Abstract:
The research was carried out in Kagulu Sub County, Buyende district to assess the level of adoption of new rosette resistant varieties of groundnuts. Objectives of the research include: i). To assess the level of adoption of new rosette resistant varieties of groundnuts ii) To find out the factors influencing the adoption of new rosette resistant varieties and iii) To identify the problems affecting farmers who adopt these new varieties. A cross sectional research survey was used. Questionnaires and interview guides were used to collect information from 70 respondents who were purposively selected from five (5) parishes which include; Bukutula, Bumogoli, Iyingo, Irundu and Nkoone. The research involved 70 participants comprising of 60 Farmers selected using simple random sampling scheme, 10 key informants being selected purposively because of their knowledge on groundnut production. (Farmers-60, Local leaders-05, Extension workers-05). Data was analyzed using Microsoft excel. The findings showed an increased level of adoption of the new rosette resistant groundnuts varieties by the farmers of Kagulu sub-county. However, from the research findings, it was also observed that there are several challenges the farmers face during the production of these new varieties that lead to the low production of such varieties despite the willingness of farmers to adopt the new varieties. The proposed solutions included: Early planting, Extension services, Formation of farmer groups, increasing access of new varieties to farmers, Improving transport network. Recommendations included linking farers to the market, improving the government policy on groundnuts production, good management practices and the breeding programme to increases both adoption and production.
