Abstract

In pluralistic advisory environments, farmers often receive information from multiple sources. However, agricultural science still needs stronger evidence on whether the breadth or the frequency of source use is more closely associated with knowledge use in farm-management decisions. Using Ugandan coffee innovation platforms as an empirical case, this study examined whether active source portfolio diversity and source-use intensity were differently associated with knowledge use. The analysis used respondent-level cross-sectional survey data set from 214 farmers. From 15 active source items, two portfolio indicators were constructed: portfolio diversity, defined as the number of sources used at least sometimes, and source intensity, defined as average frequency of source use. Knowledge use was assessed across production, harvesting, postharvest handling and processing, and marketing. The four items formed a defensible composite (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.758, omega = 0.760; first eigenvalue = 2.320). Bivariate analysis revealed positive associations for both diversity and intensity with knowledge use, though intensity showed the stronger association (r = 0.588) than diversity at the main threshold of three or more sources (r = 0.369). Separate adjusted models confirmed both diversity (b = 0.118, 95% CI [0.063, 0.172]) and intensity (b = 1.174, 95% CI [0.898, 1.449]) as positive predictors. In joint models, intensity remained strongly positive (b = 1.609, 95% CI [1.222, 1.996]), while diversity weakened and was not robust under the stricter thresholds. The findings suggest that regular engagement with useful advisory and learning sources may matter more for knowledge use than simply expanding the number of sources.

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