Production risk and farm technology adoption in the rain-fed semi-arid lands of Kenya

This study provides empirical evidence on the effects of production risk on smallholder farmers’ adoption of farm technology, using plot-level data collected from two semi-arid districts in Kenya, Machakos and Taita Taveta.

Using Mundlak’s approach (1978), the study found that factors such as yield variability and the risk of crop failures indeed affect technology adoption decisions in low-income, rainfed agriculture. However, the direction and magnitude of effects depend on the farm technology under consideration. The results explain why poor farm households in rainfed and risky production environments are reluctant to adopt new farm technologies that could improve production: it is because the technologies involve enormous downside risks. This result underscores the fact that productivity gain is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition to attract farmers to adopt new technologies and agricultural innovations.

EfD Authors

Mr. Maurice Juma Ogada Research Associate
Dr. Wilfred Nyangena Coordinator and Research Fellow
Dr. Mahmud Yesuf Research Associate

Keywords

Field experiments

Files

Related discussion paper 557.9 kB

Centers

kenya

Type of publication

Peer reviewed

Reference

Ogada Maurice, Wilfred Nyangena and Mahmud Yesuf, 2010, “Production risk and farm technology adoption in the rain-fed semi-arid lands of Kenya”, AFJARE, 2010, vol. 4, No. 2, June, pp. 159-74.

Environment for Development

Environment for Development