DETERMINANTS OF ADOPTION OF IMPROVED TEFF VARIETIES BY SMALLHOLDER FARMERS: THE CASE OF KOBO DISTRICT, NORTH WOLLO ZONE, AMHARA REGION, ETHIOPIA

Adoption and wider diffusion of improved teff varieties is playing vital role in reversing the present situation of food insecurity in many parts of Ethiopia. However, the uses of improved teff varieties are constrained by various factors. Hence, in this study, an attempt was made to examine factors affecting adoption and intensity of use of improved teff varieties. A multi-stage random sampling technique was employed to select 150 sample households from Kobo district. This study used cross-sectional data collected in 2015/16 production season from sample households. Descriptive statistical tools like mean, standard deviation, percentage, and frequency distribution were used to summarize the characteristics of the sampled households. Double-hurdle model was used to identify factors influencing households’ adoption decision and intensity of use of improved teff varieties. The result of double-hurdle model shows that educational level of household head, participation on crop production demonstration, distance from the nearest market, frequency of extension contact, off/non-farm income, proportion of cultivated land allocated for teff, livestock holding, improved teff seed availability, and perception on better yielding capacity of the new varieties over local varieties were found to be significantly influencing households adoption decision, whereas, sex, age, family labor, membership to an organization, off/non-farm income, frequency of extension contact and proportion of cultivated land allocated for teff were found to be significantly influencing the intensity of adoption of improved teff varieties. Therefore, this result implies that strengthening the existing extension services, providing good transport facilities for farmers through infrastructural development, improving access to improved seeds, improving farmers’ level of education, strengthening farmer’s organization, encouraging the use of labour saving technologies, improving crop-livestock production system and provision of demonstrations of new technologies are areas that need policy attentions to enhance adoption and intensity of use of improved teff varieties. Further, high yielding teff varieties need to be given special priority in teff variety scaling out programs.