IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ags/qjiage/155537.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Determinants of Agricultural Technology Adoption: The Case of Improved Pigeonpea Varieties in Tanzania

Author

Listed:
  • Simtowe, Franklin
  • Kassie, Menale
  • Diagne, Aliou
  • Asfaw, Solomon
  • Shiferaw, Bekele
  • Silim, Said
  • Muange, Elijah

Abstract

If dryland legumes are to meet the expectations of reducing poverty and hunger in the semi-arid tropics, there will be need for a full understanding of their potential for diffusion and the barriers to adoption. We apply a program evaluation technique to data obtained from Tanzania to derive estimates of the actual and potential adoption rates of improved pigeonpea varieties and their determinants. The study reveals that only 33% of the sampled farmers were aware of the improved pigeonpea varieties which consequently restricted the sample adoption rate of improved varieties to only 19%. The potential adoption rate of improved pigeonpea if all farmers had been exposed to improved varieties is estimated at 62% and the adoption gap resulting from the incomplete exposure of the population to the improved pigeonpea is 43%. We further find that the awareness of improved varieties is mainly influenced by attendance of Participatory Variety Selection activities. The adoption of improved varieties is more pronounced among farmers with smaller landholdings suggesting that farmers facing land pressure intensify pigeonpea production through the adoption of improved high yielding varieties. The findings are indicative of the relatively large demand for improved pigeonpea varieties suggesting that there is scope for increasing their adoption rate in Tanzania once the farmers are made aware of the existence of the technologies.

