EFFECTS OF FARMERS’ PERCEIVED CHARACTERISTICS ON ADOPTION OF CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY IN THE WEST USAMBARA MOUNTAINS TANZANIA

Author Name: 1Mr. Emmanuel Paul Mzingula, 2Mr. George Medeye

Volume: 01 &  Issue:

Country: TANZANIA

DOI NO.: 08.2020-25662434 DOI Link: http://www.doi-ds.org/doilink/11.2020-39437473/

Affiliation:

1. Researcher at Department of Community Development in Lushoto District Council Tanzania
2. Agricultural Officer at Lushoto District Council Tanzania

ABSTRACT

The adverse impacts of climate change are currently vivid in smallholder agriculture particularly cereal crops such as maize in the West Usambara Mountains Tanzania. For the past 10 years, Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) project disseminated and promoted to smallholder farmers improved maize seed technology so that they can adopt it as adaptation strategy to climate change in agriculture. This study assessed effects of farmers’ perceived characteristics on adoption of improved maize seed technology in adapting to climate change in CCAFS project areas in the West Usambara Mountains. A cross-sectional survey was used to collect quantitative data by using structured questionnaire from randomly selected 124 households from Yamba and Boheloi in Gare ward. Data analysis was conducted by using SPSS version 16 to generate descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percent, means and standard deviations, and inferential statistics through binary logistic regression. The findings show that there was moderate level of adoption (57%) of improved maize seed technology in CCAFS project area. There were positive effects of perceived relative advantage (β1=2.84; p=0.01), trial ability (β4=3.07, p=0.001) and observability (β5=2.82; p=0.001) on farmers’ adoption of improved maize seed technology in the study area. Farmers’ perception towards complexity (β3= -2.59; p=0.001) had negative effect on adoption of improved maize seed technology. This study recommends that government and agriculture sector stakeholders should work on enhancing agricultural extension and education services so that many farmers can have adequate information and knowledge regarding importance of using improved maize seeds for climate change adaption in the West Usambara Mountains

Key words: Improved technology, Adoption, Climate change, Adaptation