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2.2 Conceptual Framework and Empirical Strategy
Conceptual Framework
This study postulates that adoption of ISFM technologies is influenced by household
characteristics (age, gender, education level of the household head, household size,
household assets and wealth status), institutional factors (access to credit, access to
extension, farmer group membership and land tenure), farm and plot characteristics
(farm size and soil fertility status) as well as technology attributes. While the effect
of household characteristics such as age on adoption of ISFM technologies is indeterminate, male headship of the household is expected to have positive influence due
to the comparative advantage in access to productive resources such as cash, which
is important to purchase inorganic fertilizer and improved seed. However, the age of
the household head may reflect farming experience and past investments in soil fertility-enhancing technologies. Education level of the household head is hypothesised
to influence adoption of ISFM technologies positively due to higher management
skills, better understanding of concept of ISFM and its implementation as well as the
ability to source relevant information about the technologies.
Institutional factors such as access to extension increase farmers’ access to information, which is a critical factor in agricultural technology adoption process, while
access to credit services facilitates farmers’ access to productive resources
(Lambrecht et al. 2014b). In the context of ISFM, inorganic fertilizer and improved
seed are externally purchased and are deemed unaffordable among some of the
resource-constrained smallholder farmers in the study area. Thus, the expectation is
that those farmers with access to credit are more likely to adopt ISFM technologies
as compared to those farmers without access to credit. Land tenure is expected to
influence adoption of ISFM technologies positively, in that those households with
secure land tenure rights are more likely to invest in soil fertility-enhancing technologies because of the guaranteed benefits despite the length of the return period,
while those with insecure land tenure are more likely to abandon the ISFM
technologies.
Plot characteristics such as landholding size have, in the literature, been reported
to have positive influence on adoption of agricultural technologies (e.g. Marenya
and Barrett 2007 and Tizale 2007). However, in this study, the influence of landholding size on adoption of ISFM technologies is hypothesized to be either positive
or negative depending on the type of technology under consideration. For instance,
landholding size is expected to be negatively correlated with maize-legume intercropping and positively correlated with legume-maize rotation. Soil fertility status
of the plot can influence adoption of ISFM technologies. For instance, farmers’
perception of fertile soils is expected to influence adoption of ISFM technologies
such as inorganic fertilizer and improved seed. Foster and Rosenzweig (2010) note
that the marginal product of inorganic fertilizer tends to be higher on “better” soils
than poor soils.
Determinants of ISFM Technology Adoption and Disadoption Among Smallholder…
2.2 Conceptual Framework and Empirical Strategy
Conceptual Framework
This study postulates that adoption of ISFM technologies is influenced by household
characteristics (age, gender, education level of the household head, household size,
household assets and wealth status), institutional factors (access to credit, access to
extension, farmer group membership and land tenure), farm and plot characteristics
(farm size and soil fertility status) as well as technology attributes. While the effect
of household characteristics such as age on adoption of ISFM technologies is indeterminate, male headship of the household is expected to have positive influence due
to the comparative advantage in access to productive resources such as cash, which
is important to purchase inorganic fertilizer and improved seed. However, the age of
the household head may reflect farming experience and past investments in soil fertility-enhancing technologies. Education level of the household head is hypothesised
to influence adoption of ISFM technologies positively due to higher management
skills, better understanding of concept of ISFM and its implementation as well as the
ability to source relevant information about the technologies.
Institutional factors such as access to extension increase farmers’ access to information, which is a critical factor in agricultural technology adoption process, while
access to credit services facilitates farmers’ access to productive resources
(Lambrecht et al. 2014b). In the context of ISFM, inorganic fertilizer and improved
seed are externally purchased and are deemed unaffordable among some of the
resource-constrained smallholder farmers in the study area. Thus, the expectation is
that those farmers with access to credit are more likely to adopt ISFM technologies
as compared to those farmers without access to credit. Land tenure is expected to
influence adoption of ISFM technologies positively, in that those households with
secure land tenure rights are more likely to invest in soil fertility-enhancing technologies because of the guaranteed benefits despite the length of the return period,
while those with insecure land tenure are more likely to abandon the ISFM
technologies.
Plot characteristics such as landholding size have, in the literature, been reported
to have positive influence on adoption of agricultural technologies (e.g. Marenya
and Barrett 2007 and Tizale 2007). However, in this study, the influence of landholding size on adoption of ISFM technologies is hypothesized to be either positive
or negative depending on the type of technology under consideration. For instance,
landholding size is expected to be negatively correlated with maize-legume intercropping and positively correlated with legume-maize rotation. Soil fertility status
of the plot can influence adoption of ISFM technologies. For instance, farmers’
perception of fertile soils is expected to influence adoption of ISFM technologies
such as inorganic fertilizer and improved seed. Foster and Rosenzweig (2010) note
that the marginal product of inorganic fertilizer tends to be higher on “better” soils
than poor soils.
Determinants of ISFM Technology Adoption and Disadoption Among Smallholder…