Family social structure, farm operation characteristics and the adoption of new technologies for sustainable farming systems in Mali

摘要

The purpose of this study was to investigate to what extent the social structure of the family farm production unit and farm operation characteristics are related to the adoption of new farming technologies in the OHV area.;This study relates the adoption/diffusion model to the farming system research and extension (FSR/E) approach applied to farming families of the "Operation Haute Vallee" area in Mali. Adoption is defined as a decision to use fully an innovation, and diffusion can be considered as the spreading of a practice perceived as new from its source of creation to adopters as individuals or institutions. FSR/E addresses the macro-political, socio-economic, and physical and biological issues in their relation to the identification and test of farming technologies which can be adopted by farmers for quick production improvements.;The unit of analysis of the study is the farm production unit defined as one or many households whose members farm together and share the resources of their farming activities. This study uses the theoretical argument of the structural perspective which contends that structured systems of social relationships and variations in the structured access to resources determine constraints and opportunities that affect individuals behavior and decisions. From this perspective, 14 empirical hypotheses have been derived and tested by using correlation and stepwise multiple regression analysis methods to explore to what extent, farm social structural and farm operation characteristics affect farmers decisions to adopt new farming technologies.;In Conclusion, the results of the research indicate that family social structure and farm operation characteristics have some effect on the adoption of farming innovations. This suggests some specific grounded theories about family interpersonal relationships and resources that affect adoption decisions can be developed and tested to help the transfer of new farming technologies in developing countries.