Smallholder Farmers Innovativeness And Its Determinants In Eastern Hararghe, Oromiya Region, Ethiopia

The survival of smallholder farming in a socioeconomically and environmentally dynamic environment depends on smallholders’ ability to innovatively and dynamically respond to these challenges. This study aims to assess smallholders' innovativeness, and identify its determinants with the intension of providing information on smallholders' innovativeness and its determinants to stakeholders that are trying to improve the life of smallholders. The research design constituted of multi-stage random sampling whereby study districts, farmers’ associations and, finally, smallholder farmer household units are selected in that order. The collection of data is carried out using interview schedule, key informants interview and focus group discussion. The estimation of smallholders' innovativeness was carried out with graded response model using cross-sectional data collected from 476 smallholder household units. Multiple linear regression model was used to identify determinants of innovativeness. The results revealed that the majority of smallholders in the study area were classified as less innovative and innovativeness was determined by smallholder's perception of productive safety net program undergoing in the study area, dependency syndrome, perceived farm fertility, perceived job demand, perceived person environment fit, fatalism, external work contact, use of mass media, possession of livestock, possession of farm tools, access to irrigation, agro-ecology and distance to all-weather road. In order to encourage smallholders’ innovativeness, the findings underscore the need for stakeholders in the extension service to help smallholders on improving their perceptions about productive safety net program, motivate them to see the potential benefit they can draw from personal efforts and resources they have, provide them with external exposure through either mass media means or interpersonal contact, work with religious leaders to detach religiousness from fatalism.