An analysis of the adoption of the “system of rice intensification” (SRI): why a homegrown technique has yet to take seed among rice farmers in Madagascar
o combat food insecurity in Madagascar, organizations have promoted the Système de
Riziculture Intensifiée (S), or System of ice ntensification, an agroecological rice-growing
technique. owever, despite its many benefits, adoption remains low (and disadoption
remains high) in Madagascar. o better understand these dynamics, we use data from two
surveys of 328 rice farming households in southeastern Madagascar to conduct an analysis of
decisions to adopt S, as well as look at the differences between adopters and non-adopters.
esults show that despite strong intentions to adopt the technique, actual rates of adoption
were lower than expected. ndeed, while 89.8% (n=291) of respondents stated intention to
adopt S, only 21.6% (n=60) had trialed it one year later. esults also indicate that exposure
to S trainings did not have spill-over effects to “untreated” farmers, as nearly all (95%, n=57)
of the farmers adopting S had registered for the training, with the majority (89.5%, n=51)
attending some days of training. easons given for not adopting S included lack of rice
seeds deemed suitable by farmers, as well as insufficient labor, time and other resources.
Furthermore, using an integrated heory of lanned Behavior – echnology cceptance Model
framework and structural equation modeling (SM), we find that perceived behavioral control,
training participation and household assets are significant predictors of adoption. his research
is important in efforts to better support uptake of improved agricultural practices among
food insecure farming populations. t also fills a gap in the literature regarding S adoption
among lowland coastal farming populations.