Adoption of improved mungbean varieties in two rice-based villages in the Philippines: a network analysis

Adoption of improved mungbean varieties in two rice-based villages in the Philippines: a network analysis

1996

Aummary (En).

A:PS*

The communication networks among 173 rice-mungbean farmers in two rural villages (rainfed and irrigated) in Pangasinan [Philippines] were analyzed and related to their adoption of improved rice-mungbean technology. The incorporation of network variables with non-network variables (e.g. socio-economic, agricultural, etc.) greatly contributed to understanding the significantly higher adoption in Nancayasan compared to Carosucan. The Nancayasan farmers had significantly higher spatial distance scores or they interacted with more dispersed farmers within the village; and had higher betweenness centrality scores or there were more information `brokers' or liaisons that mediated agricultural information flow in the village. Nancayasan is also near the Urdaneta market where farmers actively sought vital market information and supply of new varieties from market traders. Carosucan farmers tended to interact with closer neighbors who were also kin, hence dispersing technology information to limited members of the village. The village also had more sociometric leaders but less information `brokers'. Stepwise regression analysis showed that four variables accounted for 10.8 percent of the adoption of improved rice varieties; seven variables accounted for 25 percent of the adoption of improved mungbean varieties; and 10 variables accounted for 53.7 percent of the adoption of improved mungbean technology. Five social variables influenced adoption: connectedness; reciprocity; and heterogeneity in televisio ownership, radio use, and credit availment. The dynamics of seed exchange and implications on the role of extensionists, market traders, and seed growers are discussed.

v.21(3):93-104, PHILIPPINE JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE

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