Technology* Adoption Study

INTSORMIL Objectives: •Facilitate growth of rapidly expanding markets for sorghum and millet.

•Increase the stability and yield of sorghum and pearl millet through crop, soil and water management while maintaining or improving the natural resources of soil and water.

•Training and capacity building.

Introduction (by C. Johnsen):

In recent years, the INTSORMIL program has increased efforts to encourage

farmers to adopt crops and practices supported by INTSORMIL’s research. A

component of these efforts is research on the factors that lead to adoption. One

such study involved a collaborative effort by agricultural economists at the

University of Zambia and the Ohio State University in the U.S. This 2005 study is

one example of how INTSORMIL develops important skills among the citizens of

host countries—called “capacity building.” Mark Erbaugh, one of the collaborating

economists at the Ohio State University, said he and his colleague, Don Larson,

helped to design the study, but they relied upon their African collaborators for the

next step.

“They do the data collection and write-up because that’s part of capacity

building,” Erbaugh said.

Although impact assessment is a costly process, Erbaugh said the study

represents an important part of INTSORMIL’s work.

“We all understand it’s important to justify what we’re doing,” Erbaugh said.

In this story, Kate Veik reports on the Zambian “adoption” study, which was

published in the journal _________________ (INFO TO COME).

*NOTE: Both the study report and Kate Veik’s story use the word “technology” in a

way that, while it may be unfamiliar to readers, is, nevertheless, how INTSORMIL

scientists use the term to describe the grain varieties and farming methods

recommended by INTSORMIL. Consequently, in this article as in others in this

magazine, “technology” refers to such things as drought-resistant sorghum varieties,

techniques for conserving water and ways to prevent pests from destroying a crop

of grain.

The story by Kate VeikScience does no good sitting on the shelf.

That is why INTSORMIL has begun to focus on disseminating new

technologies and developments to farmers. A recent study conducted by

agricultural economists at the University of Zambia evaluates the adoption of

INTSORMIL science by farmers in Zambia.

In collaboration with two INTSORMIL principal investigators at the Ohio

State University, Gelson Tembo and Priscilla Hamukwala, two Zambia-based

economists, conducted the 2005 study of 270 smallholder farms with an average

size of about 2.9 hectares, (OR #_____ ACRES).

In the study, the economists considered socioeconomic factors that they

believed might influence a farmer’s decision to adopt technology supported by

INTSORMIL research. These socioeconomic factors included farm size, off-farm

income, education levels within the household, the farmer’s marital status, and

access to financial information, such as loans and credit, and to extension

information, such as training workshops.

To determine whether a farm family was fully traditional or fully modern, the

study also looked at indicators of wealth such as accessibility to roads and storage

sheds and materials the farmers’ homes were made of.

Tembo, Hamukwala and their team kept all of these factors in mind while

they surveyed and observed farming practices of Zambian farmers to determine

whether they were adopting farming techniques recommended by INTSORMIL.

INTSORMIL scientists recommend the use of animal draught power, that is,

the use of animals, like oxen, in field work such as plowing and planting. To

increase yields of sorghum and millet, INTSORMIL scientists also recommend high-

yielding grain varieties, and some form of fertilization, with either organic or

inorganic fertilizer. To conserve water for crops, INTSORMIL scientists also

recomment conservation tillage techniques, including planting basins to regulate

the flow of water, and zero tillage, a farming process that doesn’t disturb the soil

where crops are planted.

Tembo and Hamukwala found that 40 percent of participating farmers used

animal draught power and 27 percent used conservation tillage.

The economists believe that their results were affected by maize production

in Zambia, where maize is considered to be superior to sorghum and millet, which

are considered ‘poor man’s’ crops.

Another reason for maize’s effect on the results is the government’s concern

for food shortages, Donald Larson, a collaborating economist from the Ohio State

University, said.

The Zambian government subsidized maize production so farmers can buy

seed and fertilizer at half of the market price. The subsidies are not available for

sorghum, though sorghum is more drought-tolerant and performs better than maize

in drier areas, (Q: LARSON SAID?).

The economists have contacted the Zambian government to show sorghum’s

improved performance in drier areas.

“We are trying to point out the distortions created by the maize subsidies,”

Lason said. But that doesn’t mean the government will change its policy.

Tembo and Hamukwala said they might have had a different outcome if they

had been able to survey a larger sample of the community.

“The larger the sample, the more reliable the results,” Tembo said.

INTSORMIL gave $12,000 for this study, an amount that reduced sample size.

Hamukwala said that, with more money, “we could have covered more

families, but the results are true of the families” that the study did cover.

With information like that provided in the study, INTSORMIL is broadening

its efforts to promote new technologies and to open more markets for crops in

Zambia.

“Marketability is very important because farmers are more willing to adopt

new technology and produce more if they have some confidence that a market exists

for their products,” Larson said.

The study confirmed that adoption of practices recommended by INTSORMIL

“was directly related . . . to access to production and market information.” The

study also found that adoption of these practices “was directly related” to the

marital status of the head of household, the education level of males in the

household and the number of people living in the household.

Tembo and Hamukwala say they hope their adoption findings will influence

policymakers and help improve agriculture in Zambia.

“Doing research is one thing,” Hamukwala said. “But getting your findings to

be used is another.”

Dissemination of new technologies to farmers is a big challenge to

INTSORMIL and one that African governments and nongovernmental organizations

could play a key role in achieving.

It’s difficult for INTSORMIL, and similar programs, to disseminate the

information for free because this process is very expensive, said Jean-Baptiste

Taouda, a collaborating scientist from Burkina Faso during a conference on

technology transfer. The government could help by promoting what the agricultural

research efforts have accomplished (Q: HE SAID?).

“Getting the two worlds to meet takes a lot of advocates,” Hamukwala said.