Effectiveness of extension methods for scaling up improved common bean technologies among small-scale farmers in Babati district, Tanzania

Report from a student within the SILT (Sustainable Intensification of Legume Technology in Tanzania) project with backstopping from N2Africa.

Scaling up of Improved Legume Technologies (SILT) project had being promoting adoption of the improved common bean technologies (ICT¹) among the farmers in Babati District, Tanzania. Yet it’s not well known on its effectiveness of achieving its objectives of disseminating ICT¹. Thus, this study determined the effectiveness of different extension methods used by SILT project in scaling up ICT¹ in Babati District. In this study adoption was conceptualized as an act in which farmers who were exposed to various sources of information were aware of, willing and using the ICT¹ in their own fields. A quasi experimental survey was used and household questionnaires were administered to 200 respondents selected through multi-stage sampling techniques.  The Tobit regression model was used to assess the effectiveness of various extension methods in increasing smallholder farmers’ awareness, willingness, and adoption of ICT¹, as well as the influence of farmers’ socio-economic characteristics on the adoption ICT¹. The results show that seven ICT¹s were promoted by multiple extension methods in the study area and only 44.5% and 19.1%, 24.5% and 9.6% of the SILT and non-SILT household heads were aware and willing to adopt full package of ICT¹ respectively. But adoption levels remain very low at 2.6% and 1.5% for SILT and non-SILT household heads respectively. Demonstration plots, input suppliers and extension workers were more effective sources of information which led to adoption of the ICT¹. Furthermore, household heads’ level of education and marital status of the household head significantly influenced the adoption of the ICT¹ in the study area. It is concluded that households’ agricultural technology adoption decisions depend on their socio-economic circumstances and institutional effectiveness. It is therefore recommended that, policies should be formulated to take advantage of the factors which positively influence farmers’ adoption of modern agricultural production technologies and to mitigate the negative ones.