Abstract:
This study intended to determine factors affecting the adoption of new technologies in rainfed paddy
production practiced by smallholder farmers in the Central District-Zanzibar, Tanzania. A crosssectional
research design was employed. A structured questionnaire, focus group discussions
(FGDs) and key informant (KI) interviews were used to explore issues related to rainfed paddy
production. 120 respondents who were engaged in rainfed paddy farming were selected from 4
village clusters (30 respondents in each village cluster) from December 2013 to January 2014. Data
were analysed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression model. Results show that
majority of respondents (55%) were female while 45% were male aging 19-59 years. The study
revealed that rainfed paddy production technologies that were adopted by smallholder farmers
included row planting, fertilizer application (P=.03), weed control and the use of improved paddy
seed varieties (p= .04). Descriptive analysis results showed that the adoption level of technologies was high. The logistic regression analysis showed that extension services, age, off-farm income
and distance from residence to the marketplaces were factors that influenced the decisions of
smallholder farmers to adopt technologies (p<.05). Researchers recommend that the government of
Zanzibar should continue providing efficient extension services to smallholder farmers in order to
ensure sustainability in the adoption of rainfed paddy production technologies in Zanzibar.
