Antecedents of innovativeness among smallholder farmers: a case of poultry farmer groups in Wakiso District, Central Uganda

Abstract

The formation of farmer groups (FGs) was an approach under the National Agricultural Advisory services (NAADS), to assist smallholder farmers innovate and respond to challenges in agricultural production, rapidly changing market demands, tastes, and policy regimes. Similarly, farmer groups were to help these farmers to collectively share agricultural ideas and knowledge to address degraded soils and harsh climate changes. Farmer groups became fundamental organizational structures or mechanisms through which this approach was put in practice. However, evidence from programmes that use the strategy’s assumption(s) continues to show contradictory results. For instance, smallholder poultry farmers continue to prefer working individually, after a while of being initiated or organized into groups. Research on farmer groups however, has largely focused on understanding group formation, dynamics, facilitation and sustainability; and less on the broader socio-psychological aspect that foster long-term continued membership in farmer groups among smallholder farmers. This study aimed to explain how socio-psychological factors influence farmer groups sustainability to ensure long term innovativeness for competitive poultry production in the peri-urban areas of Wakiso District, Central Uganda. The specific objectives were to: 1) analyse socio-psychological factors influencing smallholder poultry farmers continued membership to farmer groups; 2) predict factors influencing smallholder poultry farmers intention to innovate within recommended poultry technologies and practices, and 3) describe smallholder poultry farmers innovative practices to respond to market demands in the context of resource constraints. The study employed a mixed methods research design, where a quantitative method was used for objectives one and two, and a qualitative method in object three. Quantitative data were collected using cross-sectional survey questionnaires on 260 smallholder poultry farmers, and data analysed using a computer package SPSS version 22. Results in this regard were interpreted using level of significance and the odds ratio (OR). An OR>1, was an indication that the smallholder farmer’s intention to continue belonging to a group and/or to innovate, were more likely to occur as the predictor units increases. Socio-psychological variables involved: attitude, social influence, and facilitating conditions; while those to predict intention to innovate were: effort expectance, social influence, and satisfaction with poultry technologies. The qualitative method involved use of interview guides on 12 selected smallholder poultry farmer cases and 8 key informants; and data management involved use of content and thematic analysis. Overall, study results showed that attitude (p = .037) and facilitating conditions (p = .000) showed a strong likelihood of farmers’ intention to continue membership in a farmer group. Similarly, social influence (p = .021) and satisfaction levels with accessed technologies (p= .037) significantly influenced farmer intention to innovate. Further, market demands and poultry resources constraints were critical in driving smallholder poultry farmer innovativeness. Thus farmers’ continued membership to farmer groups and innovativeness, were a function of socio-psychological factors, and a need to address resource constraints and market demands. Policy and extension officers, apart from enhancing collective action and innovativeness among smallholder poultry farmers, need also to pay attention to these factors, to improve agricultural productivity and production.