Determinants of adoption and adoption intensity of integrated soil fertility management technologies among sorghum farmers in Upper Eastern Kenya

Climate change manifestations and population pressure are some of the most critical challenges that affect agricultural productivity. Integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) technologies are among the agricultural innovations that have been developed to address declining crop productivity. These technologies have been promoted across diverse areas including marginal agro-ecological zones. Despite the nobility and versatility of ISFM technologies, their adoption is still low particularly across Kenya landscapes. Consequently, there is limited knowledge explaining the adoption of these technologies especially in the dry areas. This study therefore, applied Cragg's Double Hurdle model to determine the factors affecting adoption and adoption intensity of ISFM technologies among farmers in Upper Eastern Kenya, who mainly grow sorghum both as a food and a cash crop. The results revealed that gender, dependants, farming goal for subsistence purpose (p < .01), decision on information use, farm size, extension services, research awareness, ISFM awareness and ISFM access, significantly affected household decision on adoption of ISFM technologies. On the other hand, gender of household head, farm size, main source of agricultural information and formal agricultural training had significant influence on adoption intensity of ISFM technologies. There is a thus a crucial need for integration of determinants surrounding adoption and adoption intensity of ISFM technologies in policy making and planning processes to enhance sorghum crop productivity in marginal Upper Eastern areas of the country.

Automated summary

Climate change and population pressure are critical challenges affecting agricultural productivity. Integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) technologies have been developed to address declining crop productivity, but their adoption is still low, especially in Kenya. This study used Cragg's Double Hurdle model to determine the factors affecting adoption and adoption intensity of ISFM technologies among sorghum farmers in Upper Eastern Kenya. The results showed that factors such as gender, dependants, farming goal, decision on information use, farm size, extension services, research awareness, ISFM awareness and ISFM access significantly influenced the adoption of ISFM technologies. The adoption intensity was influenced by factors such as gender, farm size, main source of agricultural information and formal agricultural training. Integration of these factors in policy making and planning processes is crucial to enhance sorghum crop productivity in marginal areas.