Do neighbours of agricultural research stations learn anything from them: the case of Rubona station, Rwanda

摘要

ThisstudyonadoptionofcattlehusbandrytechnologiesatanAfricannationalresearchstationusedtheRwandaAgricultureBoard#8217;sRubonastationasacasestudyandwasconductedthroughasurveyof92randomly-selectedcattlekeepinghouseholdsinRusatiraSectorofHuyeDistrictwherethestationislocated.Respondentswereinterviewedusingapre-testedstructuredquestionnaireanddatawereanalysedusingstandardstatisticalprocedures.Thestudyrevealedthatalltherespondentsknewatleastonecattle-relatedservice/technologyprovidedbyRubonastation.Themajority(61.9%)rankedstationservicesasverygood,29.4%asgood,whileto8.7%,theserviceswerebad.Whileonly63%ofallhouseholdsrearedcrossbredcattle,allrespondentscreditedthestationwhichintensivelypromotesgradedairygermplasm.Overhalfoftherespondentsusedbovineartificialinsemination(AI)serviceprovidedbystationstaff.AmongtheusersofAI,54.3%reliedonitforgeneticimprovement,20.6%targeteddiseasecontrol,whileothersclaimedusesthatarenottechnicallyassociatedwithit.Ahigh(P0.05)proportionoffarmers(48%)reportedfrequentfailureofAIastheproblemwhichlimitsitsuse.AnalysisofforageseedsourcesshowedthatRubonastationwasthemajorprovider(58.7%).Also,thestationwassingledoutasthemaincontributortodiseasepreventioninthestudyarea,throughitsnovel#8220;livestockimprovementparks#8221;.Generally,livelihoodswereattributedtothestationsuggestingthatmanyofitstechnologiesarebeingsufficientlyacquired.Correlationanalysisshowedthateducationlevelpositivelyinfluencedadoptionofimprovedcattlebreeds(r=+0.62,P=0.001),AI(r=+0.55,P=0.001),andcastration(r=+0.57,P=0.001)whileageofhouseholdheadnegativelyinfluencedadoptionofexoticbreeds(r=#8211;0.56,P=001),AI(r=#8211;0.48,P=0.001),however,genderwasnotasignificantfactor.Itisconcludedthatneighboursofresearchstationsdolearnalotfromthestations,buttheadoptionofwhattheylearndependsonanumberoffactors.Thisstudythereforerecommendsstrengtheningoftheextensionserviceoncattlemanagementtargetingtheeldersandthenon-educated,sincetheseweretheleastadopters.nbsp;