Tef Technology Adoption, Extension, Innovation System, and Food Security in Central Ethiopia: The Case of Selected Tef Growing Areas
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Date
2021-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Tef is a hugely important crop in Ethiopia in terms of both production and consumption. Demand
foritefihasiriseniandiisiexpecteditoicontinueitoiriseidueitoipopulationigrowth, average incomes,
andiurbanization. However, the tef production system is at a rudimentary stage and largely relies
on traditional methods. As a result, the crop yield has not reached at the desired level to achieve
household food security. Therefore, this study investigated the tef technology adoption,
extension, innovation systems and household food security in Central Ethiopia. Given the
multidisciplinary existence and various research units ranging from national to the individual
level, different data collection and analysis methods were employed. A pragmatist approach was
used that incorporated both quantitative and qualitative methods with multiple techniques for
data collection and analysis. Additionally, secondary data were carefully reviewed and employed
to supplement the firsthand data. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics such as one-way
ANOVA, t-test, and Chi-square tests were used to analyze quantitative data. Moreover,
econometric models such as endogenous switching regression model (ESR), multivariate probit
model (MVP), ordered probit model, Tobit model, and binary logistic regression model were
employed. The Household Food Balance Model (HFBM) and other food security measurement
techniques such as household dietary energy supply (DES), dietary diversity score (HDDS), and
food consumption score (FCS) were used.
Results revealed that the tef innovation system is not well-developed to support the livelihoods of
smallholders due to systemic constraints in the innovation system. Limited capacity of existing
actors, weak interactions among actors, weak enforcement of institutions, and inadequate
infrastructure are the structural elements that have constrained the development of tef innovation
system. The weaknesses in the innovation system have limited the development of innovation
functions such as technology development, technology diffusion, entrepreneurship, market
formation, resource mobilization, and legitimacy creation. Results further show that performance
of the extension service delivery was significantly affected by weak enforcement of performance
targets, limited interactions among actors, lack of rewards and sanctions, weak supervision and
politically biased evaluation, limited involvement of DAs and other key actors in planning,
evaluation, and decision-making process, weak technical competence and work motivation of
DAs, lack of adequate facilities for Farmers Training Centers (FTCs), and lack of motorbikes.
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Results also indicate that improved tef technologies have the greatest impact on household food
security when adopted in combinations rather than in isolation. Although combination of
improved tef technologies has the greatest effect on household food security, the adoption rate
was found to be low due to various determinants. The study identified education, household size,
livestock holding, cooperative membership, credit, extension contacts, farmers‘ confidence with
the skills of DAs, perception on economic return, and perception on participation in the
extension service provision positively and significantly influence the adoption of a combination
of improved technologies. While distance to the nearby extension office and distance to the
output market has a negative and significant effect on the adoption of a combination of
technologies. The study, furthermore, found that the number of improved technologies adopted is
positively associated with education, livestock ownership, farm size, cooperatives membership,
credit, extension contacts, training, farmers‘ confidence with the skills of DAs, farmers‘
perception on economic return, farmers‘ perception on participation in the extension service
delivery. It is inversely related to distance to nearby extension offices and distance to market.
It is concluded that the tef production system was not transformed for developing the tef subsector. Transforming smallholders‘ production system without addressing the systemic barriers
of the tef R&D and the factors impeding performance of the extension system inhibits
innovation. This situation calls for urgent institutional innovation in research, extension, NGOs,
and other private actors. Therefore, a combination of technological, institutional, and technical
intervention would be paramount to tackle the systemic constraints that impeded the
development of the tef sub-sector. Besides, policymakers should be committed to the active
participation of other non-state actors through policy support to make research, extension, and
innovation processes viable and well-functioning and to have more interaction and work in a
coordinated manner. Moreover, actors should have typically promoted the adoption of a
combination of technologies through designing possible interventions for those factors that
impede the use of a combination of improved technologies.
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Keywords
Adoption, agricultural technology, food security, innovation, tef