Technological Change in Smallholder Agriculture: Bridging the Adoption Gap by Understanding its Source.

Abstract

This paper examines the informational origin of the low adoption rates of modern agricultural technologies frequently observed in smallholder agriculture in Sub-Sahran Africa. The paper argues that a large part of these observed low adoption rates can be explained by a simple fact: The lack of awareness of the existence of the technology by a large proportion of the smallholder farming population. The paper analyzes the structure of the adoption gap resulting from this lack of awareness and presents a methodology for estimating that gap and truly informative adoption rates and their determinants. This methodology is then used to provide estimates of the New Rice for Africa (NERICA) population potential adoption rates and gaps as well as estimates of the determinants of NERICA exposure and adoption in four West African Countries: Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Benin and Gambia. The implied estimated adoption gaps of 21% in Cote-d’Ivoire, 41% in Guinea, 28% in Benin and 47% in Gambia suggest that there is potential for increasing NERICA adoption significantly in these four countries. The results of the analysis of the determinants of NERICA adoption highlight the importance of Participatory Varietal Selection (PVS) trials and farmer access to extension services in promoting the adoption of NERICAs beyond their beneficial effects in making farmers aware of the existence of the varieties. The findings also points to some possible gender biases in the dissemination of NERICA varieties in Guinea.