. To increase conversion to organic tea farming amongst smallholder farmers, the government and other stakeholders should aim to provide better extension services, which incorporate relevant training to farmers and better access to information on organic tea production, as well as encouraging the commercialization of organic fertilizers. Simultaneously, the Vietnamese government should introduce mechanisms to coordinate production activities and deliver tea products to processing and/or marketing facilities.
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