Abstract

Despite there being high demand for sugarcane products globally, low yielding varieties in Kenya persist. A study was conducted in Nandi, Kenya to assess age, level of education, gender, level of awareness, price of produce and cost of changing to new varieties, perception of risks, planting materials and scale of farm operations as predictors of adoption for new sugarcane varieties. Purposive and multistage sampling techniques were used to select participants in the study. A sample of 198 farmers participated in the ex-post-facto survey study. Data was collected using questionnaires and analyzed using cross tabulations and logistic regression. All the variables except gender, price and costs showed significant (p < 0.05) relationship with adoption. A prediction model with the six explanatory variables was a well-fitting model, could correctly classify 87.4% of the outcome and explains 60.4% of the variation in adoption. It is concluded that farmers’ age, education, awareness, perception of risks and uncertainties about new varieties, availability of planting materials and scale of operation have significant association with and are significant predictors of adoption. It is recommended that for improved adoption, stakeholders consider the factors in their intervention plans. Further research on their effect on sugarcane productivity is recommended. 

Key words: Socio-economic, demographic, predictors, adoption, new sugarcane varieties, Nandi, Kenya.