Influence of knowledge utilization mechanisms on innovativeness of smallholder farmer groups

Abstract

Despite the great potential and need for agricultural innovations, the uptake by rural farmers
of those developed and disseminated seems to be slow. Thus this study sought to ascertain
the determinants of innovation adoption intentions among smallholder farmer groups in
Uganda. The farmers had been trained and given innovative knowledge which was meant
to change the way they reared poultry. Even after accessing the poultry knowledge, many
still faced production challenges. To understand what factors were involved in adopting
innovative poultry technologies, the social cognitive theory (SCT) which accounts for
changes in human behavior was used. A survey methodology was used to obtain data from
231 farmers from selected sub-counties of Wakiso district in central Uganda. Hierarchical
linear regression revealed that innovation adoption intentions were a function of farmer
output expectation and technology enjoyment factors. Factors like self-efficacy and trust
were not significant in farmer innovativeness adoption intentions. Therefore, to enhance
innovativeness and farmer group success, output expectations from use of innovative
knowledge and its enjoyment need to be emphasized.