Abstract:
The adoption of modern agricultural technologies remains a promising strategy to enhance
agricultural productivity, achieve food security and reduce poverty in Ethiopia. Soil acidity is one
of the problems that have been resulted in low productivity in the country. Lime technology is the
one of the options to solve this problem and increase agricultural productivity by alleviating soil
acidity problems. In light of this premise, this study analyzes the determinants of the adoption of
lime technology by smallholder farming households in Ejere district of west Shewa zone of the
Oromia regional state, Ethiopia. The study used a cross-sectional survey design. A multistage
sampling procedure was employed to draw 145 sample households from one woreda and three
kebeles, simple random sampling was used to select the sample households. In this particular
study, both primary and secondary data were gathered. Primary data was collected using KI
interviews, focus group discussions and household surveys (61 adopters and 84 non-adopters).
Descriptive statistics and econometric models were employed to analyze the collected data. The
statistical model namely, binary logistic regression was used to determine factors affecting the
decision of smallholder farm households that participate in (adopt) lime technologies. The binary
logistic regression result revealed that education, farm size, access to lime input, extension
contact, field day and cooperative membership were significant factors affecting the likelihood of
adoption of lime technology positively and significantly, While age of the household and market
distance negatively and significantly influenced the adoption of agricultural lime inputs on acidic
soil in the study area. As a result, the study revealed that adoption rate of lime technology in the
study area was low; and affected by different factors; therefore to solve the problems, policy
interventions should give priority to the variables mentioned above that encourage lime
technology adoption. Farmers should be encouraged to use lime technology, this would be
attainable if the government, nongovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders focused
more on providing the required lime, improving extension services and providing better
information and training on the use and benefit of lime technology for acidic soils are some
important ideas.
