What is technology adoption? Exploring the agricultural research value chain for smallholder farmers in Lao PDR

Abstract

<p>A common and driving assumption in agricultural research is that the introduction of research trials, new practices and innovative technologies will result in technology adoption, and will subsequently generate benefts for farmers and other stakeholders. In Lao PDR, the potential benefts of introduced technologies have not been fully realised by benefciaries. We report on an analysis of a survey of 735 smallholder farmers in Southern Lao PDR who were questioned about factors that infuenced their decisions to adopt new technologies. In this study, we have constructed measures or states of adoption which identify key elements of an adoption decision-making nexus. Analysis was conducted to statistically group explanatory factors of adoption. The key explanatory factors represented attributes of the farmer, the factors considered when undertaking production decisions and elements of the agricultural value chain that present as opportunities or constraints. We describe the combination of farmer's personal attributes, perceptions of the value chain, and the introduction of new technologies by external actors as an "agricultural research value chain", where agricultural research activities intervene to derive greater benefts for local farmers. A generalised linear model, via Poisson (multiple) regression analysis on the identifed explanatory factors, was applied to explore how they infuence adoption measures and we found several signifcant relationships.</p>