A probit Analysis of Determinants of Adoption of Improved Sorghum Technologies Among Farmers in Tanzania

Abstract

The adoption of improved sorghum technologies by smallholder farmers is still low in Tanzania. Many farmers fail to acquire quality inputs due to different underlying reasons. This article analyzes factors underlining the adoption of improved technologies among sorghum farmers in Tanzania and evaluates profitability of grain production. A total of 212 individual farmers were interviewed through structured questionnaires from nine districts. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, probit regression model and gross margin analysis. Results show that 39.2%, 26.5%, 16.9%, 8.4% and 7.2% of sorghum farmers adopted seeds of improved varieties, insecticides, inorganic fertilizers, threshing machine and optimum seed rate, respectively. Probit estimates indicated that age, sex, number of years in school, group membership, farm size, availability of free seeds, seed accessibility, grain market accessibility and grain market price were the significant factors influencing adoption of these technologies. Adopters obtained higher profitability (822,288 Tshs/ha) than non-adopters (374,363 Tshs/ha) of improved varieties. Further policy actions are needed to improve determinants of adoption, breeding technologies and accessibility of agricultural inputs to ensure benefits to farmers and the sorghum sub-sector.

Mapping out market drivers of improved variety seed use: the case of sorghum in Tanzania

“…From profit and utility maximation theory perspective, most of econometric models used are binary ones (i.e probit and logit model) since adoption and market participation decisions are dichotomous choice (yes = 1/no = 0). Furthermore, gross margin analysis was also used as a proxy for profitability analysis in this study ( Rao et al.,2017 : Engwali et al.,2019 ) to show the profitability of using improved varieties ( Kimbi et al., 2020 ).…”

Factors affecting farmers' decision to harvest rainwater for maize production in Ghana

“…In the context of this study, farmers are more likely to adopt rainwater harvesting if it maximizes their utility subject to constraints related to the farmers. Studies from Asia and some African countries have shown that the adoption of rainwater harvesting is influenced by different contextual factors (Li et al, 2020;Llewellyn and Brown, 2020;Kimbi et al, 2021).…”

“…However, the linear probability model is criticized to predict probabilities outside the range of 0 to 1. Hence, most studies on the adoption of agricultural innovations apply either logit or probit regression models (Kimbi et al, 2021). These models tend to generate similar results.…”

Mapping Out Market Drivers of Improved Variety Seed Use: The Case of Sorghum in Tanzania

“…From profit and utility maximation theory perspective, most of econometric models used are binary ones (i.e probit and logit model) since adoption and market participation decisions are dichotomous choice (yes ¼ 1/no ¼ 0). Furthermore, gross margin analysis was also used as a proxy for profitability analysis in this study (Rao et al,2017: Engwali et al, 2019 to show the profitability of using improved varieties (Kimbi et al, 2020).…”