Factors influencing the adoption of improved pastures by smallholder cattle producers on Santo, Vanuatu

Wasi, James. (1993). Factors influencing the adoption of improved pastures by smallholder cattle producers on Santo, Vanuatu Master's Thesis, School of Land, Crop and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland.

       
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Author Wasi, James.
Thesis Title Factors influencing the adoption of improved pastures by smallholder cattle producers on Santo, Vanuatu
School, Centre or Institute School of Land, Crop and Food Sciences
Institution The University of Queensland
Publication date 1993
Thesis type Master's Thesis
Total pages 87
Language eng
Subjects 0701 Agriculture, Land and Farm Management
Formatted abstract This study focused on the factors which influence adoption of improved pastures in four commercial beef producing villages on east and south Santo, Vanuatu.

There was a need to improve cattle nutrition in order to satisfy market quality requirements and also to raise smallholders income from beef. A Pastures Development Program was initiated in 1986 as a result. However, adoption of the new pasture species has been slow. Over the last seven years, the smallholders in the study area have persistently turned in poor quality cattle at the abattoirs. It was with this problem in mind that the study was carried out.

A sample of thirty seven of the seventy eight small farmers (47%), was selected using the random sampling procedure. The population was comprised of farmers who have sold cattle to the abattoirs in the previous twelve months. Data collection was done through personal interviews.

Data was collected on personal, social and economic factors perceived to be relevant to the purposes of the study. In addition, data was also collected on the level of farmers' technical and management practices, and the impact of professional contact on farmers.

The main findings of the study indicated that improved pasture adoption was constrained not by personal characteristics of the farmers; but by institutional factors such as lack of inputs. The innovation was labour intensive and demanded higher levels of capital inputs.

There was future potential for commercial production to grow wi thin the smallholder sector but proper land use planning needs to be implemented to protect prime agricultural land being cropped with pastures. The farmers are semi-subsistence producers thus the impact of pasture development on subsistence food production needs to be considered carefully.

The above and other results provide information useful in two areas; problem identification and definition, and designing of research and extension programs.
Keyword Technological innovations

 
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