Reasons for adoption and non-adoption of agricultural innovations for adaptation to climate change in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of Cameroon

Abstract

This article addresses the issue of the adoption and non-adoption of agricultural innovations in the Sahelian regions of Africa. The objective is to identify the main reasons why farmers adopt or do not adopt innovations disseminated by researchers and developers, in the light of Rogers Everett's Theory of Diffusion and Adoption of Innovations. Following interviews with key informants and focus groups conducted in ten (10) villages, data were collected from six hundred (600) farms households’ heads using a mixed-method survey questionnaire. The SPSS statistical software tools of were used to analyze the data, specifically the percentages for adaptation strategies, and the Kendall's test of agreement to rank the main reasons for adoption and non-adoption. The results show that the primary factors guiding farmers' decisions are the comparative advantage of innovations and their compatibility with the farmers’ values ​​(customs) and practices. Therefore, to further improve farmers' adaptation to climate change in the region, it is important for researchers and developers to focus on innovations that provide them with comparative advantages (yield, production, cost, earliness, resistance to drought or heat…etc.) and that are compatible with their local values ​​(customs) and practices.