Technology adoption and risk exposure among smallholder farmers: Panel data evidence from Tanzania and Uganda

Mukasa, Adamon N.

doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.12.006

Cited by 67 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Hardaker et al ( 2015 ) indeed affirm that risk-averse people may be willing to forgo some expected output for a reduction in risk, the rate of acceptable trade-off depending on how risk-averse that person is. Mukasa ( 2018 ) considering four moments of production (mean, variance, skewness and kurtosis) and the probability of adopting several modern inputs (including, improved seeds, chemical fertilizer and pesticides) revealed that most modern inputs are risk reducing though sometimes at great cost to farmers.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Productivity and production risk effects of adopting drought-tolerant maize varieties in Zambia

Amondo

Simtowe

Rahut

et al. 2019

IJCCSM

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Purpose Productivity and production risks affect the use of agricultural production practices and inputs, particularly in developing countries. This paper aims to investigate the effects of adopting drought-tolerant maize varieties (DTMVs) on farm productivity, yield variance and downside risk exposure of maize growing households of Zambia. Design/methodology/approach The study uses household survey data collected from 11 maize producing districts of Eastern, Southern and Copperbelt provinces of Zambia using a structured questionnaire. The Antle’s flexible moment-based approach was used in specifying, estimating and testing a stochastic production function. The study further applied an endogenous switching regression model to control for both observable and unobservable sources of bias. Findings The study revealed that DTMV adoption increases maize yield by 15 per cent and reduces the risk of crop failure: reducing yield variance by 38 per cent and exposure to downside risk by 36 per cent. Originality/value This study establishes the benefits of DTMV adoption in Zambia with regards to productivity, yield stability and downside risk in the face of climate change. Results from this study underscore the need for more concerted efforts to scale-out DTMVs for both maize productivity enhancement and for risk mitigation against weather shocks.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Productivity and production risk effects of adopting drought-tolerant maize varieties in Zambia

Amondo

Simtowe

Rahut

et al. 2019

IJCCSM

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Considering that they may regard technology as a way to overcome challenges and improve their yields, we suggest that they will be more likely to adopt it. Furthermore, farmers are known to be often risk-averse, and as such reluctant to adopt new technologies ( Mukasa, 2018 ). Creativity may buffer their reluctance, making them more flexible, open to new experiences, and tolerant of ambiguity.…”

Section: T Heoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Character strengths and sustainable technology adoption by smallholder farmers

Bukchin

Kerret

2020

Heliyon

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Sustainable food systems are required to feed a growing world population. Smallholder farmers, who produce a significant share of the food supply in many developing countries, can play a crucial role in applying such systems. In agriculture, various innovative technologies promise to have a significant part in securing a sustainable future. Clearly, however, before new technologies can benefit their users, they must first be adopted. Why do most smallholders avoid using modern cultivation technologies? Rather than focusing on socio-economic geography-related factors and information gaps, we offer a new perspective, suggesting that personal variables, such as character strengths, prompt the adoption of sustainable technologies. We put this hypothesis to an empirical test in a large-scale field study of drip irrigation (DI) adoption in Senegal. Data were collected by face-to-face questionnaires. A binary logistic regression analysis of the data obtained from 335 different plots in Senegal, showed that a significant connection existed between two character strengths, creativity and judgment, and DI adoption. Along with its theoretical and empirical contribution, the value of this study lies in its practical implications: The research focuses on variables that are malleable and likely to be influenced by policy tools and education.

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“…Of the 74 studies, 25 included some quantitative assessment of the frequency of pesticide use. Notably, the five studies that use national-level data from the Uganda National Panel Survey or the World Bank's data set LSMS-ISA (Ali et al, 2016;de la O Campos et al, 2016;Mukasa, 2018; consistently report much lower figures than studies that build on the researchers' own surveys, despite the fact that most such surveys focus on one type of pesticide and/or crop. One possible explanation is that some researchers interested in pesticides purposively select settings where they expect to find it, and indeed, pesticide use varies considerably with locality, cropping system, and production orientation.…”

Section: Poor Monitoring Of Pesticide Use and Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Environmental Justice Perspective on Smallholder Pesticide Use in Sub-Saharan Africa

Isgren

Andersson

2020

The Journal of Environment & Development

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Pesticide use is increasing in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and many smallholders purchase, handle, and apply toxic pesticides with inadequate equipment, knowledge, and technical support. Through the frame of environmental justice, this literature-based study analyzes characteristics, impacts, and drivers of smallholder pesticide use in sub-Saharan Africa, with particular attention to Uganda as a case. We find that market liberalization, poor regulation enforcement, and persistent neglect of agricultural extension place the burden of risk largely on farmers, while perceived necessity of pesticides and the elusive nature of impacts (especially under conditions of insufficient monitoring) likely delay social mobilization around pesticides. The environmental justice frame, which has seen limited application in smallholder contexts, importantly helps delineate future directions for research and practice. It is particularly effective for redirecting focus from highly limited managerial solutions for “safe use” toward deeper problem drivers and solutions capable of tackling them.

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Technology adoption and risk exposure among smallholder farmers: Panel data evidence from Tanzania and Uganda

Cited by 67 publications

References 40 publications

Productivity and production risk effects of adopting drought-tolerant maize varieties in Zambia

Productivity and production risk effects of adopting drought-tolerant maize varieties in Zambia

Character strengths and sustainable technology adoption by smallholder farmers

An Environmental Justice Perspective on Smallholder Pesticide Use in Sub-Saharan Africa

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