Adoption of improved maize production technologies in Punjab province, Pakistan

Abstract

The study assessed farmers' awareness and adoption of maize production technologies in Punjab Province, Pakistan. A simple random sampling technique was used to collect data from 120 farmers in the study area through personal interview using a structured interview schedule. The study found that 48.3% of the respondents had obtained information about agricultural practices from extension agents and that 65% of the respondents regularly visited the agricultural extension department. Furthermore, 62.5% of the respondents had a high awareness about improved maize cultivation practices and 53% had already adopted the techniques. Farmers who visited the agricultural extension department had a higher awareness and were more likely to adopt improved maize cultivation practices compared with farmers who did not visit the agricultural extension department. Farmers' education level, cultivated area, and whether they visited the extension department were the key determinants of adoption of new technologies. Government policies in the province should aim to improve methods of extension delivery for the implementation of effective farming practices in small-scale farming systems. Governments should also formulate recommendations, which are easily understandable by illiterate or poorly-educated farmers and should support the formation of groups to facilitate information transfer.