Adoption of Improved Maize Seeds among Smallholder Maize Farmers in Southern Highland Regions in Tanzania

Abstract

Background and Aims: Maize is the most common grain crop, and it provides farmers with the majority of their food and revenue. The use of modified maize seeds has been shown to increase production and agricultural income. Aims of this study to identify factors that influence the adoption of the improved maize seeds among maize smallholder farmers in southern highland regions in Tanzania. Study Design: Cross sectional study design was used together with secondary data from Tanzania National Panel Survey (2020/21) with a total of 159 maize farmers in the Southern Highland zone of Tanzania. Place and Duration of Study: This study covers Southern Highlands zone, regions of Mbeya, Songwe, Njombe, Rukwa and Iringa in Tanzania. Methodology: Descriptive statistics were used to produce a summary of the variables under the study. For continuous variables, the mean and standard deviation values were calculated for adopter of improved maize seeds, non- adopter and the combined sample. A chi-square test was used to evaluate significant relationships between enhanced maize seed adopters and non-adopters for categorical variables. The factors influencing farmers in Tanzania's Southern Highlands to adopt better maize seeds were examined using a logit model because the dependent variable is a binary variable. Results: The results indicate that education level, harvest yield, membership in a farm-based organization, and market participation significantly positively affect adoption of improved maize seeds. Conclusion: This study investigated the factors that influence the adoption of improved maize seeds in the Southern Highlands zone of Tanzania, used secondary data from the TZNPS (2020/21), where 159 maize farmer household heads were extracted for analysis. This study employed descriptive statistics and a logit model. The results showed that factors that influence the adoption of improved maize seeds in the Southern Highlands Zone of Tanzania include education levels, harvest yield, membership in farm-based organizations, and market participation. This study has shown that factors for adoption of the improved maize seeds in the Southern Highlands zone differ from the previous studies that have been conducted in the northern and eastern zones. Recommendation: It is recommended that, enhancing the level of formal education among maize farmers is a crucial factor that would have a beneficial impact on the adoption of the improved maize seeds. In addition to that, farmers should be encouraged to be in farm-based organizations, and ensured accessibility to markets in all seasons would increase the adoption of the improved maize seeds among farmers in the Southern Highlands zone of Tanzania.