Presented on February 10th, 2013 at the Second Research Competitive Grants Conference in Islamabad, Pakistan.

1. What Determines Farmers’ Response
Towards Adopting New Technology in
Khyber Pakhtun-khaw?
Principal Investigator
Dr. Shahnaz Akhtar
Professor, Institute of Development Studies
KPK Agricultural University, Peshawar
Email: drshahnazakhtar@aup.edu.pk
Contact: 0333-9108864
Co-Investigator
Sohail Khan
sohailpfi@yahoo.com

2. Acknowledgements
 We are extremely grateful to USAID, IFPRI, PSSP and all
Partner organizations for the financial support, time,
effort and observation about the need to encourage
research environment in our country; especially
among the academia.
 We are also thankful to 300 farmers who have willingly
shared the sacred information of their cropping
practices, cost of production and perceptions.
 I am personally thankful to Dr. Noor Khan, Dr. Malik M.
Shafi, Mohammad Sohail (RA), M. Arif and Jawad (my
supervisees) for their contributions in this research.

3. Why New Technology…..
 “…… it is envisaged that the next breakthrough in
agricultural productivity would be due to recent
developments in plant molecular biology, genetic
engineering, and rapid advancement in genomics.’
 However the question remains if the farm would
show response to all such efforts that the dream of
the advancements in agriculture would
materialize.”
Iqbal and Muneer (2005)

4. Our task is to learn……
On the outbreak of a new technology;
 Few Farmers respond positively;
 What factors motivate them?
 While Few other don’t respond;
 What Factor stop them?

5. Earlier Studies have Identified the Determinants as;
S.N. The Determinants The References
Socio-economic conditions, Nelson 1993;
1 Renovated institutions and individual capacities Rosenberg 1994
Ajzen and Fishbein, 1990;
Leathers and Smale, 1992;
Risk factor,
Feder and Umali, 1993; Davis ,1996;
2 Nortan and Bass, 1997
Byerlee and Polanco, 1999;
3 Profitability
Guerra et al., 2007
Transport & Communication network,
4 Khan (1998)
extension services
Awareness about the existence and availability of new Smale and Heisa, 1999;
5 technology Marra et al., 2001
(Ruttan, 1996; Monu, 2000
Age, experience capital formation, & Farmers’ HRD
6 Malik (2005)
7 Characteristics of the innovation itself Pannell et al. 2006
8 Mass media and interpersonal communication Jan and Imran, 2009
9 Timely availability and credit facilities Ahmad (2007)
10 Ease in following (How to do of) technology Khan (2011)
11 Farm Size and Tenancy Status Khan (2011)

6. Our Research Explores even Further…..…..
S.N. The Determinants Remarks
1 Land Fragmentation
Distance Between Farm and main
2
linking road Currently under investigation by my Ph.D. &
Distance Between Farm and input- M. Phil students
3
output market
4 Farm Size and tenancy System
5 RIWAAJ=Standard Practice An experiment started by one is copied by all
Climate Change……
6 Farms are in process of changing enterprises
Innovators Beware of!!
KHAN JEE AVATAR ‘Khan Jee’ when earns extra money, eagerly
7 - measured by farmers’ investment spends to maintain his social status
choices forgetting to maintain the capital formation.

7. Data collection scheme
and the progress made!
Three Districts:
Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan
Three Crops:
Wheat, Maize, Sugarcane
300 farmers almost equally divided among the districts and
crops

8. Data collection scheme
and the progress made
Data is being collected in Two Phases:
Phase I: Baseline Data
“What Questions”, e.g. farm size and no of fragments; tenancy status;
cost of production, yields and returns from the three crops; other
income sources, new technologies adopted lately; and preference for
investment etc.
data collection in Phase I is complete

9. Data collection scheme
and the progress made
Phase II: Focus Group Activity Inquiring the
“Why Questions”,
e.g. Perception, recent examples, reasons for adopting new
technology,
sources of information and extension,
expectations, experience in terms of changing
patterns trends
One Focus Group each in the three districts has
been conducted!!

