International Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development

International Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development ISSN: 3254-5428 Vol. 2 (2), pp. 047-055, March, 2015. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

An investigation on the contributions of mediating independent variables to the adoption of co-financing of the delivery of public extension visits

Logan L.A and Helen S.S

Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, Westville, Pinetown and Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. E-mail. [email protected]

Accepted 21 January, 2015

Abstract

Most public extension organizations worldwide operate on inadequate budgets. Extension field surveys, therefore, need to be as cost-efficient as possible. The study investigated the comparative contributions of mediating and independent variables to the adoption of co-financing of the delivery of public extension visits. A semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information from 97 small-scale crop farmers in the Free State province of South Africa, from 1 September to 7 October 2010. Non-probability sampling techniques were employed to select respondents. The mediating variables were found to contribute more to the adoption of co-financing for the delivery of public extension visits than the independent variables. Need tension, especially the difference between aspired and present situation with regard to practice adoption and production efficiency made the most individual contributions to the variation in adoption of co-financing for the delivery of public extension visits. Adoption behaviour analysis could therefore be focused on a limited number of mediating variables in surveys. Focusing adoption behaviour investigations on the more direct precursors of behaviour can reduce extension survey costs. This also offers opportunities for generating extra funds to deliver optimal extension visits to farmers. While quantifying the savings is the subject of future research, there are strong grounds for concluding that they are considerable.

Key words: Comparative contributions, mediating variables, independent variables, co-financing, bextension visit delivery, adoption.