Huge investments are made to understand the factors motivating farmers to adopt new agricultural technologies. Smallholders are hesitant to implement innovative methods like improved seeds, new varieties etc. Their decisions are influenced by natural, human, physical, social and financial considerations.
Thomas Miethbauer and Guy Hareau conducted a study costing 200,000$ to understand Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) among marginal potato farmers in Peru. The results from the study indicated that there must be an incorporation of the perception of farmer preferences and attitudes in research design, testing and diffusion. The involvement of farmers in terms of their requirements and expectations has to be merged in the development of any new agronomic expertise to make it work.
The Role of Social Networking
We live in a world where social networks play a major role in how we lead our lives. Maria Chavez Cedeno presented her work conducted along with Frank Hartwich in Tropentag 2011. They examined the extent to which farmer’s social networks influence their choice to innovate. The study among 80 peach farmers in Bolivia revealed that they prefer conversing traditional knowledge than new innovation. In most of this region, the social value chain is dependent on one central farmer. The local government, farmers associations and other local agents play a weak role in creating social awareness of new farming methodologies. In essence social networks can only marginally stimulate acceptance of ground-breaking approaches.
Immaculate Omondi, Isabelle Baltenweck, Siegfried Bauer and Kerstin Zander studied increasing farmer participation in Institutional Innovative System in Kenya. The outcomes exposed the poor hub participation among farmers. The findings also uncovered the role of gender in decision making wherein female headed households were more disposed to be a participant of the hub.
The Marginal Farmer Motivation
Guy-Erick Akouegnon, Volker Hoffmann and Rainer Schultze-Kraft divulge local knowledge on soils and fertilizers was the main driver for the recognition of new options on improved variety legume adoption in Nigeria. Christin Schipmann disclosed that diseases and pests proved to be the dominant hindrance factors for adopting orphan crops, sorghum and millet, in Tanzania. The other aspects that have an impact are availability of seeds, low yields, storage difficulties and high costs.
The embracing of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), a method of increasing rice yield, was analyzed by Martin Noltze, Stefan Schwarze, and Martin Qaim. The findings are that plot level data are required to understand adoption patterns. Any new agricultural system must be adapted to site specific conditions. There is also a need to encourage participatory approach and farmer to farmer exchange and learning processes.
All these studies underscore the necessity to integrate farmers and scientists in developing pioneering expertise in the field of agriculture.