Determinants of Improved Rice Varieties Adoption in Fogera District of Ethiopia

Abstract

The Ethiopian agriculture is characterized by the use of inadequate production technologies that in a variable climate produces important fluctuations in crop yields, uncertainties, and food insecurities. Consequently, the study has focused to analyze factors affecting adoption of rice improved varieties in Fogera district of Ethiopia. It particularly focused on the determinants of improved varieties. For this study purpose 151 households were randomly drawn from three randomly selected Kebeles in probability proportional to size method. The demographic and socio economic factors that determine the participation in improved varieties were households labor availability, education level of the household head, land holding, distance to the nearest village market, proximity to the main market, distance to access agricultural extension, access to the source of rice seeds, access to new cultivars of rice and off-farm income. Consequently, finding ways to strengthen smallholder access to inputs, technology, and information, and improving the incentives for their use and adoption, all within highly heterogeneous agro ecologies is very important.