| Abstract: | Coffee is the main cash and export crop in Ethiopia. The country’s export earnings from this crop exceed all other agricultural products. Low production and productivity, which are mainly associated with poor adoption of recommended coffee technologies, were among the major problems. Adoption of improved technologies is one of the most promising ways to increase productivity and production in Ethiopia. However, the adoption and dissemination of these technologies is constrained by various factors. To this end, the aim of this study was to empirically examine determinant factors affecting adoption of coffee production technology in the study area. Three stage sampling procedure was followed to select rural kebeles and households for the study. First, 8 coffee grower PAs were selected purposively from 25 PAs. Second, the 8 PAs were stratified based on their geographical location. Finally, proportional to size 150 coffee grower households were selected randomly using probability proportional to size sampling. Questionnaires and interview schedule were developed, pre-tested and used for collecting the essential data for the study from the sampled households and concerned government officials, respectively. In addition, secondary data were collected from relevant sources such as the district office of Agriculture and others. The result of the study had indicated that the majority of coffee farmers in the study area were reluctant to accept recommended coffee production technology to address problems of low productivity. Instead of the coffee technology, they preferred to stick with their traditional cultivation system that left them with limited production. Results of the study signifies that the determining factors underlying adoption of coffee production technologies of the district were social, economical and institutional factors which manifest in various manner were important variables which had positively and significantly influenced the adoption. The overall findings of the study underline the importance of technical and institutional support system in the area that involve budding new cultivars resistance to CBD and resolve the risk of bi-annualtiy of coffee bearing fruit. Well trained extension agents must be deployed, especially for creating awareness and to reverse the decline of coffee production. Therefore, policy and development interventions should be given emphasis to improve the technical and institutional support system so as to achieve wider adoption of the recommended coffee technologies. |
