Tropicultura (Jan 2013)
Adoption of the Tenera Hybrid of Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacquin.) among Smallholder Farmers in Cameroon
Abstract
The adoption of the Tenera oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) type was studied by focusing on 208 family farmers in Cameroon. The "Average Treatment Effect" (ATE) method was used. This method enables to estimate, by use of a Probit model, the effects created when a farmer is exposed to treatment (or intervention), which represents a source of improved oil palm planting material. According to the results, the estimated adoption rate for Tenera is highly significant (P< 0.05) for all the categories of producers, regardless of the supply source, which may be formal or informal. In addition, the main factors that significantly determine this adoption are: availability of arable land in forested areas and whether growers intend to increase the size of their plantations. However, the supply of pure planting material remains an important constraint because the other two types of oil palm (Dura and Pisifera) which produce poor palm oil yields are still mistakenly planted on many family farms in Cameroon. Further studies will address this issue in the aim of identifying appropriate solutions.
