Potential for and constraints on the usage of broad bed maker technology in Ethiopia
2001
Pankhurst A. (Addis Ababa Univ., Addis Abeba (Ethiopia))
After reviewing the potential for the use of the Broad-Bed Maker technology, this paper, based on a survey of Broad Bed Maker usage, classifies constrations on BBM usage, adoption and diffusion into six categories: economic, environmental, technical, knowledge, socio-cultural and policy. The first four were highlighted by officials and farmers, who considered the most important constraint to be economic (cost of BBMs, seed and fertiliser); the second constraint was environmental (problems with rainfall, pests and weeds, and crop faliure), followed by technical (problems for oxen and farmers to managing the technology) and lack of knowledge about the technology (by extension agents). The study noted significant differences between officials and farmers in their views regarding constraints and regional differences. In addition to their views the study identified further economic constraints (labour and time cost and land shortage) environmental constraints (the nature of Vertisols, issues of drainage and watershed management), and technical constraints (problems with the "chain", the "wing" and difficulty in operating the "double" plow). Policy constraints are probably the most problematic for adoption and diffusion of the technology. Policy constraints include the fact that BBM technology is limited to the extension package since it is dependent on improved seeds and fertilizer. Within the extension package development agents have many packages and components to promote, and the BBM technology is not well integrated within the package and is not given priority in training etc.
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