DETERMINANTS OF ADOPTION OF IMPROVED WHEAT TECHNOLOGY: THE CASE OF AGARFA WOREDA, BALE ZONE, OROMIA REGION, ETHIOPIA.

The general objective of the study was to assess determinants of adoption of improved wheat technology in case of Agarfa woreda, Bale zone, Oromia region. The data were collected from 61 adopter and 129 non adopter and 5 leaders of selected kebeles. Both primary and secondary data collection instruments were used to collect the data. Both closed and open ended questionnaires along with FGD were used for the purpose of data collection. The selections of the households carried out by using simple random sampling techniques. Further, leaders from the sample kebeles were taken by using judge mental sampling because they are key informants. The quantitative data analyzed with, frequency, percentages, and logistic regression. Regarding wheat varieties, as the study indicated Hidase was preferred for its high yield per hectare, but it is susceptible to yellow rust. Shorima and Oglcho were preferred for their resistance to yellow rust and early maturity as compared to Hidase. Regarding factors influencing adoption of improved wheat technology at household level, the result showed male-headed households are more likely to allocate a larger amount of land to improved wheat varieties than female household. The study concludes that adopter households were more likely to occur on mature age than their counterparts. The majority of non-adopter low back ground in education is uneducated level. The results of binary logistic regression indicated as extension agent contact, access to credit service, participation in off farm activities, distance from nearest market center, livestock owned, sex, grazing land size were found to have significantly determining household adoption of improved wheat adoption production . Shortage of land, lack of inputs, lack of extension service were major constraints affected adoption of improved wheat technology. In general adopter households own more livestock units, have a relatively large farming land size, have better access to credit, have contact with extension agents, most of them involved in off-farm activities and have more access to market to purchase inputs & sale their produce than Non-adopter households. Therefore government development interventions should give emphasis to improvement of such institutional support systems to increase adoption and productivity of improved wheat technology.2