Determinants of Farmers’ Participation in Farmers Research Groups: The Case of Fogera District, Amhara National Regional Sate, Ethiopia

Abstract

Farmers Research Group is one of the participatory agricultural research approaches aimed to improve the
conventional top-down research approach that doesn’t fully address the needs of subsistence and smallholder
farmer. Based on this, Adet agricultural research center is implementing this approach at Fogera district of Ethiopia.
Therefore, the main objective of this study was to identify factors determining farmers’ participation decision in
Farmers Research Group research approach. A multistage purposive and random sampling technique was employed to collect cross-sectional survey data from a total of 120 Farmers Research Groups approach participant and nonparticipant households in 2012/13 at four kebeles of Fogera district. The study employed the binary probit model and results of the study revealed that age, sex, education, access to research, access to training and access to credit affected positively and significantly the probability of farmer’s participation in Farmers Research Groups approach while family size in adult equivalent was affected negatively and significantly probability of participation. Hence, facilitating and promoting basic agricultural services like access to training, access to credit and access to research and extension system would help to make farmers to participate more in Farmers Research Groups so as to improve their agricultural production techniques so that to enhance their income and food security status.