SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ADOPTION OF NEW AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

Cuma Akbay(Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University)
İsmet Boz (Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University)

Because the adoption of new products has traditionally made significant contributions to agricultural and rural development in Turkey, this paper investigated the influence of various socioeconomic characteristics of farmers on their maize adoption decision in Kahramanmaras Province. Diffusion of Innovations Theory suggests that socioeconomic factors such as farm size, age, education, income, and use of credit have influence on farmers' decision to adopt agricultural innovations. Early adopters, late adopters, and non-adopters of innovations may have significant differences in terms of these characteristics. Identifying the differences among the adoption categories helps agricultural organizations and extension specialists when promoting an agricultural innovation. An innovation for this study is maize production that was released to Kahramanmaras farmers in the late 1980s. A stratified sample of 264 farmers was the participants of this study. Univariate analyses were used to find if significant socioeconomic differences existed among early adopters, late adopters, and non-adopters of maize. Ordered probit analysis was used to search if a model existed among the three adoption categories as the dependent variable, and a number of selected socioeconomic characteristics as the independent variables. The study found that socioeconomic factors such as farm size, amount of irrigated land, use of credit, income level, and mechanization had influence on farmers' adoption of maize production. The study concluded that agricultural organizations should identify and work together with early adopters when promoting an agricultural innovation.