Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture No. 3/06
Endogenous technology adoption and household food security: the case of improved cowpea varieties in northern Nigeria
Arega D. Alene and V.M. Manyong
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan,
Nigeria
Abstract
Impact studies assuming exogenous technology adoption are bound to
overstate or understate the true impact of improved agricultural
technologies, especially in situations where agricultural technologies
are targeted to, or adopted by, a certain group of farmers. This paper
examined the impact of improved cowpea varieties on household food
security in northern Nigeria using the method of instrumental variables
to account for endogenous technology adoption. We found that adopters
of improved cowpea varieties were more food-secure than non-adopters.
The results further showed that social capital and the intensity of
cultivation of soybean had a positive and significant impact. Supply of
improved seeds and access to markets and extension services are
important factors conditioning the rate of adoption and hence the
contribution of improved cowpea varieties to food security in northern
Nigeria.
Keywords: adoption, cowpea, food security, instrumental variables, Nigeria
JEL: Q 180
Vol. 45 (2006), No. 3: 211-230