10. Area Percent of the Yields Gap
Crop (000) Hec total Tons/hec In (%)
Wheat 658 1.6
Some
Basic Maize 386 1.8
Facts: Sugarcane 99 90 + of 1268 45.2 30 +
2008-2009 Rice 43 2.0
Gram
31 0.4
Agriculture
Tobacco 36 2.8
in
Barley 15 1.0
Khyber
Pakhtukhwa Under Main
Crops 1268
Current 509015 30 +
Fallow
Bureau of Statistics Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA IN FIGURES
at http://www.khyberpakhtunkhwa.gov.pk/Departments/BOS/KP-in-Fingures.php

11. Thank you for your
attention

12. Appendixes

13. Selected Literature
Nelson 1993; Rosenberg 1994
 “Investments in S&T are known to pay off most strongly
for countries and regions with highly integrated
technical and economic systems able to diffuse and
apply results of new research.
 Challenging socio-economic conditions in the
developing communities adversely affect any efforts of
adopting and diffusing new technologies.
 In this situation the question is how any breakthrough is
possible?”
 Earlier experiences advocate combinations of
 technological improvement with
 renovated institutions and
 individual capacities of the technology recipients.

14. Selected Literature
• Ahmad (2007) examined adoption and constraints
in the use of HYVs by farmers in district Peshawar
and Charsadda during 2004. They assumed that
regardless of favoring climatic conditions the
farmers were not getting satisfactory profit from
their activity due to non-adoption of new
agricultural technologies. The constraints in
adoption of new varieties according to them were
mainly lack of awareness and of the know-how,
inadequate and untimely availability of seed, and
lack of credit facilities. They suggested a dynamic
role to be played by the extension services in order
to achieve the desired goal.

15. Selected Literature
• Khan, 2013
• KP’s share in countrywide maize production has
been on the decline. It accounted for 68 percent of
total maize produce in 1996 which decreased to 30
percent in 2006-2007 and was recorded below 20
percent in 2010-2011. While the maize yield has
been more than 5400 kg per hectare in Punjab it
was less than one third in KP during 2010-2011.

16. References
Arifullah, S. A. (2010). Pakistan’s Crop Sector: An Economic Evaluation. LAP Lambert Academic Publishing AG & Co. ISBN: 978-3-8383-4021-
0. Available at: http://www.amazon.com/ref=gno_logo.
Batz, F. J., K. Peters, and W. Janssen. 1999. The Influence of Technology Characteristics on the Rate and Speed of Adoption. American Journal
of Agricultural Economics, 21(2): 121-130
Iqbal, M. and M. Ahmad. 2005. Science and technology based agriculture vision ofPakistan and prospects of growth. Proc. PSDE 20th AGM.
10-12 January 2005,
Islamabad.
Khan, M. M. J., Janhua Z., M. S. Hashmi., M. S. Hashmi. (2011). Land Distribution, Technological Changes and Productivity in Pakistan’s
Agriculture: Some Explanations and Policy Options. International Journal of Economics and Management Sciences Vol. 1, No. 1, 2011, pp. 51-
74.
Nelson, R., ed.. 1993. National innovation systems: A comparative analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Rosenberg, N. 1994. Exploring the black box: Technology, economics, and history.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Statistical Book 2011 of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
UNSIAP (United Nations Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific). INTRODUCTION TO METHODS FOR RESEARCH IN OFFICIAL
STATISTICS. Manual for the Research-based Training Program (RbTP) Regional Course.
http://www.unsiap.or.jp/document/intro_methods_rtp.pdf
Govt. of Pakistan. (2010). Economic survey: Economic Advisor’s Wing, Finance Division, govt. of Pakistan Islamabad.
Khan, N. M. (1998). The Causes of Slow Diffusion of New Agriculture Technologies in Kurram Agency in KP.(An Unpublished MSc (Hons)
Thesis). NWFP Agricultural University Peshawar. 110 - 113.
Ahmad Mansoor, M. Akram,; R. Rauf and I. Ali Khan, (2007). Adoption of and Constraints In Use Of High Yielding Varieties: A Case Study Of
Four Villages Of District Peshawar And Charsad. Sarhad J. Agric. 23 (3)., 2007
Bureau of Statistics Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA IN FIGURES 2011. Available at
http://www.khyberpakhtunkhwa.gov.pk/Departments/BOS/KP-in-Fingures.php
http://tahirkatlang.wordpress.com/tag/kp-farmers/
Jan Mirza, Muhammad Imran (2009). MESSAGE CONSUMPTION AND ADOPTION OF AGRICULTURAL INNOVATIONS IN NWFP,
PAKISTAN. Global Media Journal. No. II (II), (Fall 2009)
at http://www.aiou.edu.pk/gmj/MESSAGE%20CONSUMPTIONEND.asp