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Improving the speed of adoption of agricultural technologies and farm performance through farmer groups: evidence from the Great Lakes region of Africa |
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| Authors: | John Herbert Ainembabazi Piet van Asten Bernard Vanlauwe Emily Ouma Guy Blomme Eliud Abucheli Birachi Paul Martin Dontsop Nguezet Djana Babatima Mignouna Victor M Manyong |
| Institution: | 1. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Kampala, Uganda;2. Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Nairobi, Kenya;3. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Nairobi, Kenya;4. International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kampala, Uganda;5. Bioversity International, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia;6. International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Kigali, Rwanda;7. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Bukavu, DR Congo;8. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Nigeria;9. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania |
| Abstract: | The article examines the effect of membership in farmer groups (MFG) on adoption lag of agricultural technologies and farm performance in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. We use duration and stochastic production frontier models on farm household data. We find that the longer the duration of MFG, the shorter the adoption lag and much more so if combined with extension service delivery. Farmer groups function as an important mechanism for improving farm productivity through reduced technical inefficiency in input use. We discuss policy implications under which farmer groups are a useful channel to reduce adoption lag, and the means through which improved farm performance can be achieved. |
| Keywords: | O12 Q12 Q16 Adoption lag Farm performance Farmer groups |