Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-gvh9x Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-20T19:56:10.106Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Field Trials as an Extension Technique: The Case of Swaziland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 May 2017

David G. Abler ,
Ganesh P. Rauniyar  and
Frank M. Goode
David G. Abler
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Ganesh P. Rauniyar
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Frank M. Goode
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Get access

Extract

One potentially serious problem in evaluating the effectiveness of extension programs is that participants are not picked at random. Self-selection can be a problem, and it can be compounded if extension officials concentrate on the most progressive farms. This study explores the relationships between adoption of maize high-yielding varieties (HYVs) and participation in field trials intended to foster HYV usage, drawing on data from Swaziland. Results indicate that it is impossible to say if field trials had any effect on adoption. Participating farms used more HYVs, but this could have been due to self-selection or the government's selection process.

Type
Articles
Information
Northeastern Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics , Volume 21 , Issue 1 , April 1992 , pp. 30 - 35
Copyright
Copyright © 1992 Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

They are grateful to Dean Jansma, Doyle Grenoble, and Sam Dlamini for their helpful comments. The authors, however, are solely responsible for the views expressed in this article and for any errors or omissions.

References

Birkhaeuser, Dean, Evenson, Robert E., and Feder, Gershon. “The Economic Impact of Agricultural Extension: A Review.” Economic Development and Cultural Change 39 (1991):607–50.Google Scholar
Booth, Alan R. Swaziland: Tradition and Change in a Southern African Kingdom. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1983.Google Scholar
Davies, Robert H., O'Meara, Dan, and Dlamini, Sipho. The Kingdom of Swaziland: A Profile. London: Zed Books, 1985.Google Scholar
East African Technical Services. A Preliminary Study of Possible Agricultural Aid Projects for Swaziland. Report for the U.S. Agency for International Development, 1985.Google Scholar
Feder, Gershon, Just, Richard E., and Zilberman, David. “Adoption of Agricultural Innovations in Developing Countries: A Survey.” Economic Development and Cultural Change 33 (1985):255–98.Google Scholar
Maddala, G.S. Limited-Dependent and Qualitative Variables in Econometrics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983.Google Scholar
The Pennsylvania State University. College of Agriculture. Annual Report: Swaziland Cropping Systems Research/Extension Training Project. October 1987–September 1988.Google Scholar
Stokes, C. Shannon, Schutjer, Wayne A., Warland, Rex H., and Curry, John J. “Demographic Pressure, Agricultural Production Systems and Land Degradation in Swaziland.” Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, The Pennsylvania State University, 1988.Google Scholar