The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension Competence for Rural Innovation and Transformation Farmers' participation in extension programs and technology adoption in rural Nepal: a logistic regression analysis (original) (raw)

Abstract

Purpose: This paper examines the factors affecting farmers' participation in extension programs and adoption of improved seed varieties in the hills of rural Nepal. Methodology/approach: Cross-sectional farm-level data were collected during July and August 2014. A sample of 198 farm households was selected for interviewing by using a multistage, random sampling technique. We employed a logistic regression model, frequency counts, and percentages to analyze the data. Findings: Adoption decisions were mainly affected by extensionrelated variablestraining, membership in a farmers' group, and off-farm employment. Extension participation was found to be influenced by socioeconomic variablesage, education, household size, and distance to the extension office. Our findings reveal that distance to the extension office and off-farm employment limited participation in extension activities and adoption, respectively, and education, household size, and group membership stimulated participation in extension programs. Practical implications: Recognition of the determinants of farmers' participation in extension services and innovation adoption ensures that targeted extension approaches are used to address these factors in various stages of planning, delivering, and evaluating extension programs. Theoretical implications: Innovation adoption follows a systematic decision-making process. Although personal characteristics are important, widespread use of new technology requires a conducive social and institutional context. Because contexts vary by country or region, extension services providers should create institutions favorable for innovation adoption within a social system. Originality/value: This research is original and highly valuable to identify the factors associated with extension participation and innovation adoption in the rural hilly region of Nepal. This also provides a new direction to operationalize farmer-oriented policies of agricultural extension and so can be helpful for agricultural policy-makers in devising programs of extension services.

Figures (6)

Loading...

Loading Preview

Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.

References (55)

