Abstract:
Food security is put at risk by the fragmented and poor adoption of improved
agricultural technology among Uganda's smallholder maize farmers, despite their potential for
rising agricultural output. To examine the effect of the extent of adopting complementary
technology packages on household food security, this study extends beyond a binary adoption
analysis. The study uses a Markov process to characterize adoption trends, a fractional probit
model to identify drivers of adoption intensity, and panel fixed models to quantify causal
impacts on food security using a three-wave panel dataset (2015/16, 2018/19, 2019/20) from
the Uganda National Panel Survey. Key findings show major rates of dis-adoption, path
dependency, and a persistent condition of non-adoption (almost 90% of families). Access to
extension services, irrigation access and male-headed households all have a positive effect on
adoption intensity while exposure to shocks showed a negative effect on adoption intensity.
Research results show that increasing the use of technology bundles improves food security in
a significant way. Adoption of complementary bundles increased the Food Consumption Score
and lowered the Food Expenditure Share. The study concludes that to achieve significant
improvements in food security for Ugandan smallholders, it is crucial to promote the increased
and continuous adoption of complementary technology bundles rather than isolated inputs
