Factors Inhibiting Farmers’ Willingness to Participate in Agricultural Research

Abstract

Development determinations that use the top-bottom strategy with little input and engagement of farmers have been known as an unsustainable and weak pathway to farmers development and empowerment. Agriculture is the spine of Ethiopian economy. It contributes significantly to the overall economy in the development process. However, different evidences indicate that yields of crops under farmers’ condition are far lower than the yield obtained under research plots. Lack of active participation of farmers in agricultural research has been one of the major reasons for the low yield and productivity in Ethiopian agriculture. Therefore, this study examines critical factors that inhibit farmers’ willingness to participate in agricultural research in the country. A total sample size of 39 respondents comprising 16 farmers, 14 researchers and 9 development agents were interviewed purposively based on snowball sampling technique. Qualitative research design was used in this research. Data were collected using in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and observations and analysed descriptively. The empirical results reveal that the willingness of farmers in agricultural research is affected by a number of factors. These willingness hindering factors include research types, plans, and objectives; perception of farmers for research and researchers; improper prioritization of farmers problems; problems of selecting potential areas of research; lack of good experiences in the past; absence of proper technology demonstration to farmers during the research process; poor documentation of research process; and weak integration of indigenous and scientific knowledge.