Analysis of Factors Influencing Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato Adoption among Smallholder Farmers in Sierra Leone

Abstract

This study examined the factors influencing the OFSP adoption among smallholder farmers in Sierra Leone. Logistic regression was used to examine factors affecting the adoption of improved sweet potato varieties of Sierra Leone. A multi stage sampling was used to select 200 sweet potato farmers from five major districts. The data was collected on the socio-economics characteristics, rate of adoption, determinants of adoption and drivers and barriers of adoption of improved sweet potato farmers using android devices programme with the census and survey processing system (CSPro. 6.3) software package. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics. The result suggested that there was higher magnitude of adoption in the treatment area than the control area, this was as a result of the NARC research activities on OFSP genotypes. Result suggested that the socio-economics factors that significantly influence the probability of adopting at least one improves sweet potato variety of the study area were; marital status, educational level, household population, main crop cultivated and sweet potato production cycle. Also, the result suggested that the probability of sweet potato farmer to adopt one improve sweet potato variety was determined by farmers’ access to extension services, access to loan and belongingness to an ABC. The three major drivers to sweet potato adoption were; easy access to land, high consumers demand and knowledge and experience in sweet potato, while the three major barriers of sweet potato adoption were; lack of finance, lack of agricultural inputs and pests and diseases. The access to agricultural extension services and the socio-economics characteristics significantly influenced the adoption of improved sweet potato varieties.