Abstract
Maize is the principal agricultural crop produced by Zambian smallholder farmers for household consumption and sale. Their production strategy is therefore important in meeting food security and income needs. This study uses data collected from a survey of a random sample of farm households in southern Zambia to develop a Tobit regression model. The model identifies farm and farmer characteristics important for adoption of improved maize seed varieties as well as to determine the role of farmer perceptions of technology attributes in maize varietal adoption. The results indicate that expectations about output price and yield are important determinants of adoption. Other factors directly correlated with the probability of adoption include the status of being male-headed, farm size and membership to farmer organizations. Households with more wealth and educated heads were also significantly more likely to adopt improved varieties. Some of the policy implications of these findings are that intervention strategies should be designed and implemented to encourage poor households and those with low levels of formal education to participate in local farmer organizations. The positive interaction between membership to organizations and the adoption of technologies also suggests that group based extension approaches should be encouraged not only for their role in collective action but also for their positive impact on information diffusion and technology adoption.
Highlights
The vast majority of Zambians rely on agriculture as their principal means of livelihood
More than half of the households participated in local farmer organizations, only 11% accessed credit in the 2005/06 season
More than threequarters of the households felt that improved maize varieties matured earlier, had higher yield potential and tolerated water and moisture stress more than landraces
Summary
The vast majority of Zambians rely on agriculture as their principal means of livelihood. In response to this challenge, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) have over the past two decades been working with national agricultural research institutes to adapt breeding techniques to Sub-Saharan Africa Through this effort, more than 50 new maize hybrids and openpollinated varieties have been developed and provided to the farmers through seed companies and NonGovernmental Organizations (NGOs). The Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI) is a government institution which conducts crop research aimed at the development of improved varieties suitable to the different agroecological zones of Zambia It is responsible for the supply of breeder seed to other organizations/companies involved in seed production, as well as the supply of planting materials for vegetatively propagated crops like cassava and sweet potatoes. A key hypothesis is that farmer perceptions of technologyspecific attributes or characteristics significantly
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