Influence of communication channels on sustained adoption of climate-smart agricultural technologies in the West Usambara Mountains, Tanzania
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Date
2023-12-26
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
Climate change has been reducing agricultural production, especially cereals, potatoes and vegetables in the West Usambara Mountains. One approach for farmers to increase crop productivity in the West Usambara Mountains is to adopt Climate-Smart Agricultural (CSA) technologies. From 2011 to 2019, the Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) project employed different communication channels to promote CSA technologies such as terraces, tree planting, organic fertilizers, improved seeds and weather information services. Understanding the influence of communication channels on the sustained adoption of CSA technologies is essential to decision-makers and extension workers. This study assessed the influence of communication channels on the sustained adoption of CSA technologies. A cross-sectional research design was adopted whereby a sample of 124 households was chosen by using simple random sampling from 140 farming households which participated in the CCAFS project. Data were collected by using household surveys, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Analysis of quantitative data was conducted by using the Multivariate Probit Model through STATA software version 17 while thematic analysis was done for qualitative data. Results show that mobile phone contacts had a positive significant influence on the sustained adoption of tree planting and terraces. Farmers' meetings had a positive significant influence on the sustained adoption of weather information services, tree planting and terraces. Farmer-extensionist contacts had a positive significant influence on the sustained adoption of weather information services, improved seeds, organic fertilizers and terraces. Farmer-researcher contacts had a positive significant influence on the sustained adoption of improved seeds. Demonstration farms had a positive significant influence on the sustained adoption of weather information services. This study concludes that communication channels are information pathways useful in promoting the sustainable adoption of CSA technologies in the study area. This study recommends that agricultural stakeholders including policymakers and extension workers should incorporate communication channels when promoting post-project adoption of CSA technologies and designing future sustainable CSA interventions since they are important information pathways to farmers.
Description
The sub Saharan Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities
(SJSSH)
Keywords
climate change, sustained adoption, climate-smart agricultural technologies, communication channels
Citation
http://ssjsshco.wwwmi3-ss122.a2hosted.com/EAJSSH/index.php/EAJSSH/issue/view/9