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| Article Title | The role of knowledge, attitudes and perceptions in the uptake of agricultural and agroforestry innovations among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa | | Author | Seline S. Meijer, Delia Catacutan, Oluyede C. Ajayi, Gudeta W. Sileshi and Maarten Nieuwenhuis | | Year | 2015 | | Journal Title | International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability | | Institution | Taylor & Francis | | Volume | 13 | | Issue | 1 | | Pages | 40-54 | | Call Number | JA0602-15 | | Keywords | agroforestry; adoption; agricultural innovation; sustainability; analytical framework; attitudes; knowledge; decision-making; sub-Saharan Africa |
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| Abstract: |
| Despite the great potential of agricultural innovations, the uptake by smallholder farmers in
sub-Saharan Africa seems to be slow. We reviewed existing theories and frameworks for the
uptake of agricultural innovations and found that these tend to emphasize the role of
extrinsic factors such as the characteristics of the adopter and the external environment in
the decision-making process. In this paper, we argue that intrinsic factors such as the
knowledge, perceptions and attitudes of the potential adopter towards the innovation play a
key role, but this has been less studied. We present an analytical framework that combines
both extrinsic and intrinsic factors in farmers’ decisions to adopt new agricultural
technologies and apply the framework to agroforestry adoption as a case study. We review
the literature on agroforestry adoption in sub-Saharan Africa and identify the extrinsic and
intrinsic variables affecting the uptake of agroforestry technologies. We conclude that the
uptake of agricultural technologies is a complex process influenced by both extrinsic and
intrinsic variables, and recommend that future studies aiming to understand the adoption
process of agricultural innovations take into account both sets of variables. A mechanistic
understanding of how intrinsic and extrinsic factors interact and drive adoption can help in
targeting technologies appropriately to ensure sustainability. |
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