An agricultural research organisation categorised farmers in village X according to the rate of adoption of new ideas and came up with the following: Innova...

(a) Percentage of early adopters and its implication

Total number of farmers = 10 + 15 + 70 + 25 = 120.

\[ \text{Percentage of early adopters} = \frac{15}{120} \times 100 = 12.5\% \]

Implication: Only a small proportion (12.5%) of the farmers readily accept new ideas early. This means the extension system is not very effective at getting farmers to adopt innovations, so the extension agents need to intensify their teaching, demonstrations and follow-up to speed up the rate of adoption in the village.

(b) Four ways of encouraging the innovators

• Give them recognition, awards and encouragement for trying new ideas.
• Supply them with improved inputs, credit and technical support.
• Use their farms as demonstration/result plots so others can learn from them.
• Provide regular training, information and visits by extension agents.

(c) Four possible reasons for the high number of late adopters

• Illiteracy and lack of access to information.
• Poverty/lack of funds to buy the new inputs.
• Strong attachment to tradition and fear of the risk of new methods.
• Inadequate extension contact and poor infrastructure (roads, markets).

(d) Two merits of print media as a channel for extension

• The information is permanent and can be kept and re-read for reference.
• It can reach many literate farmers over a wide area at relatively low cost.