Determinants of Adoption of Rice Yield Gap Minimisation Technology in Bangladesh

Increasing rice production through reducing the yield gap between what experiments in research stations achieve and what farmers get in their fields is much emphasised in different policy documents in Bangladesh. By analysing farm level survey data collected from 300 paddy growers belonging to nine different districts in the country, this paper attempts to find out the factors that affect adoption of technology (or technologies) that minimises rice yield gaps and the level of adoption by the adopters. Econometric analysis shows that farm level adoption decision is influenced by a wide range of socio-economic, demographic and natural-physical factors such as education, farm size, off-farm income, access to extension services, adoption of related other practices as well as agro-ecology although their effects on adoption decision may vary. The findings argue for some specific policy interventions and emphasise the importance of designing strategies for technology dissemination considering farm level factors