Title of document: Building Farmers’ Capacity for Innovation Generation: What are the determining Factors

Authors: Justice A. Tamboo and Tobias Wunscher

Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Center for Development Research, University of Bonn

Year of publication: 2014

Geographic focus: Ghana

Url original document: http://econpapers.repec.org/paper/agsaesc14/170351.htm

Summary:

While farmers have been recognised as one of the key sources of innovation, many studies on agricultural innovations continue to consider farmers as adopters of externally driven innovations only. Based on cross-sectional data from 409 farm households, this study, in contrast, analysis the innovation-generating behaviour among rural farmers in northern Ghana. Inspired by two innovation theories – induced innovation and innovation systems we focus on the determinants of innovation behaviour. Employing recursive bivariate probit and endogennous treatment regression models which control for selection bias, we find that participation in Farmer Field Fora, a participatory extension approach with elements of innovation systems perspective, is a key determinant of innovation behaviour in farm housholds. Other important determinants are education, climate shocks and risk preferences. These results are robults to alternative specifications and estimation techiques.