  1. Amsalu, A., and J. de Graaff. 2007. "Determinants of Adoption and Continued Use of Stone Terraces for Soil and Water Conservation in an Ethiopian Highland Watershed." Ecological Economics 61 (2-3): 294-302. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2006.01.014.
  2. Arslan, A., N. McCarthy, L. Lipper, S. Asfaw, and A. Cattaneo. 2014. "Adoption and Intensity of Adoption of Conservation Farming Practices in Zambia." Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 187 (0): 72-86. doi:10.1016/j.agee.2013.08.017.
  3. Asfaw, S., B. Shiferaw, F. Simtowe, and L. Lipper. 2012. "Impact of Modern Agricultural Technologies on Smallholder Welfare: Evidence From Tanzania and Ethiopia." Food Policy 37 (3): 283-295. doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2012.02.013.
  4. Azikiwe A. I., Monde, N. Obi, A. and Sunday, and O. A. 2013. "Quality of Extension Services: A Case Study of Farmers in Amathole." Journal of Agricultural Science 5 (2), doi:10.5539/jas.v5n2p204.
  5. Becerril, J., and A. Abdulai. 2010. "The Impact of Improved Maize Varieties on Poverty in Mexico: A Propensity Score-Matching Approach." World Development 38 (7): 1024-1035. doi:10.1016/j. worlddev.2009.11.017.
  6. Bekele, W., and L. Drake. 2003. "Soil and Water Conservation Decision Behavior of Subsistence Farmers in the Eastern Highlands of Ethiopia: A Case Study of the Hunde-Lafto Area." Ecological Economics 46 (3): 437-451.
  7. Beynon, J. 1996. Financing of agricultural research and extension for smallholder farmers in Sub- Saharan Africa. London: Overseas Development Institute.
  8. Bhatta, K. P., A. Ishida, K. Taniguchi, and R. Sharma. 2008. "Whose Extension Matters? Role of Governmental and non-Governmental Agricultural Extension on the Technical Efficiency of Rural Nepalese Farms." Journal of South Asian Development 3 (2): 269-295. doi:10.1177/ 097317410800300205.
  9. Bola, A. A., A. Diagne, A. N. Wiredu, and V. E. Ojehomon. 2012. "Wealth Status and Agricultural Technology Adoption among Smallholder Rice Farmers in Nigeria." International Journal of Sustainable Development 05 (2): 97-114.
  10. CBS (Central Bureau of Statistics). 2011. Nepal living standard survey (Vol. 3). Kathmandu: National Planning Commission Secretariat, Government of Nepal.
  11. CBS (Central Bureau of StatisticsS). 2014. National Household Survey 2012/2013. Kathmandu: National Planning Commission Secretariat, Government of Nepal.
  12. Chang, H.-H., and A. Mishra. 2008. "Impact of Off-Farm Labor Supply on Food Expenditures of the Farm Household." Food Policy 33 (6): 657-664. doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2008.02.002.
  13. Charatsari, C., E. D. Lioutas, and A. Koutsouris. 2016. "Farmers" Motivational Orientation Toward Participation in Competence Development Projects: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective." The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 1-16. doi:10.1080/1389224x.2016.1261717.
  14. Charatsari, C., A. Papadaki-Klavdianou, and A. Michailidis. 2011. "Farmers as Consumers of Agricultural Education Services: Willingness to Pay and Spend Time." The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension 17 (3): 253-266. doi:10.1080/1389224X.2011.559078.
  15. Chowa, C., C. Garforth, and S. Cardey. 2013. "Farmer Experience of Pluralistic Agricultural Extension, Malawi." The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension 19 (2): 147-166. doi:10.1080/1389224x.2012.735620.
  16. Conley, T. G., and C. R. Udry. 2010. "Learning About a New Technology: Pineapple in Ghana." The American Economic Review 100 (1): 35-69.
  17. Cunguara, B., and I. Darnhofer. 2011. "Assessing the Impact of Improved Agricultural Technologies on Household Income in Rural Mozambique." Food Policy 36 (3): 378-390. doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2011.03.002.
  18. Davis, K. E., J. Ekboir, and D. J. Spielman. 2008. "Strengthening Agricultural Education and Training in Sub-Saharan Africa from an Innovation Systems Perspective: A Case Study of Mozambique." The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension 14 (1): 35-51. doi:10. 1080/13892240701820371.
  19. Doss, C. R., and M. L. Morris. 2001. "How Does Gender Affect the Adoption of Agricultural Innovations? The Case of Improved Maize Technology in Ghana." Agricultural Economics 25: 27-39.
