The Role of Information and Interaction Processes in the Adoption of Agriculture Inputs in Uganda
Agriculture is an essential component of food security, sustainable livelihoods, and economic development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Smallholder farmers, however, are restricted in the number of crops they can grow due to small plot sizes. Agriculture inputs, such as fertilizers, herbicides or pes...
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doaj-fb56c646e02e45839a137d71f221a1b42021-04-02T08:49:38ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952020-02-0110220210.3390/agronomy10020202agronomy10020202The Role of Information and Interaction Processes in the Adoption of Agriculture Inputs in UgandaKathlee Freeman0Hua Qin1CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security, 6708 PB Wageningen, The NetherlandsDivision of Applied Social Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211, USAAgriculture is an essential component of food security, sustainable livelihoods, and economic development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Smallholder farmers, however, are restricted in the number of crops they can grow due to small plot sizes. Agriculture inputs, such as fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides, and improved seed varieties, could prove to be useful resources to improve yield. Despite the potential of these agriculture technologies, input use throughout much of SSA remains low. This paper aims to better understand the process of innovation diffusion through information and interaction processes at the individual, social network, and community levels. A total of 203 participants were surveyed using a semi-structured interview method in four rural communities located in the Mbale, Lira, Kabale, and Masaka districts of Uganda. Participants were asked about their access to information technologies, information sources via social network ties, level of engagement in the local community, and agricultural input use. Results indicate households with higher levels of information access through cell phone use and weak-tie information sources are more likely to use inputs. Significant findings also include the interactional effect of cell phones and weak ties on fertilizer adoption. This research could inform policy makers of cost-effective methods of disseminating agriculture information and encouraging innovation diffusion.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/2/202smallholder farmingsustainable rural livelihoodsinnovation diffusioninformation and communication technologiescommunity interactionagriculture inputssub-saharan africauganda |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Kathlee Freeman Hua Qin |
spellingShingle |
Kathlee Freeman Hua Qin The Role of Information and Interaction Processes in the Adoption of Agriculture Inputs in Uganda Agronomy smallholder farming sustainable rural livelihoods innovation diffusion information and communication technologies community interaction agriculture inputs sub-saharan africa uganda |
author_facet |
Kathlee Freeman Hua Qin |
author_sort |
Kathlee Freeman |
title |
The Role of Information and Interaction Processes in the Adoption of Agriculture Inputs in Uganda |
title_short |
The Role of Information and Interaction Processes in the Adoption of Agriculture Inputs in Uganda |
title_full |
The Role of Information and Interaction Processes in the Adoption of Agriculture Inputs in Uganda |
title_fullStr |
The Role of Information and Interaction Processes in the Adoption of Agriculture Inputs in Uganda |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Role of Information and Interaction Processes in the Adoption of Agriculture Inputs in Uganda |
title_sort |
role of information and interaction processes in the adoption of agriculture inputs in uganda |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Agronomy |
issn |
2073-4395 |
publishDate |
2020-02-01 |
description |
Agriculture is an essential component of food security, sustainable livelihoods, and economic development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Smallholder farmers, however, are restricted in the number of crops they can grow due to small plot sizes. Agriculture inputs, such as fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides, and improved seed varieties, could prove to be useful resources to improve yield. Despite the potential of these agriculture technologies, input use throughout much of SSA remains low. This paper aims to better understand the process of innovation diffusion through information and interaction processes at the individual, social network, and community levels. A total of 203 participants were surveyed using a semi-structured interview method in four rural communities located in the Mbale, Lira, Kabale, and Masaka districts of Uganda. Participants were asked about their access to information technologies, information sources via social network ties, level of engagement in the local community, and agricultural input use. Results indicate households with higher levels of information access through cell phone use and weak-tie information sources are more likely to use inputs. Significant findings also include the interactional effect of cell phones and weak ties on fertilizer adoption. This research could inform policy makers of cost-effective methods of disseminating agriculture information and encouraging innovation diffusion. |
topic |
smallholder farming sustainable rural livelihoods innovation diffusion information and communication technologies community interaction agriculture inputs sub-saharan africa uganda |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/10/2/202 |
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