Factors influencing the adoption and transfer mechanisms for conservation agriculture production systems from early adopters to laggards in Cambodia

Punlork MEN^1,2,3*Lyda Hok^1,2Panchit Seeniang¹B. Jan Middendorf^4*Fidero Kuok³P. V. Vara Prasad^4,5Rapee Dokmaithes^1*

• ¹Department of Agricultural Extension and Communication, Program in Agricultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture at Kamphaeng Saen, Kasetsart University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
• ²Center of Excellence on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural Education and Communications, Royal University of Agriculture, Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh Municipality, Cambodia
• ³National Institute of Science, Technology, and Innovation (NISTI), MISTI, Sangkat Chak Angre Leu, Khan Mean Chey, Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh Municipality, Cambodia
• ⁴Feed the Future Climate Resilient Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab (CRSIIL), Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, United States
• ⁵Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, United States

Adoption of conservation agriculture production systems (CAPS) requires changes in knowledge and resources that affect farmers' decision-making on agricultural practices, ultimately impacting production, family income, and food security. The effectiveness of CAPS promotion is influenced by demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, promotion mechanisms, agricultural information sources, and extension methods. This research explored the factors influencing the adoption and transfer mechanisms for CAPS and evaluated their impact from early adopters to laggards in Cambodia. A mixed-methods approach was employed and data were collected through face-to-face and in-depth interviews in Battambang and Preah Vihear provinces. The results indicated that the factors influencing the adoption and transfer included gender, age, field numbers related to farm size (i.e. farmers with more fields tended to have larger farm sizes), and off-farm income, all of which had a positive and significant effect. Early adopters improved productivity (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.87–0.92) and food security (95% CI: 0.86–0.92) by 4% compared to laggard farmers. However, there was no significant impact on family income between both groups. Several mechanisms for promoting CAPS including support, transfer, and adoption, required the engagement of relevant stakeholders such as the government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), early adopter farmers, and laggard farmers. Farm-to-farmer initiatives were the most effective mechanism for transferring CAPS, followed by demonstration plots, farm or home visits, workshops or discussions, local agriculture fairs, and office calls. Relatives became the fundamental agricultural information sources, followed by mass media, research institutes, NGOs, the government, and personal experiences. The farm-to-farmer approach should be prioritized for CAPS outreach as farmers tend to trust information from their relatives. Future research should evaluate the adoption of CAPS after intervention completion as outcome values are expected to increase by more than 4%, potentially influencing family income.