Factors Affecting Adoption of Improved Maize Seeds and Use of Inorganic Fertilizer for Maize Production in the Intermediate and Lowland Zones of Tanzania

Abstract This paper examines factors influencing the adoption of improved maize seeds and the use of inorganic fertilizer for maize production by farmers in the intermediate and lowland zones of Tanzania. The results indicate that availability of extension services, on-farm field trials, variety characteristics and rainfall were the most important factors that influenced the extent of adopting improved maize seeds and the use of inorganic fertilizer for maize production. Farmers preferred those varieties which minimize field loss rather than maximizing yields. Future research and extension policies should emphasize farmer participation in the research process and on-farm field trials for varietal evaluation and demonstration purposes.

[1]  G. O'Mara,et al.  Farm Size and the Diffusion of Green Revolution Technology , 1981, Economic Development and Cultural Change.

[2]  E. Douglas Beach,et al.  The Adoption of IPM Techniques By Vegetable Growers in Florida, Michigan and Texas , 1994, Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics.

[3]  .. CentroInternacionaldeMejoramientodeMaízyTrigo.  From agronomic data to farmer recommendations : an economics training manual , 1988 .

[4]  Robert A. Moffitt,et al.  The Uses of Tobit Analysis , 1980 .

[5]  D. Kaldor,et al.  Transforming Traditional Agriculture. , 1964, Science.

[6]  Theodore W. Schultz,et al.  The Value of the Ability to Deal with Disequilibria , 1975 .

[7]  J. Tobin.  Estimation of Relationships for Limited Dependent Variables , 1958 .

[8]  David Zilberman,et al.  Adoption of Agricultural Innovations in Developing Countries: A Survey , 1985, Economic Development and Cultural Change.

[9]  Gershon Feder,et al.  The Acquisition of Information and the Adoption of New Technology , 1984 .

[10]  E. Rogers.  Diffusion of Innovations , 1962 .

[11]  Derek Byerlee,et al.  Farmers' Stepwise Adoption of Technological Packages: Evidence from the Mexican Altiplano , 1986 .

[12]  Howard D. Leathers,et al.  Land Allocation in HYV Adoption Models: An Investigation of Alternative Explanations , 1994 .

[13]  E. R. Moscardi,et al.  From agronomic data to farmer recommendations : an economics training manual , 1975 .

[14]  Ariel Dinar,et al.  Innovations on Family Farms: The Nazareth Region in Israel , 1992 .

[15]  Allen M. Featherstone,et al.  A Stall-Feeding Management for Improved Cattle in Semiarid Central Tanzania: Factors Influencing Adoption , 1997 .

[16]  Dennis W. Roncek,et al.  Learning More From Tobit Coefficients: Extending a Comparative Analysis of Political Protest , 1992 .

[17]  David Zilberman,et al.  Stochastic structure, farm size, and technology adoption in developing agriculture , 1983 .

[18]  D. McFadden.  Econometric Models of Probabilistic Choice , 1981 .

[19]  W. Huffman,et al.  The Adoption of Reduced Tillage: The Role of Human Capital and Other Variables , 1984 .

[20]  Lawrence Olson,et al.  Specification and Estimation of a Simultaneous-Equation Model with Limited Dependent Variables , 1978 .

[21]  Bronwyn H. Hall,et al.  Time series processor, version 4.1 , 1983 .

[22]  William E. Griffiths,et al.  Learning and Practicing Econometrics , 1993 .

[23]  Takeshi Amemiya,et al.  The Estimation of a Simultaneous-Equation Tobit Model , 1979 .

[24]  T. Harris,et al.  Factors Influencing Rates of Adoption of Trichomoniasis Vaccine by Nevada Range Cattle Producers , 1997 .

[25]  D. Shapiro.  FARM SIZE, HOUSEHOLD SIZE AND COMPOSITION, AND WOMEN'S CONTRIBUTION TO AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION: EVIDENCE FROM ZAIRE , 1990 .

[26]  T. Schroeder,et al.  FACTORS AFFECTING ADOPTION OF IMPROVED MAIZE SEED AND FERTILISER IN NORTHERN TANZANIA , 1997 .

[27]  Robert B. Schwart,et al.  Adoption of Emerging Technologies Under Output Uncertainty , 1994 .

[28]  A. Kimhi.  Quasi Maximum Likelihood Estimation of Multivariate Probit Models: Farm Couples' Labor Participation , 1994 .

[29]  S. Misra,et al.  Factors Influencing Southern Dairy Farmers' Choice of Milk Handlers , 1993, Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics.

[30]  Gershon Feder,et al.  Farm size, risk aversion, and the adoption of new technology under uncertainty. , 1980 .

[31]  F. D. Worman,et al.  The farming systems approach to development and appropriate technology generation , 1995 .

[32]  Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo,et al.  The adoption of agricultural technology: a guide to survey design. , 1993 .

[33]  W. Huffman,et al.  Off-Farm Work Decisions of Husbands and Wives: Joint Decision Making , 1989 .

[34]  David Zilberman,et al.  Computer Use in Agriculture: Evidence from Tulare County, California , 1988 .

[35]  W. Huffman.  Allocative Efficiency: The Role of Human Capital , 1977 .

[36]  Ted C. Schroeder,et al.  Human Capital, Producer Education Programs, and the Adoption of Forward-Pricing Methods , 1994 .