The adoption of introduced agroforestry innovations: determinants of a high adoption rate – a case-study from Ethiopia

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe adoption and diffusion patterns of agricultural innovations are often different from one place to another. In the South Wollo administrative zone, Ethiopia, the agricultural extension service conceived four agroforestry technology packages that were then introduced to local farmers. Three villages of the zone were selected for their high rate of adoption of the introduced technologies (almost 50% adopters within 5 years), with two objectives: (i) identifying which technologies had been adopted and how they were implemented, and (ii) quantifying the determinants of adoption. From the three villages, 180 farmers comprising 90 adopters and 90 non-adopters were randomly selected for formal survey. An inventory of the packages was also conducted. Descriptive and inferential (i.e logit model) statistics were used to analyze the collected data. All respondents from the adopter group adopted the introduced homegarden agroforestry technology, which differed only slightly from the traditional homegarden practice. The other technologies also had remarkably high adoption rates (almost 60% for boundary planting and multipurpose woodlot, 30% for alley-cropping). The logit model revealed that among the five variables that were positively and significantly related to farmers’ adoption of the introduced agroforestry technologies in the study area (age, land holding size, labour availability, incentives and bylaws), two variables were related to external factors, and thus could directly be subject of policy intervention: (i) the existence of bylaws favourable to tree plantation and (ii) the quality of the incentives provided to farmers, such as ensuring access to quality tree seeds or seedlings and providing formal training in agroforestry.