ADOPTION AND IMPACT OF IMPROVED MAIZE VARIETIES ON MAIZE PRODUCTIVITY AND FOOD INSECURITY IN AMURU DISTRICT OF HORO GUDURU WOLLEGA, ETHIOPIA

Government policy strategies, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), are aimed at increasing agricultural productivity, which could lead to improved household food security and increased farm income. In Ethiopia, the situation is similar. Hence, understanding smallholder farmers' low and variable crop yields has been a central research and policy priority in addressing food security. This study, therefore, aims at assessing adoption and impact of improved maize varieties on maize productivity and food insecurity in Amuru district of Horo Guduru Wollega, Ethiopia. The study utilized cross-sectional household level data collected in 2020/2021 from 263 randomly selected sample households. Both descriptive and econometric methods were used to analyze the data. According to the results of descriptive statistics of continues explanatory variables, there was a statistically significant difference in age of household head, education of household head, size of farm land, family size, livestock owned and market distance between adopters and non-adopters of IMVs. Likewise, the results of discrete independent variables show that sex of household head, information from government agent, and information from farmers association, access to credit and access to training was statistically significant association with adoption of IMVs. The results of the probit model show that adoption of the improved maize varieties among households was found to be positively influenced by education level of the household head, total livestock owned, access to credit, access to training, farm size, access to information from extension agent and access to information from farmers association whereas family size and market distance influenced adoption negatively. Moreover, the results obtained from the endogenous treatment effect model indicated that the adoption of IMVs not only generated a significantly positive impact on household calorie intake and net crop value, but it also reduced food insecurity. The results from this study revealed that IMVs adoptions significantly contribute to the economic and social development of smallholder farmers by improving average calorie intake and net crop values as well as by reducing food insecurity. Therefore, it is recommended that governments and non-governmental organizations should encourage the adoption of improved maize varieties on a wider scale to increase maize production and reduce food insecurity in rural households. This is critical in realizing the IMVs potential among maize producers in the study area