Abstract:
The study attempted to determine the reason of low adoption and intensity of use improved
wheat varieties and to determine factors affecting improved wheat varieties adoption and
intensity of use by small holder farmers in Ameya District, South West Shoa Zone, Ethiopia’. A
multistage random sampling technique was employed to select 377 sample households from
Ameya district. This study used cross-sectional data collected in 2021/22 production season
from sample households. Descriptive statistical tools like mean, standard deviation, and
percentage, were used to summarize the characteristics of the sampled households. Double hurdle model was used to identify factors determining the adoption decision and intensity of
adoption of improved wheat varieties by small holder farmers. The result of double-hurdle
model shows that in the first hurdle education level, family size of household, farm holding of
household, livestock holding, membership of agricultural cooperatives, participating in
trainings and non/off farm income were positive and statistically significant factors determining
the households’ decision to adopt while age of the household head was negative and statistically
significant factor determining the households’ decision to adopt improved wheat varieties.
Similarly, in the second hurdle education level, family size of household, farm holding of
household, livestock holding, access to credit service, membership of agricultural cooperatives
and participating in training were positive and statistically significant factor determining the
intensity of use of households decision and age of the household head was negative and
statistically significant factor determining the intensity of adopting improved wheat varieties.
Therefore, this result implies that strengthening older farmers awareness to technology,
improving land fertility status, improving farmers’ level of education, strengthening farmer’s
agricultural cooperative organization, improving crop-livestock production system,
strengthening farmers participating in training and improving participation in off/non-farm
income are areas that need policy attentions to enhance adoption and intensity of adopting
improved wheat varieties
