Determinants of training participation at farmers training centers in Northwest Ethiopia

ABSTRACT This study assesses the determinants of farmers’ participation in training at Farmers’ Training Centres (FTCs) in Northwest Ethiopia. It employed a mixed-methods research approach. The binary logistic regression and thematic methods of analysis were used to analyse the quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. The study reveals that years of schooling, land and mobile ownership, access to farmer-to-farmer extension services, membership in the Kebele cabinet, and a fair competency level of development agents were significant determinants. This study adds psychological and institutional variables to the existing literature as determinants of participation in training. It also integrates the quantitative and qualitative data to triangulate and validate the findings obtained. The study recommends that capacity building, information and communication technology (ICT), and land tenure system are the main areas of policy intervention for the government and other stakeholders to act on to promote farmers’ participation further in agricultural training programs in Ethiopia.