Willingness of farmers to adopt rice intercrops in the Lake Victoria Crescent Agro-ecological Zone of Uganda

Intercropping, particularly with legumes, is a food security and soil fertility management strategy of small-holder, resource-poor farmers in sub Saharan Africa. Understanding the extent of and factors affecting farmers’ willingness to adopt intercropping practices is central to decisions to promote this practice. We assessed the socio-economic factors affecting the farmers’ choice to adopt an emerging rice intercrop technology in the Lake Victoria Crescent Agro-ecological Zone (LVCAZ) of Uganda. A household survey was conducted with 171 rice farmers in Kiboga, Kayunga and Luwero districts. Logistic regression analysis was used to model the willingness of farmers to adopt the rice intercrops. Results show that approximately 60% of the farmers are willing to adopt the practice. The willingness to adopt is higher with higher level of education of household heads, contact with extension agents and training, ease of access to rice seed and membership to farmer groups. On the other hand, farmer experience with rice cultivation negatively affects willingness to adopt the technology. The implication of our findings is that extension agents, especially the National Agricultural Advisory Services, should work with farmer groups to create awareness of the benefits of rice intercrops, link them with research institutions such as the National Agricultural Research Organization to enable them access seed. The Participatory Market Chain Approaches that have already shown success in potato value chains should be promoted so that commercial rice farmers have alternative markets for secondary crops from the intercrops. Further studies into the economic and social and environmental benefits of these practices are required to shed light on their sustainability. Keywords: Rice intercrops, adoption, willingness, Lake Victoria Crescent Zone, Uganda