Dataset: Mapping Barriers to Innovation Adoption in Cameroon Rice Sector Toward a Multi-Level Taxonomy

This dataset maps and categorizes the multidimensional barriers affecting innovation adoption in Cameroon’s rice sector. It was developed to support empirical and policy analyses on how institutional, socio-economic, and behavioural factors shape farmers’ and agribusiness actors’ capacity to adopt new technologies and practices.

Data were compiled through a mixed-methods approach involving structured surveys, focus-group discussions, and expert validation workshops conducted in the Western Highlands and other major rice-producing regions between February 2025 and July 2025. The dataset identifies 50 + coded variables across thematic categories including; policy and institutional barriers, financial and market access constraints, knowledge and extension gaps, technology characteristics, gender and youth inclusion, and environmental considerations.

The resource contributes to building a multi-level taxonomy of innovation barriers, supporting research on inclusive agribusiness, climate-smart innovation, and agricultural policy reform in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is suitable for use in statistical analysis, cluster mapping, and policy modeling on innovation diffusion.