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Where is the market? Assessing the role of dryer performance and marketability of solar-dried products in acceptance of solar dryers amongst smallholder farmers
Agricultural technological development is a crucial strategy for agricultural commercialization and socio-economic transformation in Africa. However, a key challenge to technology use in agriculture remains the limited farmer acceptance of unfamiliar technologies. This paper uses a sample of 245 okr...
Autores principales: | , , , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Elsevier
2023
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10448065/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37636445 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18668 |
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author | Korsuk Kumi, Peter G. Elolu, Samuel Odongo, Walter Okello, Collins Kalule, Stephen W. |
author_facet | Korsuk Kumi, Peter G. Elolu, Samuel Odongo, Walter Okello, Collins Kalule, Stephen W. |
author_sort | Korsuk Kumi, Peter G. |
collection | PubMed |
description | Agricultural technological development is a crucial strategy for agricultural commercialization and socio-economic transformation in Africa. However, a key challenge to technology use in agriculture remains the limited farmer acceptance of unfamiliar technologies. This paper uses a sample of 245 okra farmers drawn from northern Uganda to assess the drivers of the farmer acceptance of solar drying technology. On the basis of drying performance, farmers perceive the solar dryer to perform better than the open sun-drying method. Structural equation modelling results show that the drying rate and perceived product quality are the main determinants of farmer perceptions on product marketability. Further, product marketability drives acceptance of solar dryers among farmers. We conclude that acceptance of solar dryers is dependent on: i) the drying rate, ii) favorable perceptions towards product quality, and iii) perceived marketability of the solar-dried product. We call for policy action on intensification of efforts that promote solar drying technology, including supporting local artisans to fabricate dryers, to enable increased value addition and consumption of nutritious foods. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-10448065 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2023 |
publisher | Elsevier |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-104480652023-08-25 Where is the market? Assessing the role of dryer performance and marketability of solar-dried products in acceptance of solar dryers amongst smallholder farmers Korsuk Kumi, Peter G. Elolu, Samuel Odongo, Walter Okello, Collins Kalule, Stephen W. Heliyon Research Article Agricultural technological development is a crucial strategy for agricultural commercialization and socio-economic transformation in Africa. However, a key challenge to technology use in agriculture remains the limited farmer acceptance of unfamiliar technologies. This paper uses a sample of 245 okra farmers drawn from northern Uganda to assess the drivers of the farmer acceptance of solar drying technology. On the basis of drying performance, farmers perceive the solar dryer to perform better than the open sun-drying method. Structural equation modelling results show that the drying rate and perceived product quality are the main determinants of farmer perceptions on product marketability. Further, product marketability drives acceptance of solar dryers among farmers. We conclude that acceptance of solar dryers is dependent on: i) the drying rate, ii) favorable perceptions towards product quality, and iii) perceived marketability of the solar-dried product. We call for policy action on intensification of efforts that promote solar drying technology, including supporting local artisans to fabricate dryers, to enable increased value addition and consumption of nutritious foods. Elsevier 2023-07-27 /pmc/articles/PMC10448065/ /pubmed/37636445 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18668 Text en © 2023 The Authors https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
spellingShingle | Research Article Korsuk Kumi, Peter G. Elolu, Samuel Odongo, Walter Okello, Collins Kalule, Stephen W. Where is the market? Assessing the role of dryer performance and marketability of solar-dried products in acceptance of solar dryers amongst smallholder farmers |
title | Where is the market? Assessing the role of dryer performance and marketability of solar-dried products in acceptance of solar dryers amongst smallholder farmers |
title_full | Where is the market? Assessing the role of dryer performance and marketability of solar-dried products in acceptance of solar dryers amongst smallholder farmers |
title_fullStr | Where is the market? Assessing the role of dryer performance and marketability of solar-dried products in acceptance of solar dryers amongst smallholder farmers |
title_full_unstemmed | Where is the market? Assessing the role of dryer performance and marketability of solar-dried products in acceptance of solar dryers amongst smallholder farmers |
title_short | Where is the market? Assessing the role of dryer performance and marketability of solar-dried products in acceptance of solar dryers amongst smallholder farmers |
title_sort | where is the market? assessing the role of dryer performance and marketability of solar-dried products in acceptance of solar dryers amongst smallholder farmers |
topic | Research Article |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10448065/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37636445 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18668 |
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