The determinants of adoption of sustainable agriculture technologies: Evidence from the hillsides of Honduras

Recent years have seen a growth of interest in the adoption and diffusion of low-input sustainable agricultural technologies among smallholder agriculturalists in developing countries. This paper examines the adoption of one such technology, labranza mínima, a form of minimum tillage, among resource-poor agricultural households in villages in central Honduras. Logistic regression is used to analyze the determinants of adoption of minimum tillage among a sample of 250 agricultural households. The results show that plots with irrigation, plots farmed by their owners and plots with steeper slopes were more likely candidates for minimum tillage adoption. Farmer household characteristics are not generally found to represent significant influences on adoption. Importantly, household income does not appear to be a determinant of adoption, suggesting that minimum tillage is an appropriate low-input technology for resource-poor households. The results also indicate that previous use of leguminous cover crops, soil amendments (including chemical fertilizers), and commercial vegetable production are all associated with minimum tillage adoption. Results from studies like this are useful in targeting low-input technologies and programs promoting them among the farm household population