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Title Technological Change in Smallholder Agriculture: Bridging the Adoption Gap by Understanding its Source.
Full text http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/1wf5q4bm
Date 2009
Author(s) Diagne, Aliou
Abstract This paper examines the informational origin of the low adoption rates of modern agricultural technologies frequently observed in smallholder agriculture in Sub-Sahran Africa. The paper argues that a large part of these observed low adoption rates can be explained by a simple fact: The lack of awareness of the existence of the technology by a large proportion of the smallholder farming population. The paper analyzes the structure of the adoption gap resulting from this lack of awareness and presents a methodology for estimating that gap and truly informative adoption rates and their determinants. This methodology is then used to provide estimates of the New Rice for Africa (NERICA) population potential adoption rates and gaps as well as estimates of the determinants of NERICA exposure and adoption in four West African Countries: Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Benin and Gambia. The implied estimated adoption gaps of 21% in Cote-d'Ivoire, 41% in Guinea, 28% in Benin and 47% in Gambia suggest that there is potential for increasing NERICA adoption significantly in these four countries. The results of the analysis of the determinants of NERICA adoption highlight the importance of Participatory Varietal Selection (PVS) trials and farmer access to extension services in promoting the adoption of NERICAs beyond their beneficial effects in making farmers aware of the existence of the varieties. The findings also points to some possible gender biases in the dissemination of NERICA varieties in Guinea.
Subject(s) Technology diffusion; Adoption; adoption gap; selection bias; Average Treatment Effect; NERICA; Social and Behavioral Sciences
Language english
Publisher eScholarship, University of California
Type of publication article
Format application/pdf
Source Diagne, Aliou. (2009). Technological Change in Smallholder Agriculture: Bridging the Adoption Gap by Understanding its Source.. UC Berkeley: Center for Effective Global Action. Retrieved from: http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/1wf5q4bm
Rights public
Identifier qt1wf5q4bm
Repository Berkeley - University of California
Added to C-A: 2014-04-02;08:55:46