Abstract
Agriculture takes the lion’s share in the economic development of many developing countries, including Ethiopia. Agricultural policy of the years has focused on supporting the introduction of improved technologies to boost production and reduce food insecurity. However, outcomes of such agricultural policies have been influenced by different factors of which low adoption of improved agricultural technology is a major constraint. The objective of this study was therefore, to analyze the determinants of adoption and intensity of use of row planting for wheat production. Data were obtained from both primary and secondary sources. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 140 wheat producer household heads from the Munesa district of Oromia region, Ethiopia. Data were collected through the administration of semi-structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed using both descriptive statistics and the Tobit econometric model. Descriptive result shows that, from 140 sampled households 97 are adopters of wheat row planting while the remaining are non-adopters. The model was used in estimating the determinants of adoption and intensity of use of row planting for wheat production. The model results revealed that education level, labor availability, extension contact, credit use, participation in training and access to improved seed had positively and significantly influenced adoption and intensity of use of row planting for wheat production. Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that, policy and development interventions should focus on improving economic and institutional support system for high rates of adoption and intensity leading to improved productivity and income among smallholder farmers. Key words: Adoption, row planting, Tobit model, Munesa, wheat.
Highlights
Farmers who did not grow wheat through row planting were considered as non adopters and while the farmers who grow wheat with row planting were taken as adopters
One way analysis of variance revealed the existence of significant mean difference (F=628.19, P=0.000) among the adoption index score of the four adoption categories at 1% significance level, implying the existence of variation in level of adoption among sample households
In Ethiopia in the study area wheat is an important food security crop and an economically important cash crop, which serves as a major means of income for the livelihood of wheat producer households
Summary
Efforts have being underway by the national agricultural research system through which a number of technologies have been released for the farming community. In spite of these efforts, a productivity gain has not been impressive. One major factor contributing to low productivity in the country is the low adoption rate of improved technologies (Hassen et al, 2012; Ahmed et al, 2014). Among these is the low adoption of row planting despite its ability to contribute to high yields (Joachim et al, 2013)
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