The Determinants of High Yielding Wheat Varieties Adoption by Small-Holder Farmers in Ethiopia

Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2018 in the subject Agrarian Studies, grade: 4, , language: English, abstract: The main objective of this study is to identify factors affecting adoption of high yielding wheat varieties in Mao-Komo district of Benishangul-Gumuz, Ethiopia. Adoption of high yielding wheat varieties is one of the measures presumed to enhance wheat yield in Ethiopia. However, there are several socio-economic and institutional factors that limit the adoption of high yielding wheat varieties. Wheat is one of the major cereals of choice in Ethiopia, dominating food habits and dietary practices, and is known to be a major source of energy and protein in the country. The utilization of wheat has increased due to the growing urbanization and the expansion of agro-industries used as raw material, and also considered to attain food security in Ethiopia. It is also used for traditional foods and the straw is used for animal feed and thatching of roofs. To feed the rapidly growing population and meet the high demand of wheat in the country, it needs to increase the production and yield of wheat. However, increasing yield requires successful adoption of improved agricultural technologies. The present study uses cross-sectional data collected from sample of 174 farm households selected through two-stage stratified random sampling techniques. Descriptive statistics and econometric models are used to analyze the data. Probit model is employed for adoption analyze of high yielding wheat varieties. The probit model result depicts that land holding size, tropical livestock unit, access to agricultural information, frequency of extension contacts, off-farm income, and perception of farmers toward attributes of high yielding wheat varieties affect the likelihood of adoption of high yielding wheat varieties positively and significantly. But sex of household heads and affiliation to organizations has negative and significant effects on the likelihood of adoption of high yielding wheat varieties. The findings suggest that the government and stakeholders should need to focus on improving farm land and livestock productivity, strengthening frequency of extension visits, encouraging participation in off-farm activities, creating reliable information and awareness towards farmers' perceptions in the area. Finally, further support of high yielding wheat varieties adoption should be given due attention for smallholders.