Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture No. 2/06
Farmers’ perceptions and adoption of modern rice varieties in Nepal
Ganesh R. Joshi
Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kathmandu, Nepal
Sushil Pandey
International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, Philippines
Abstract
Several modern varieties of rice have been released in Nepal to raise
the productivity of rice, a major staple crop. Farmers have adopted
these varieties to varying degrees, especially in rainfed areas. This
paper attempts to identify factors that condition the adoption of
modern varieties of rice. It is hypothesized that farmer perceptions
regarding varietal attributes play a key role in explaining adoption
behavior. This hypothesis was tested using farm-level data from rainfed
areas of Nepal. An econometric model that includes farmer perception
variables was found to be superior in explaining adoption behavior than
the ones that include the usual socio-economic variables. Research
approaches that incorporate farmers’ preferences for various
characteristics of rice in breeding programs and extension strategies
that are geared towards providing accurate information for efficient
revision of farmer perceptions are needed to raise the adoption
rate.
Keywords: perceptions, technology, attributes, adoption, farmer
JEL: Q 120
Vol. 45 (2006), No. 2: 171-186