Examining Smallholder Farmers’ Intensity of Participation in Onfarm Agricultural Advisory Services: a Case Study in Haramaya District, Eastern Ethiopia

The immense role of agricultural advisory services (AASs) in transforming smallholder farming systems has been recognized in many developing countries. However, the benefit that farmers obtain out of participating in AASs and the resulting impact depends, to a great extent, by the (intensity of) farmers’ direct and indirect access to these services. The issue of intensity of farmers’ involvement in AASs is also especially important considering the various stages involved in farming – land preparation to post-harvest management. In this regard, we identify that the extent of farmers’ participation in such services and the determinants of their intensity of participation is not very well documented. In this study, we conducted a field-based household survey from May to October 2013 on a sample of 340 farm households in Haramaya district, Ethiopia, in order to analyze the predictors of farmers’ intensity of participation in on-farm training and demonstration. By employing both Poisson regression and negative binomial regression models on the primary data gathered for this purpose, we find that a host of factors – relating to human capital, financial capital, physical capital, social capital, and access to infrastructure and services – influence the farmers’ differential involvement in these services. On the basis of these findings, some conclusions are drawn and recommendations are suggested for improving smallholder farmers’ participation in on-farm AASs.