Determinants of Adoption of Improved Teff Varieties by Smallholder Farmers: The Case of Kobo District, North Wollo Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia
Susie Teshome, Bosena Tegegne
Abstract
Adoption and wider diffusion of improved <i>teff</i> varieties is playing vital role in reversing the present situation of food insecurity in many parts of Ethiopia. However, the uses of improved <i>teff</i> varieties are constrained by various factors. Hence, in this study, an attempt was made to examine factors affecting adoption and intensity of use of improved <i>teff</i> varieties. A multi-stage random sampling technique was employed to select 150 sample households from Kobo district. Double-hurdle model was used to identify factors influencing households’ adoption decision and intensity of use of improved <i>teff</i> varieties. The result of double-hurdle model shows that educational level of household head, participation on crop production demonstration, distance from the nearest market, frequency of extension contact, off/non-farm income, proportion of cultivated land allocated for <i>teff</i>, livestock holding, improved <i>teff</i> seed availability, and perception on better yielding capacity of the new varieties over local varieties were found to be significantly influencing households adoption decision, whereas, sex, age, family labor, membership to an organization, off/non-farm income, frequency of extension contact and land allocated for <i>teff</i> were found to be significantly influencing the intensity of use of improved <i>teff</i> varieties. Therefore, the result implies that strengthening the existing extension services, providing good transport facilities for farmers through infrastructural development, improving access to improved seeds, improving farmers’ level of education, strengthening farmer’s organization, encouraging the use of labour saving technologies, improving crop-livestock production system and provision of demonstrations of new technologies are areas that need policy attentions to enhance adoption and intensity of use of improved <i>teff</i> varieties. Further, high yielding <i>teff</i> varieties need to be given special priority in <i>teff</i> variety scaling out programs.