Characterizing Management Practices in High- and Average-Performing Smallholder Dairy Farms under Contrasting Environmental Stresses in Tanzania
, Okeyo A. Mwai 2, Perminus K. Migwi 1, Raphael Mrode 2 and Bockline Omedo Bebe 1
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
The author draws a bit far-reaching conclusions.Other comments and suggestions are mentioned in the revised version attached.
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Author Response
Please see the attachment
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
This article explores appropriate management practices to address the issue of environmental stress considering successful positive deviant farmers. I found the article very interesting and useful to help smallholder dairy farms to cope with environmental stress. I have few minor observations:
1. The research uses a number of concepts that may not be familiar for a wide audience. These concepts should be explained in detail. In particular, the concepts of "two factor nested research design", and "Pareto-Optimality ranking technique". Also, explains why they are appropriate methodological approaches for the research.
2. More explanation for the rationale of the fitted model (Equation 1) is needed. This should include a more detailed explanation of the variable selection, and the rationale. Also, it is not clear whether this is a regression model, or a sort of identity expression. If this is a regression model, the coefficients should be added and also possible hypotheses that can be tested by means of this model.
3. I recommend adding some comments about the feasibility of adopting managerial practices used by positive deviant farmers. That is, while the researcher(s) was able to identify factors that can improve managerial practices to reduce stress, it is not clear whether these practices would indeed be adopted by average farmers. Is this culturally feasible? Can farmers afford this? are farmers influenced by their social network in relation to changing managerial practices? etc. Actually, there is a body of evidence suggesting that adoption of managerial practices and policy initiatives is a complex multivariate behaviour. See for example:
Deng et al. 2016. "Analysis of the ecological conservation behavior of farmers in payment for ecosystem service programs in eco-environmentally fragile areas". Science of the Total Environment 550: 382–390
Dezdar, S. 2017. "Green information technology adoption: influencing factors and extension of theory of planned bahavior". Social Responsability Journal 13(2): 292-306.
May et al. 2019. "Preventing young farmers from leaving the farm: Investigating the effectiveness of the young farmer payment using a behavioural approach". Land Use Policy 82: 317–327.
I would strongly recommend adding a description of the research on adoption to inform that, while there are better performance managerial practices, they may not necessarily be adopted because of a number of considerations. And this is an area for possible research.
4. Conclusions are poor. Please add more implications of the research (implications for policymakers and managers, as well as implications related to the issue of adoption). Add more possible research for future development.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
