The Role of Agricultural Information Sources in Driving Technology Adoption for Small Landholders of Rice Farming in Bono Region of Ghana
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v13i11.3236-3248.7928Keywords:
Adoption, information sources, Rice farming, Rural community, Smallholder farmersAbstract
Small landholder farmers rely on various information sources to obtain information for agricultural production. In the context of Innovation diffusion theory and Learning model, this study examines the extent to which information sources contribute to enhancing technology adoption in Bono region of Ghana, with a focus on small landholders (farmers cultivating on less than two hectares of farm size). Using a pre-tested questionnaire, we obtained information from 180 randomly selected small landholder rice farmers. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-squared tests, and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance. The results indicate that respondents tended to trust information from fellow farmers (86.7%), extension agents (84.4%), local information centers (82.8%), and agro-dealers (79.4%). They mostly obtained information on input availability (82.2%), modern farming techniques (78.9%), marketing options (72.8%), and farm management practices (70.6%). Regarding technology adoption, the results showed a higher rate of adoption of improved rice varieties (81.1%), herbicides (74.4%), and fertilizers (69.4%). The chi-square analysis revealed that extension agents, television, agro-dealers, posters, and local information centers significantly (p<.05) correlated with respondents’ adoption of multiple improved technologies. The respondents indicated a timely supply of information was difficult to obtain as a major constraint affecting their technology adoption. Our findings suggest that to enhance the adoption of agricultural technologies among small landholders, government agricultural interventions should be directed toward strengthening the various information sources available to farmers at both the district and community levels.
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