Suggested Citation

  • Simtowe, Franklin & Kassie, Menale & Diagne, Aliou & Asfaw, Solomon & Shiferaw, Bekele & Silim, Said & Muange, Elijah, 2011. "Determinants of Agricultural Technology Adoption: The Case of Improved Pigeonpea Varieties in Tanzania," Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, Humboldt-Universitaat zu Berlin, vol. 50(4), pages 1-21.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:qjiage:155537
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.155537
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/155537/files/2_Simtowe.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22004/ag.econ.155537?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Geroski, P. A., 2000. "Models of technology diffusion," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(4-5), pages 603-625, April.
    2. Kibaara, Betty & Ariga, Joshua & Olwande, John & Jayne, Thom S., 2008. "Trends in Kenyan Agricultural Productivity: 1997-2007," Working Papers 202611, Egerton University, Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development.
    3. Oriana Bandiera & Imran Rasul, 2006. "Social Networks and Technology Adoption in Northern Mozambique," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 116(514), pages 869-902, October.
    4. Richard Blundell & Monica Costa Dias, 2000. "Evaluation methods for non-experimental data," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 21(4), pages 427-468, January.
    5. Foster, Andrew D & Rosenzweig, Mark R, 1995. "Learning by Doing and Learning from Others: Human Capital and Technical Change in Agriculture," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 103(6), pages 1176-1209, December.
    6. Phoebe Koundouri & Céline Nauges & Vangelis Tzouvelekas, 2006. "Technology Adoption under Production Uncertainty: Theory and Application to Irrigation Technology," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 88(3), pages 657-670.
    7. Feder, Gershon & Just, Richard E & Zilberman, David, 1985. "Adoption of Agricultural Innovations in Developing Countries: A Survey," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 33(2), pages 255-298, January.
    8. Kassie, Menale & Zikhali, Precious & Manjur, Kebede & Edwards, Sue, 2009. "Adoption of Organic Farming Techniques: Evidence from a Semi-Arid Region of Ethiopia," RFF Working Paper Series dp-09-01-efd, Resources for the Future.
    9. Dimara, Efthalia & Skuras, Dimitris, 2003. "Adoption of agricultural innovations as a two-stage partial observability process," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 28(3), pages 187-196, May.
    10. Kassie, Menale & Zikhali, Precious & Manjur, Kebede & Edwards, Sue, 2008. "Adoption of Organic Farming Technologies: Evidence from Semi-Arid Regions of Ethiopia," Working Papers in Economics 335, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    11. Saha Atanu & H. Alan Love & Robert Schwart, 1994. "Adoption of Emerging Technologies Under Output Uncertainty," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 76(4), pages 836-846.
    12. Jacqueline A. Ashby & Louise Sperling, 1995. "Institutionalizing Participatory, Client‐Driven Research and Technology Development in Agriculture," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 26(4), pages 753-770, October.
    13. Simtowe, Franklin, 2006. "Can Risk-aversion towards fertilizer explain part of the non-adoption puzzle for hybrid maize? Empirical evidence from Malawi," MPRA Paper 1241, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 20 Dec 2006.
    14. Kassie, Menale & Shiferaw, Bekele & Muricho, Geoffrey, 2011. "Agricultural Technology, Crop Income, and Poverty Alleviation in Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(10), pages 1784-1795.
    15. Babatunde Durosomo, 1993. "Technology adoption and Sub-Sahara african agriculture: The sustainable development option," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 10(4), pages 58-70, September.
    16. Besley, Timothy & Case, Anne, 1993. "Modeling Technology Adoption in Developing Countries," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(2), pages 396-402, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Raju Ghimire & Wen-Chi Huang, 2015. "Household wealth and adoption of improved maize varieties in Nepal: a double-hurdle approach," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 7(6), pages 1321-1335, December.
    2. Mary Thuo & Alexandra Bell & Boris Bravo-Ureta & Michée Lachaud & David Okello & Evelyn Okoko & Nelson Kidula & Carl Deom & Naveen Puppala, 2014. "Effects of social network factors on information acquisition and adoption of improved groundnut varieties: the case of Uganda and Kenya," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 31(3), pages 339-353, September.
    3. Maurice Ogada & Germano Mwabu & Diana Muchai, 2014. "Farm technology adoption in Kenya: a simultaneous estimation of inorganic fertilizer and improved maize variety adoption decisions," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 2(1), pages 1-18, December.
    4. Anna Folke Larsen, 2015. "The network at work: Diffusion of banana cultivation in Tanzania," CAM Working Papers camwp2015_01, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. Centre for Applied Microeconometrics.
    5. Wollni, Meike & Andersson, Camilla, 2014. "Spatial patterns of organic agriculture adoption: Evidence from Honduras," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 120-128.
    6. Aliou Diagne, 2012. "Adoption: a new Stata routine for estimating consistently population technological adoption parameters," SAN12 Stata Conference 17, Stata Users Group.
    7. Kondylis, Florence & Mueller, Valerie, 2012. "Seeing is Believing? Evidence from a Demonstration Plot Experiment in Mozambique:," MSSP working papers 1, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    8. Genius, Margarita & Koundouri, Phoebe & Nauges, Celine & Tzouvelekas, Vangelis, 2013. "Information Spillovers in Irrigation Technology Diffusion: Social Learning, Extension Visits and Spatial Effects," MPRA Paper 122342, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Diagne, Aliou, 2006. "Taking a New Look at Empirical Models of Adoption: Average Treatment Effect Estimation of Adoption Rates and their Determinants," 2006 Annual Meeting, August 12-18, 2006, Queensland, Australia 25623, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    10. Gin, Xavier & Yang, Dean, 2009. "Insurance, credit, and technology adoption: Field experimental evidencefrom Malawi," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(1), pages 1-11, May.
    11. Lim, Krisha & Wichmann, Bruno & Luckert, Martin, 2021. "Adaptation, spatial effects, and targeting: Evidence from Africa and Asia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    12. Mukasa Adamon N., 2016. "Working Paper 233 - Technology Adoption and Risk Exposure among Smallholder Farmers: Panel Data Evidence from Tanzania and Uganda," Working Paper Series 2328, African Development Bank.
    13. Anna Folke Larsen, 2019. "When knowledgeable neighbors also share seedlings: diffusion of banana cultivation in Tanzania," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 50(1), pages 51-65, January.
    14. Mira Frick & Yuhta Ishii, 2015. "Innovation Adoption by Forward-Looking Social Learners," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 1877, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University.
    15. Chatzimichael, Konstantinos & Genius, Margarita & Tzouvelekas, Vangelis, 2014. "Informational cascades and technology adoption: Evidence from Greek and German organic growers," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(P1), pages 186-195.
    16. Franklin SIMTOWE & Elijah MUANGE, 2013. "The Diffusion and Adoption of Green Revolution Technologies: Lessons and policy implications from Pigeonpea farmers in Kenya," Regional and Sectoral Economic Studies, Euro-American Association of Economic Development, vol. 13(2), pages 161-178.
    17. Benedict Afful Jr., Ph.D, 2021. "Drivers of Weedicide Adoption among Peseant Maize Farmers in the Northern Region of Ghana," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 5(2), pages 61-71, February.
    18. Simtowe, Franklin & Muange, Elijah & Munyua, Bernard & Diagne, Aliou, 2012. "Technology Awareness and Adoption: The Case of Improved Pigeonpea Varieties in Kenya," 2012 Conference, August 18-24, 2012, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil 126760, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    19. Kazushi Takahashi & Rie Muraoka & Keijiro Otsuka, 2020. "Technology adoption, impact, and extension in developing countries’ agriculture: A review of the recent literature," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 51(1), pages 31-45, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Agricultural and Food Policy; Food Security and Poverty;

    JEL classification:

    • B21 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925 - - - Microeconomics
    • A10 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ags:qjiage:155537. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: AgEcon Search (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/iahubde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.