Factors influencing adoption and non-adoption of acquired knowledge and technologies at Denman Rural Training Centre, Gaborone Agricultural Region, Botswana

Abstract

This paper investigates the factors that influence adoption and non-adoption of
agricultural technologies presented to farmers who attended training courses at the Denman Rural Training Centre in Botswana. . A structured questionnaire was administered to 223 respondents, from these respondents 153 attended training at Denman Rural Training Centre, twenty-one respondents were never trained, thirty-three were extension agents, nine support staff, five instructors and two managers. The findings of the study show that most of the respondents (61%) are implementing the acquired technologies, while 39% are not implementing. More than half (65%) of trained respondents indicated that they were never involved in identification of the courses they attended. Eighty percent reported that courses were suggested by extension agents. Thirty-six percent of respondents indicated that training had no impact at all on their production efficiency, while 45% indicated a moderate impact on their production to ensure that the training will be effective. More than half of all extension staff (64%) reported that the status of implementation for acquired technologies is usually negative, indicating that there was less or no implementation. The most important factor revealed by the study contributing to nonadoption of technologies is lack of resources. The study concluded that extension has to address the needs and perception of trainees to ensure that the training will be effective.

Keywords: Adoption, non-adoption, acquired knowledge, technologies, extension agents.

South African Journal of Agricultural Extension Vol. 36 (1) 2007: pp. 124-142