Factors Influencing Participation Decision of Smallholder Farmers on Cluster Farming: The Case of Wheat Technologies in Dawoo District, South-West Shewa Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

Wheat is the most widely grown cereal crop in the world, with an ever-increasing demand. It plays a fundamental role in food security, and a major challenge is to meet the additional requirements with new cultivars and improved cropping technologies. This research evaluated the determinant factors influencing participation decisions of smallholder farmers in wheat cluster farming at Dawo District South-West Shewa Zone Oromia region. Dawo District was purposefully selected from the South-West Shewa Zone due to its wheat potential agro-ecological area and implemented wheat cluster farming. Based on the proportion of PAs that undertake cluster farming, four PAs were selected. Then using stratified random sampling PAs stratified into two strata: These are Wheat cluster farming and wheat non-cluster farming participants. In total, 138 (participants 92 and non-participants 46) respondents were selected using systematic random sampling. The binary logistic regression results revealed that the education level of the household head, wheat farming experience of the household head, landholding size, distance to extension services, membership to cooperative, and access to credit services were the variables that significantly affected participation decision of smallholder farmers in wheat cluster farming. Therefore, the research results recommend the need for continued and broad public and private awareness creation in agricultural innovations participation to address vital development challenges and the need for policy support for improving extension efforts and access to the full package for cluster implementation among smallholder farmers that stimulate participation decision on cluster farming of improved agricultural technologies.