Adoption of garden coffee production technology package by smallholder farmers in Ethiopia

Abstract

This study investigated the level and determinants of garden coffee production technology package adoption in Ethiopia. The analysis was based on survey data collected from 293 garden coffee-growing households. The findings show that garden coffee production technology package adoption status in Dale districts was various across the smallholders’ growers. The productivity of improved coffee varieties at farm plots was less than at research plots in Dale due to low coffee production technology package adoption. The use of improved coffee varieties, weed control practices, compost application, pruning practices, shade tree management, intercropping practices, and coffee seedling planting spacing is the main garden coffee production technology package practiced by smallholder coffee growers in Dale. Thus, the garden coffee production technology package adoption index score ranged from 0.43 to 1.00. Adoption index scores were categorized into high (0.71 to 1), medium (0.5 to 0.7) and Low (0.43 to 0.49) adopters. Only 57% of farmers reached high coffee production technology adoption status but the remaining 30% and 13% of garden coffee farmers attained medium and low adoption status. The mean adoption index score was found to be 0.66, which implies the overall adoption status was found under the medium technology adoption category. The maximum likelihood estimates of Tobit model result shows that gender of household head (-0.261), education level (0.09), the annual income of the household (0.003), farm size (0.031), availability of labor (0.155), credit facilities (0.087), coffee extension services (0.047) and farmer perception of improved coffee varieties (-0.024) were significant determinants of garden coffee production technology package in Dale district. Hence, for farmers to adopt new technology they must know it well. Adopting all components of the coffee production technology package simultaneously as recommended by the research center enhances coffee productivity at farm plots level. Moreover, building better coffee production extension services, institutional arrangement, and access to new technology information can possibly increase coffee production technology package adoption in Ethiopia.