Abstract
This study assesses the determinants of adoption drivers of improved open-pollinated (OPVs) maize varieties by smallholder farmers in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Cross-sectional data of multi-stage random sampling was used to randomly select 150 smallholder farmers in the province. Data collection was conducted through a well-structured questionnaire administered to 150 smallholder farmers. Descriptive statistics and a logistic regression model were used for the analyses. The inferential results reveal that the majority of farmers in the study area were females (70%) with an average age of 45 years and had six people in the households. Smallholder maize farmers spent an average of 10 years in school. The results show that smallholder maize farmers had a farm size of 3 ha and a household income of R 3565.00, which contributes highly to household and farm operations. Farmers had access to extension services and were members of farm organizations. The results show that hybrid is the most used maize variety rather than OPVs. The main reason, among other things, for the poor use and adoption of OPVs is the lack of knowledge about the seeds. The results drawn from the estimations show that socio-economic and institutional factors influenced the adoption of OPVs by farmers in the study area. Therefore, the study recommends strengthening the existing extension services to highlight the benefits of OPVs through training and farmers’ information days.
Highlights
Agriculture is the backbone of many people in developing countries
The study hypothesis is that the driving factors of adoption of improved maize varieties by smallholder maize farmers are socio-economic and institutional factors
This section is divided into four sections, wherein the first section will concentrate on descriptive statistics, while the second part deals with challenges and types of improved maize varieties, third sections deals with an econometric analysis of the drivers to adopt the improved open pollination maize variety and last section deals with discussion of results
Summary
Agriculture is the backbone of many people in developing countries. The worlds’population is expected to reach 10 Billion by 2050, putting pressure on food production to increase and to accommodate the growing population [1]. Enhancing crop production is considered essential for improving farmers’ and peoples’ welfare in these developing countries. This means that the control of agriculture as the primary source of food and job creation must be enhanced in developing countries as it is the only strategy to fight poverty and food insecurity [2]. Maize is the most grown crop in many developing countries, especially SubSaharan Africa (SSA), contributing immensely to the SSA economy [2,3]. This cereal crop is an essential staple crop produced by most smallholder farmers and produced under diverse
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