  20. FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization). 2010. Agricultural Extension Services Delivery System in Nepal. Pulchowk: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations UN Complex. Accessed December 10, 2016. ftp://ftp.fao.org/OSD/CPF/Country%20NMTPF/Nepal/ AgExtServDelSysNepal.pdf.
  21. Farrington, J. 1995. "The Changing Public Role in Agricultural Extension." Food Policy 20 (6): 537-544.
  22. Feleke, S., and T. Zegeye. 2006. "Adoption of Improved Maize Varieties in Southern Ethiopia: Factors and Strategy Options." Food Policy 31 (5): 442-457. doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2005.12.003.
  23. Fischer, E., and M. Qaim. 2012. "Linking Smallholders to Markets: Determinants and Impacts of Farmer Collective Action in Kenya." World Development 40 (6): 1255-1268. doi:10.1016/j. worlddev.2011.11.018.
  24. Garforth, C. 2011. Education, Training and Extension for Food Producers. Global Food and Farming Futures Project, State of Science Reviews. SR16B. Report. London: The Government Office for Science. http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/view/creators/90000157.html.
  25. Gauchan, D., H. K. Panta, S. Gautam, and M. B. Nepali. 2012. "Patterns of Adoption of Improved Rice Varieties and Farm-Level Impacts in Stress-Prone Rainfed Areas of Nepal." In Patterns of Adoption of Improved Rice Varieties and Farm-Level Impacts in Stress-Prone Rainfed Areas in South Asia, edited by S. Pandey, D. Gauchan, M. Malabayabas, M. Bool-Emerick and B. Hardy, 37-103. Los Baños: International Rice Research Institute.
  26. Ghimire, R., and W.-C. Huang. 2015. "Household Wealth and Adoption of Improved Maize Varieties in Nepal: A Double-Hurdle Approach." Food Security 7 (6): 1321-1335. doi:10.1007/ s12571-015-0518-x.
  27. Ghimire, R., and W.-C. Huang. 2016. "Adoption Pattern and Welfare Impact of Agricultural Technology: Empirical Evidence From Rice Farmers in Nepal." Journal of South Asian Development 11 (1): 113-137. doi:10.1177/0973174116629254.
  28. Kassie, M., B. Shiferaw, and G. Muricho. 2011. "Agricultural Technology, Crop Income, and Poverty Alleviation in Uganda." World Development 39 (10): 1784-1795. doi:10.1016/j. worlddev.2011.04.023.
  29. Klerkx, L., B. van Mierlo, and C. Leeuwis. 2012. "Evolution of Systems Approaches to Agricultural Innovation: Concepts, Analysis and Interventions." In Farming Systems Research Into the 21st Century: The new Dynamic, edited by I. Darnhofer, D. Gibbon and B. Dedieu, 457-483. Springer: Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
  30. Langyintuo, A. S., and C. Mungoma. 2008. "The Effect of Household Wealth on the Adoption of Improved Maize Varieties in Zambia." Food Policy 33 (6): 550-559. doi:10.1016/j.foodpol. 2008.04.002.
  31. Leeuwis, C., and N. Aarts. 2011. "Rethinking Communication in Innovation Processes: Creating Space for Change in Complex Systems." The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension 17 (1): 21-36. doi:10.1080/1389224x.2011.536344.
  32. Lopokoiyit, M. C., C. Onyango, J. K. Kibett, and B. K. Langat. 2012. "Human resource development in agriculture extension and advisory services in Kenya." The Eighth African Farm Management Association Congress, Nairobi, pp. 371-388.
  33. Mariano, M. J., R. Villano, and E. Fleming. 2012. "Factors Influencing Farmers" Adoption of Modern Rice Technologies and Good Management Practices in the Philippines." Agricultural Systems 110: 41-53. doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2012.03.010.
  34. Mendola, M. 2007. "Agricultural Technology Adoption and Poverty Reduction: A Propensity-Score Matching Analysis for Rural Bangladesh." Food Policy 32 (3): 372-393. doi:10.1016/j.foodpol. 2006.07.003.
  35. Mignouna, D. B., V. M. Manyong, and J. Rusike. 2011. "Determinants of Adopting Imazapyr- Resistant Maize Technologies and Its Impact on Household Income in Western Kenya." AgBioForum 14 (3): 158-163.
  36. Mittal, S., and P. Kumar. 2000. "Literacy, Technology Adoption, Factor Demand and Productivity: An Econometric Analysis." Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics 55 (3): 490-499.
  37. MOAD (Ministry of Agricultural Development). 2013. Statistical Information on Nepalese Agriculture. Kathmandu: Agri-Business Promotion and Statistics Division, Ministry of Agricultural Development, Government of Nepal.
