Affecting the adoption of rain water harvesting technologies in western Pare lowlands of Tanzania

Tanzania Journal Agriculture Science 1998. Vol 1(1): pp 81-89

4,d.oPtion,oj. tech,!ology.is an importantfactor in economic development especia.lly.' in developing fountries~ s.ucc,essful introduction of technologies in d~eloping countries requires an understanding gf .the prioriti~s and concerns of smallholder fanners at the grassroots. This. paper analyses the soc,io-economic factors t~at influence the adoption of rain water harvesting (RWH) technologies tli !ye~te,!, Pare lowlands of Tanzania. Data for the study. were collected from 70 smallholder farmers {'! Kifar;uandLembeni viilages. These data were fitted in Probit and Logit models. ,The results of the Rrobit model are used to explain adoption of RWH in Western Pare lowlands because it produced b§tte[ fits compa'red with the Logit model. The results of the probit model shows that/arm size, nUmber .oj family members working in the fann, experience in fanning, and extent of knowledge in RWH techniques were significant in explaining 'the inte1}sity of adoption ofRWH techniques. Regarding farmers perceived technology ch.ara~cteristics, the results show thaUanners' appreciation .of RWH as a factor contributing to increased crop yield was positively and significantly explaining the intensity qt q,d.option o/RWH. This suggests that.!ligher yieltJS, attain(!d with the use ofRWH techniques will enc(Jurage adoption of the (echniques. It is therefore.recommended that·efforts to promote the use of RWH techniques shQuld go together with. the use of other recommended improved inputs to bring higher returns to farmers.