Farmers' attitudes and adoption of improved maize varieties and chemical fertilizers in the Manica District, Mozambique

Improved maize varieties and chemical fertilizers nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (12-24-12 NPK) and urea have been disseminated in Mozambique to raise the productivity of maize, a major staple crop. This study determined the influence of farmers' characteristics and farmers' attitudes toward improved maize and chemical fertilizers. Rural households producing maize in the highlands of Machipanda and lowlands of Vanduzi represented the population of interest in this investigation. One hundred and twenty (n = 120) households from Machipanda and one hundred and seventy-three (n = 173) households from Vanduzi were randomly selected for the study. Data were collected through personal interviews. The results showed that the level of education was low among the respondents, particularly in the lowlands of Vanduzi. Most farmers were knowledgeable of the advantages and disadvantages of using improved maize varieties in Machipanda and Vanduzi, but few respondents were knowledgeable about application methods of NPK and urea fertilizers on maize, particularly in the lowlands of Vanduzi. In both study areas, respondents tended to hold a generally positive attitude toward the marketability of improved maize variety SC513, production characteristics of SC513, and use of NPK and urea for maize production. However, the strength of farmers' attitudes toward improved maize variety SC513 and chemical fertilizers NPK and urea varied according to the location (Machipanda and Vanduzi) and within location according to gender and sources of information (neighbors, extension, and market). Male respondents tended to hold stronger positive attitudes toward production characteristics of improved maize variety SC513 and use of NPK and urea for maize production. The sources of information did not affect attitudes of farmers in Machipanda. Only in Vanduzi, farmers who learned about chemical fertilizers from extension services tended to hold stronger positive attitudes toward chemical fertilizers than farmers who learned about these technologies from neighbors. Adoption of improved maize variety SC513 was higher than the adoption of chemical fertilizers. How-to knowledge and agro-ecological region were the common factors in adoption of the improved maize variety and chemical fertilizers. In particular, attitude toward production characteristics and attitude toward marketability of improved maize variety were important factors in adoption of maize variety. Extension services were important factors of adoption of chemical fertilizers. After farmers had adopted the technologies for one or more years, discontinuance occurred mainly because of lack of money to purchase seed and fertilizers, susceptibility of grain to attack by storage weevils, and non-complete closure of husk cover, which exposed the cob to rain and attack by field insects and diseases. The National Directorate of Rural Extension, the private sector, and research institutions should expand their representatives to the local level and coordinate knowledge-led agricultural development with a focus on finding varieties that have wide adaptation, growing well in the highlands and lowlands; improving how-to knowledge on fertilizer application; prioritizing production and marketability characteristics of improved maize varieties; providing fertilizers and seed on a credit basis; promoting women extension workers and input suppliers; and strengthening farmers' positive attitudes toward improved maize varieties and chemical fertilizers.