Tropicultura (Jan 2013)
Déterminants socio-économiques et institutionnels de l'adoption d'innovations techniques concernant la production de maïs à l'ouest du Cameroun
Abstract
Socio-economic and Institutional Variables that Affect Adoption of Technical Innovations Concerning Maize Production in Western Cameroon. The low productivity of farms in sub-Saharan Africa including Cameroon is due among others to the low adoption rates of innovations developed by agricultural research. This paper is a case study of the adoption of the technical package (improved varieties, fertilizers, pesticides, mono-culture) for maize cultivation in Western Cameroon. Data from a sample of 52 farmers were analyzed using a logit model and it was found that the maize cultivated area, the market orientation of production, contact with extension services, land tenure are factors that determine the likelihood of a farmer to adopt the technical package. However, it was adopted by less than 20% of the farmers surveyed, the others adopted only one, two or three components of the package according to their specific needs and strategies. These results challenge the agricultural research and extension to adapt their proposals to the diverse needs of farmers and to explain the reasons for the non-adoption of the whole package.
