Transfer and adoption of technology: the case of sheep and goat farmers in Qwaqwa

English: It is evident from the literature studied that very little is known about the characteristics and farm level factors (predictors) contributing to or affecting the adoption of livestock veterinary technologies of small ruminant (sheep and goat) farmers in former homelands and rural areas of South Africa. This study contributes by identifying and evaluating critical factors (variables) that predict the transfer, adoption and utilisation of livestock veterinary technologies by small ruminant farmers in Qwaqwa, a former homeland of South Africa. A wide selection of variables had to be tested in this study due to the absence of previous studies. Logit and multinomial logit models are used to select predictors of adoption of five different livestock veterinary technologies. Of the 34 possible predictors, 20 were selected in one or more of the seven different logit models. The suspension of veterinary surgeon services provided by the government at sheering sheds and farmer days before 1994, contributed to an increase in the costs of services, inputs and information. Together with the deterioration of infrastructure and institutions, this caused a collapse of the livestock veterinary technology transfer process in Qwaqwa. Farmers who want to adopt this technology (potential adopters), cannot do so because it became too expensive (increased transaction costs). When the assumption of elastic supply of services or inputs, and increased transport costs due to the farm's location is violated (traditional definition of adoption - potential adopters grouped with non-adopters), potentially misleading conclusions can be made regarding the significance of variables (predictors) which contribute to technology adoption. It is for this reason that an adapted definition of adoption (potential adopters grouped with adopters) should be used in future research. The results of medication technology indicate that grouping of livestock medication is essential if research on the characteristics of farmers using these technologies have to be estimated. The fact that former homeland farmers react on what they see when it comes to usage of veterinary medication technologies, making it more likely for them to adopt therapeutic medication for treatment (external, internal remedies and antibiotics) rather than prophylactic medication for prevention (vaccines), is evident throughout this study. Vaccine technology showed the lowest adoption level of the four medication groups studied. The high adoption rates of external parasite remedies (no non-adopters) and internal parasite remedies (two non-adopters) confirm this conclusion. However, there is a severe lack of basic knowledge amongst farmers on the correct application of these remedies as the majority (86%) of the farmers applied these remedies incorrectly. The most important predictors of the adoption of antibiotics is access to roads. This medication technology is urgently needed when an animal is sick and access to roads decreases the cost of obtaining the drug. Small ruminant farmers in this study tend not to be full adopters of all the different livestock veterinary technologies simultaneously. The fact that only 20 per cent of the farmers were adopters of veterinary surgeon services as well as full adopters of external parasite remedies and partial adopters of internal parasite remedies, antibiotics and vaccines, confirms this conclusion. The efficiency of the present extension services in Qwaqwa on veterinary livestock technologies is very poor. Extension visits did not emerge as a significant predictor of adoption of any of the livestock veterinary technologies. The reappointment of a state veterinary surgeon, the retraining of inexperienced extension officers, the improvement of infrastructure and the development of farmer-to-farmer extension programmes, using the sheering association chair persons and young, educated and progressive farmers, must receive the highest priority in agricultural policymaking. The implementation of an affordable minimum herd health prophylactic package can contribute to the correct adoption of medication technologies resulting in higher farming efficiency, better profits and contribute to the alleviation of poverty of former homelands and rural areas of South Africa.