ADOPTION OF FARMER INNOVATIONS SYSTEMS AND IMPROVED AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGIES: REASONS AND CONSTRAINTS

Abstract

Many rice production interventions that involve the promotion of improved agricultural technologies have been rolled out, yet some of the farmers in Ghana still use indigenous farming practices and farmer innovation systems. This study, therefore, investigates, ranks and discusses the reasons why farmers prefer to use farmer innovations systems to improved agricultural technologies and vice versa. Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance was used to analyse primary data collected from rice farmers in Ghana. Some farmers prefer using their own innovations to improved agricultural technologies due to low production cost. Conversely, farmers adopted improved agricultural technologies because of the high rice yield. It is therefore recommended that, agricultural extension agents, researchers and NGOs should educate farmers for them to know the long run benefits of adopting technologies. Credit support system and contract farming concept should be promoted as these reduce some of the bottlenecks smallholder farmers face in adopting technologies. With these, farmers would be able to afford and be encouraged to adopt improved agricultural technologies to the latter, thereby improving rice productivity.