Adoption of Improved Technology in Ethiopia

Abstract

One of the means by which farm level productivity can be increased is through the introduction and dissemination of improved agricultural technologies to farmers. This is possible if and only if, information on the adoption and risk taking behaviour of farmers is known in advance. While some studies have attempted to assess the factors behind the adoption behaviour of farmers, they have either been limited in scope or they focused on few selected locations and/or commodities. The objective of this study is to identify the factors, which exert significant influence on the adoption behaviour of farmers and the intensity of adoption from a nation survey. A total of 1920 farm household heads drawn from four National Regional States were included in the survey. The result shows that younger farmers, famers with larger land size, farmer living closer to market, and farmers who had closer contact with the extension system are more likely to adopt new technology and use it more. The result underscores the need for research and extension programs to be sensitive to the needs of farmers when developing and disseminating technologies that are relevant to their agro‐ecologies.