Duration analysis of technology adoption effects of dissemination pathways: A case of ‘pushepull’ technology for control of Striga weeds and stemborers in Western Kenya A.W. Murage a, b, c, * , G. Obare b, d , J. Chianu e , D.M. Amudavi f , J. Pickett g , Z.R. Khan a a International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Habitat Management Project, P.O. Box 30-40305, Mbita Point, Kenya b Department of Agricultural Economics and Business Management, Egerton University, P.O. Box 536-20115, Egerton, Kenya c Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, National Animal Husbandry Research Centre, P.O. Box 25-20117, Naivasha, Kenya d University of Hohenheim, Food Security Center (FSC), 791, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany e Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility of CIAT (TSBFeCIAT), c/o World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), P.O Box 30677-00100, Nairobi, Kenya f Department of Agricultural Education and Extension, Egerton University, P.O. Box 536-20115, Egerton, Kenya g Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts AL5 2JQ, UK article info Article history: Received 30 July 2010 Received in revised form 2 November 2010 Accepted 15 November 2010 Keywords: Pushepull technology Dissemination pathways Adoption Duration model Kenya abstract Since its introduction, the ‘pushepull’ technology (PPT) has been promoted as an innovative approach for addressing yield losses caused by Striga weeds and stemborer infestations on farmers’ maize fields in western Kenya. The technology has been disseminated through different pathways each of which might have different uptake enhancement capabilities. This study was concerned with how different dissemination pathways impacted on farmers’ time to adoption while controlling the effects of selected socio-economic and regional factors. This assessment was necessary in order to recommend which dissemination pathway or combination of pathways that could provide an effective dissemination strategy that speed up adoption, while ensuring continued practice of the technology. Data were analyzed using a parametric (Weibull) functional form to specify time to adoption from the first date of a farmer being aware of the technology. The findings indicate positive duration dependence and a positive rate of change in the adoption process. Field days (FD) had the highest effect on the speed of uptake, followed by Farmer Teachers (FT). Other variables that accelerated adoption were education, household size and high-income level. Gender, Tropical Livestock Units (TLUs), group membership, and district dummy variables had delaying effects on the adoption process. The findings suggest the need to fast track the scale up and uptake of PPT through pathways which allow for interactive information sharing and learning as exemplified through farmer teachers and field days. Ó 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Cereal stemborers (Chilo partellus Swinhoe and Busseola fusca Fuller) and the parasitic Striga weeds (Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth. and Striga asiatica (L.) Kuntze) have been serious constraints to sustainable production of maize in the subsistence farming systems of western Kenya (Khan et al., 2001, 2008). The adoption of recommended control mechanisms for these pests has been slow and sometimes uneven due to various socio-economic and environmental effects. However, the ‘pushepull’ technology (PPT) developed by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Kenya and partners has been well rated by small- holder farmers as an effective control strategy to the target hosts (Khan et al., 2001). The technology involves intercropping between rows of maize with desmodium (e.g. Desmodium uncinatum (Jacq.)) that repel stemborers (push), and which also reduce the level of Striga infestation, combined with a surrounding crop of Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach) that attract the stemborer pests (pull) (Tsanuo et al., 2003; Midega et al., 2010). The potential benefits of PPT like any other promising tech- nology can be realized by farmers if there is timely adoption. This is because increase in production in the early years is likely to have a significant impact on the rate of return on capital investment than in later years (Hazel and Anderson, 1986). For some technologies, * Corresponding author. Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, National Animal Husbandry Research Centre, P.O. Box 25-20117, Naivasha, Kenya. Tel.: þ254 720891539. E-mail address: alice_murage@yahoo.com (A.W. Murage). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Crop Protection journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cropro 0261-2194/$ e see front matter Ó 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.cropro.2010.11.009 Crop Protection xxx (2011) 1e8 Please cite this article in press as: Murage, A.W., et al., Duration analysis of technology adoption effects of dissemination pathways: A case of ‘pushepull’ technology for control of Striga weeds and stemborers in Western Kenya, Crop Protection (2011), doi:10.1016/j.cropro.2010.11.009