Effects of Locus of Control and Aspiration on Agricultural Technology Adoption: The Case of Jabi-Tehnan District, Northern Ethiopia
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Date
2021-06
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A.A.U
Abstract
Agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) including Ethiopia remains low; and one
primary reason is low adoption of agricultural technologies. The external reasons (e.g., credit
constraints) why farmers do not adopt productivity-increasing technologies have been documented
extensively. However, there are limited studies on the potential role of behavioral and
psychological factors, which are factors internal to the decision makers, in influencing technology
adoption decisions. In this study, we examine the effects of locus of control and aspiration of
farming households on technology adoption decisions in Northwest Ethiopia. We use a household
survey data collected from Jabi-Tehnan district of the Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia. The data
is collected by the Social Sciences and Impact Assessment Unit of the International Centre of Insect
Physiology and Ecology (icipe). We use binary logistic regression model to estimate the effect of
locus of control and aspiration on adoption decision of agricultural technologies: fertilizers,
irrigation, pesticides, and push-pull technology. To estimate the intensity of adoption, we also use
ordered logistic model. We find that households with higher internal locus of control and high
aspiration levels have higher propensity to adopt agricultural technologies. In contrast,
households with high external locus of control have low propensity to adopt agricultural
technologies. In terms of intensity of adoption, households with high internal locus of control and
high aspiration level are associated with adoption of higher number of agricultural technologies
and more use of inputs per hectare. In contrast, households with high external locus of control are
associated with adoption of lower number of technologies and less use of inputs per hectare.
Besides, access to extension service, access to credit, land size and information (for new
technologies) are found to be the main factors affecting adoption decision and intensity of
adoption. The findings suggest that interventions that improve farmers’ internal locus of control
and aspiration for a better future may promote the adoption of agricultural technologies.
Particularly, effectively utilizing the agricultural extension system for the purpose of enhancing
farming households’ psychological or non-cognitive skills and improving aspiration level may
facilitate the promotion of agricultural technologies, as the extension system is a bridge between
farmers and agricultural technologies
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Keywords
Locus of control, Aspiration, Technology Adoption, Jabi-Tehnan, Ethiopia