Extension services as key determining factor for adoption of minimum tillage practice in Kenya: A plot level analysis

Abstract

There is a consensus that conservation agricultural practices increase crop productivity and save resources. However, even after a decade of active promotion of conservation agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa, the adoption of such practices as minimum tillage is low. This article finds out the determining factors that influence the adoption decision of smallholder farmers of Kenya about minimum tillage practice. The study is based on survey data from a randomly collected sample of 300 households in the maize-dominant farming system of eastern Kenya. A plot-level analysis consisting of 437 plots is carried out using the Probit regression to estimate the adoption decision model. Access to extension information is found to be a key determinant of adoption decisions for minimum tillage. Household labor availability, land allocated for maize crop, and plot-level characteristics such as soil type, plot size, and intercropping practice followed on the plot are also found to have influenced farmers' decision to adopt minimum tillage practice. Extension services being a vital element in the efforts to promote minimum tillage practice, more effective implementation of promotion programs need to be undertaken by the Government in Kenya in particular and sub-Saharan Africa in general. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.