Analysis Of Farmers’ Perceptions And Adoption Behaviour Towards Improved Maize Technology Among Maize Farmers In The Bawku West District Of The Upper East Region

ABSTRACT

As part of the National agricultural modernization agenda, through the promotion of technology driven agriculture, efforts of research and development had over several decades now been concentrated on developing and disseminating improved technologies and best agricultural practices to farmers with little success. Maize, being the major cereal crop in the country, several projects have been implemented to develop the maize sub-sector. However, these efforts have not achieved the commensurate results with low technology adoption and poor yields still being the main problem in the maize sub-sector. In finding answers to the problem, this research analysed farmers’ perceptions and adoption behaviour towards improved maize technologies among maize farmers in the Bawku West District. Exploratory survey design was employed with multi-stage sampling techniques adopted in selecting four hundred (400) maize farmers using Cochran’s sample size determination formula, interviewed for this study. Also concerned staff and operational managers of NGOs working to improve Agriculture in the District were interviewed. Interview, questionnaire, observations and focus group discussions were the main methods employed in data collection. Also Q – methodological process was employed in gathering narratives and farmers’ concourse on improved maize technologies. Descriptive statistics, Probit regression, Analysis of Variance and factor analysis were applied to analyze the data hence the various research questions. Results of the study revealed that out of the fifteen production recommendations, majority of farmers adopt many of these production recommendations within the improved maize technology and six factor solutions as the underlying constructs characterizing farmers’ perceptions towards improved maize technologies. Also the probit regression analysis identified nine (9) variables as significant determinants regarding farmers’ level of adoption of improved maize technology. The study also found significant relationship between level of adoption and yield of maize. High cost of inputs was ranked the top most constraint to farmers’ ability to adopt the improved maize technology. While incompatibility, complex nature of the technology and poor access to information were ranked 2nd, 3rd and 4th top most constraints to the adoption of the improved maize technology respectively. The study recommended that farmer education on improved maize technologies should be intensified and facilitated to get access to information, inputs to promote adoption of improved maize technologies.