2022, Vol. 7, Issue 5, Part B

The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and Improved Rice (IRS) technologies are increasingly being disseminated to rice farmers in Tanzania to boost rice production [1, 2]. The use of these technologies is considered as an important milestone in improving rice productivity in the Country. However there remains a challenge in assessing and measuring the adoption of such technologies by farmers and their associated determinants. This study sought to apply the adoption quotient to assess the intensity of adoption of SRI and IRS technologies and examine the effects of institutional factors on the intensity of adoption using the double hurdle model. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire administered to 324 rice farmers from Nyamwilolelwa ward in Geita District, Tanzania, during the 2020 crop season. The research used cross-sectional survey method conducted and the questionnaire were administered using ODK – Kobo Collect technology. Data analysis for both, descriptive and inferential statistics was done on Stata version 14. The results from the adoption quotients estimates revealed a low adoption of SRI and IRS technologies whereby only 37.96% of rice farmers in the study area were found to have adopted the principles of SRI and IRS technologies, whereby on average the farmers adopted only 23.74% of the elements of SRI and IRS technologies. Results from the first hurdle regressions revealed that, extension visit, agriculture support, and the type of farming system, are significant in predicting the probability of adopting SRI and IRS technologies (p<0.05). With regard to the intensity of adoption, results from the second hurdle regressions revealed that extension consultation, distance to a nearby cooperative member, and experience in water management difficulty, are significant in predicting the intensity of adoption (p<0.05). The main conclusions drawn from this study is that the decision to adopt or dis-adopt SRI and IRS technologies is significantly determined by training, extension consultation, agriculture support and type of farming system. We furthermore conclude that the intensity of adoption of SRI and IRS technologies is significantly determined by extension consultation, distance to a nearby cooperative member, and water management difficulty. The study recommends improving and strengthening extension services, training and dissemination programs in order to increase the uptake of innovated rice technologies.