i IMPLICATIONS OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS ON ADOPTION OF PADDY PRODUCTION INNOVATIONS IN MVOMERO DISTRICT, TANZANIA SOLOMON SIMON MHANGO A THESIS SUBMITTED IN FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY OF SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE. MOROGORO, TANZANIA. 2020 ii EXTENDED ABSTRACT Adoption of innovations in paddy farming has a potential to impact productivity. The Government of Tanzania in partnership with non-Governmental organizations (NGOs) like Kilimo Trust (KT) have been promoting rice sector through implementation of agricultural programmes and strategies whereby among other initiatives farmers are encouraged to adopt innovations. However, the adoption of innovations by farmers is not sufficiently explored. The overall objective of the study was to assess the implications of socio-economic factors on adoption of paddy production innovations in the Mvomero District, Morogoro Region of Tanzania. Specifically the study sought to: i) establish the level of farmer participation in the innovations process in the study area, ii) determine the extent of adoption of the paddy innovations, iii) assess profitability for adoption of selected innovations, iv) analyze the factors affecting adoption of introduced innovations to paddy farmers, and v) assess the association between adoption of selected innovations and change in gender roles among paddy farmers in the study area. The study was conducted in Mvomero District. A cross-sectional research design was adopted in the study. Quantitative data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire involving 299 paddy farmers. Qualitative data were collected through key informant interviews (KIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs). Quantitative data analysis employed development of participation index, ordinal probit regression, binary logistic regression, two-limit Tobit model, net farm income (NFI) and return on investment (ROI) as measures of profitability. IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to compute descriptive statistics including frequencies and percentages. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. Results show that the overall participation level of paddy farmers in the innovation process is medium using a five-form typology of participation. Only 3.7% of the respondents adopted all 12 SRI practices (full adopters). iii Binary logistic regression and Two-limit Tobit regression analysis indicated that farmers’ knowledge of innovations, land ownership, access to credit facilities, labour and market availability, were the most important predictors of the adoption of system of rice intensification (SRI), power tillers (PTs), wooden threshers (WTs) and combine rice mills (CRMs) (p < 0.05). The profitability analysis shows that adopters of SRI, PTs and WTs secured more profit compared to non-adopters (p < 0.01). There was an association between the adoption of SRI, PTs and WTs and gender roles which are production, labour offering and financial management (p < 0.05). The study concludes that medium level of farmers’ participation in the innovation process impairs active involvement of farmers into development of innovations, diffusion process as well as full adoption of paddy innovations. The selected innovations which were introduced in the study area are not fully adopted; this situation impacts paddy productivity and farmers’ wellbeing. Adoption of introduced innovations is profitable compared to non-adoption in the study area. Adoption of introduced innovations have impact in changing gender roles particularly paddy production role, financial management role as well as offering labour to on- and off-farm activities role. Researchers and extension agents are advised to ensure that there is active participation of paddy farmers along the innovation process. The active participation of paddy farmers along the innovation process will be achieved through conducting farmer trainings. The provision of training to farmers will help to create and raise awareness on introduced innovations. The Ministry of Agriculture under farmers’ training Division should design, implement, monitor and evaluate farmer training programmes on paddy innovations whenever introduced in Tanzania as it is responsible in the provision of various types of training to farmers. Rural development strategies that targeted to promote adoption of innovations in rural areas should be designed simple enough by development practitioners to be taken up by farmers and directed to promote profit to rural farmers. Extension agents should educate rural paddy farmers on iv innovations especially non-adopters so as to adopt innovations once introduced in rural paddy farming. Extension agents and paddy related stakeholders need to address gender roles to paddy farmers in course of adoption of innovations since adoption empowers women in regards to paddy production. v DECLARATION I, SOLOMON SIMON MHANGO, do hereby declare to the Senate of Sokoine University of Agriculture that this thesis is my own original work done within the period of registration and that it has neither been submitted nor concurrently being submitted to any other institution for a PhD or any other award. __________________________ _____________________ Solomon Simon Mhango Date (PhD Candidate) The above declaration is confirmed by; __________________________ _____________________ Prof. John N. Jeckoniah Date (Supervisor) vi COPYRIGHT No part of this thesis may be produced, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by any means without prior written permission of the author or Sokoine University of Agriculture in that behalf. vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I thank Almighty GOD, the compassionate, the almighty Merciful, who kindly kept me in good health towards completion of my thesis. Several people and institutions, at different times, have assisted to make this work possible. It is not possible to mention each one by name, but I wish to express my sincere gratitude to them all. I will forever remain grateful for the Tengeru Institute of Community Development (TICD) through its Management Team for funding this study from data collection to writing of this thesis. My great and sincere gratitude is accorded to my supervisor: Prof. John N. Jeckoniah for his great supervision, tireless advisory, constructive inputs, and guidance. I acknowledge the guardian hand of Dr. Emmanuel Malisa for the unwavering encouragement that has brought the best of me. These have been major attributes that facilitated successful accomplishment of my thesis. Moreover, I thank my earlier second supervisor, the Late Dr. Flavianus T. Magayane, who passed away on 13th April, 2018, after I had written the first two manuscripts of my PhD study under his supervision. I am privileged to express my thanks to Dr. Benedicto Kazuzuru, Dr. Philip Damas, Nicholaus Mwalukasa, Rev. Emmanuel Falanta, Rev. Isaac Chengula, Bahat Shagama and Lazaro Kagata for their corporation and time we spent sharing ideas. I would like to express my gratitude to the enumerators Ms. Neema Isack Mkanga, Mr. Sule Laizer and Mr. Shebby Juma Magana (Mkindo village), Mr. Rajun Kisavuli, viii Ms. Clementina Asenga, Ms. Tatu Milambo, Mr. Fadhil Kasembe and Ms. Aguster Matembo (Dakawa village). I am also indebted to Mkindo and Dakawa (UWAWAKUDA) irrigation scheme farmers’ association leadership for their willingness, great cooperation and support during the data collection period. I thank the office of the District Executive Director of Mvomero in Morogoro Region for granting me permission to conduct research in Mkindo and Dakawa villages. Finally, I can not forget the cooperation of the village government chairpersons for their support during data collection. ix DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my wife Rehema Jeremiah Irira and our children Eliya, Monica, Gracious, Glory and Grace for their support, love and patience toward realization of my success. Moreover, it is dedicated to my late father Simon Mhango and my late mother Monica Ibrahim. x TABLE OF CONTENTS EXTENDED ABSTRACT.................................................................................................ii DECLARATION................................................................................................................v COPYRIGHT....................................................................................................................vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................................................................vii DEDICATION...................................................................................................................ix TABLE OF CONTENTS...................................................................................................x LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................xv LIST OF FIGURES.........................................................................................................xvi LIST OF APPENDICES................................................................................................xvii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS.....................................................xviii CHAPTER ONE.................................................................................................................1 1.0 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................1 1.1 Background Information................................................................................................1