  38. Mugonolaa, B., J. Deckersa, J. Poesena, M. Isabiryec, and E. Mathijsa. 2013. "Adoption of Soil and Water Conservation Technologies in the Rwizi Catchment of South Western Uganda." International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 11 (3): 264-281. doi:10.1080/14735903. 2012.744906.
  39. Nkamleu, G. B., and A. A. Adesina. 2000. "Determinants of Chemical Input use in Peri-Urban Lowland Systems: Bivariate Probit Analysis in Cameroon." Agricultural Systems 63 (2): 111- 121. doi:10.1016/S0308-521X(99)00074-8.
  40. Pant, L. P. 2012. "Learning and Innovation Competence in Agricultural and Rural Development." The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension 18 (3): 205-230. doi:10.1080/1389224x. 2012.670050.
  41. Pant, L. P. 2016. "Paradox of Mainstreaming Agroecology for Regional and Rural Food Security in Developing Countries." Technological Forecasting and Social Change 111: 305-316. doi:10.1016/j. techfore.2016.03.001.
  42. Pant, L. P., and H. Hambly Odame. 2009. "Innovation Systems in Renewable Natural Resource Management and Sustainable Agriculture." African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development 1 (1): 103-135.
  43. Paudel, P., and A. Matsuoka. 2008. "Factors Influencing Adoption of Improved Maize Varieties in Nepal: A Case Study of Chitwan District." Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences 2 (4): 823-834.
  44. Ransom, J., K. Paudyal, and K. Adhikari. 2003. "Adoption of Improved Maize Varieties in the Hills of Nepal." Agricultural Economics 29 (3): 299-305. doi:10.1016/s0169-5150(03)00057-4.
  45. Raut, N., K. B. Sitaula, A. Vatn, and S. G. Paudel. 2011. "Determinants of Adoption and Extent of Agricultural Intensification in the Central Mid-Hills of Nepal." Journal of Sustainable Development 4 (4): 47-60. doi:10.5539/jsd.v4n4p47.
  46. Rivera, W. M., and V. R. Sulaiman. 2009. "Extension: Object of Reform, Engine for Innovation." Outlook on Agriculture 38 (3): 267-273.
  47. Ryan, R. M., V. Huta, and E. L. Deci. 2008. "Living Well: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective on Eudaimonia." Journal of Happiness Studies 9 (1): 139-170. doi:10.1007/s10902-006-9023-4.
  48. Sandall, J., R. Cooksey, and V. Wright. 2011. "A Systems Approach to Identifying and Managing Opportunities and Constraints to Delivering Innovation Policy for Agriculture: An Analysis of the Australian Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program." The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension 17 (5): 411-423. doi:10.1080/1389224x.2011.596418.
  49. Shi, X., N. Heerink, and F. Qu. 2009. "The Role of off-Farm Employment in the Rural Energy Consumption Transition -A Village-Level Analysis in Jiangxi Province, China." China Economic Review 20 (2): 350-359. doi:10.1016/j.chieco.2008.10.001.
  50. Stilgoe, J., R. Owen, and P. Macnaghten. 2013. "Developing a Framework for Responsible Innovation." Research Policy 42 (9): 1568-1580. doi:10.1016/j.respol.2013.05.008.
  51. Suvedi, M., and R. Ghimire. 2015. How competent are agricultural extension agents and extension educators in Nepal? Innovation for Agricultural Training and Education, Feed the Future, USAID, Michigan State University. Accessed December 15, 2016. http://www.oired.vt.edu/ innovate/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/SuvediNepalExtensionFINAL.pdf.
  52. Suvedi, M., and M. Kaplowitz. 2016. What Every Extension Worker Should Know -Core Competency Handbook. MEAS/USAID Handbook. Michigan State University, USA.
  53. Suvedi, M., and P. McNamara. 2012. Strengthening the Pluralistic Agricultural Extension System in Nepal. Lansing: MSU/MEAS/USAID. Accessed October 15, 2014. https://docs.google.com/ viewer?a=vandpid=sitesandsrcid=bWVhcy1leHRlbnNpb24ub3JnfHB1YmxpY3xneDo3ZmQ3 Mjc3ZmM4OTNjOTc5.
  54. Uddin, E., Q. Gao, and M. D. Mamun-Ur-Rashid. 2014. "Crop Farmers" Willingness to Pay for Agricultural Extension Services in Bangladesh: Cases of Selected Villages in Two Important Agro-Ecological Zones." The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension 22 (1): 43-60. doi:10.1080/1389224X.2014.971826.
  55. World Bank. 2006. Enhancing Agricultural Innovation: How to Go Beyond the Strengthening of Research Systems. Washington, DC: The World Bank.