FARMERS’ ADOPTION OF NEW AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMME IN HAMBANTOTA DISTRICT IN SRI LANKA: AN ANALYSIS OF CONSTRAINING FACTORS

Abstract

This paper examines the major factors constraining the adoption of a newly
introduced paddy improvement technology programme by farmers in the
Hambantota district, as seen from the perspective of Agricultural extension
officers. Further, the adoption pattern of those technological programmes
by farmers was analyzed. A structured interview schedule was used to
collect data from a purposively selected sample of 30 AI officers. Data was
analyzed using the principal factor model with iteration and Varimax
rotation, and simple linear regression analysis was done to explain any
relationship between the adoption levels of farmers in each of the adoption
stages. The results showed that a majority of AI officers perceived that only
40-60 per cent of farmers actually adopted the new technology programme.
As for the percentage of farmers who proceeded to adopt each stage of the
multi-stage process, the majority of the farmers in the community
progressed to the awareness stage but only about 50 per cent of farmers
continued until the final adoption stage was reached. Among the factors
that could be cited as constraining the adoption: a lack of resources,
incompatibility and complexity of new technology, and socio-economic
and cultural constraints. Inadequacies in extension intervention, technical
training and information were the main constraints that compromised the
information and knowledge network. Moreover, the Yaya 2 programme was
hindered by environmental and economic barriers, poor educational
competencies of farmers and weak information links with the other actors
of the network. These findings suggest that there is an urgent need for
researchers, policy makers and administrators of the extension service to
consider these constraints seriously so as to overcome them to increase the
adoption rate by farmers of the new paddy technology programme in
Hambantota.
Keywords: Agricultural Technology, Adoption Stages, Adoption,
Constraints