Effect of Information Flow Through Social Networks on Adoption of Cage Fish Farming Technologies in Uganda

Abstract

The philosophy of interpersonal interaction plays a significant role in facilitating learning processes between actors sharing a social network. It is a platform where actors actively share knowledge, skills and ideas, which affect their behaviour. Thus upon that premise, this study was conducted to understand the nature of smallholder farmers' social networks and their effect on the adoption of cage fish farming in Uganda. A cross-sectional survey was carried out across fourteen districts that share the waters of Lake Victoria in Uganda. A total of 384 respondents were selected using multistage sampling techniques and after seeking each one’s consent. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect data from the respondents, which was entered into an Excel sheet and exported to STATA (version 15) for analysis. Inferential statistics and a double hurdle regression model were used in this study. The study results revealed that an increase in the experience and group membership of a cage fish farmer by one-unit change increased the probability of using social networks by 0.43 and 0.70 units, respectively. Additionally, a unit increase in extension visits and credit access decreased the probability of using social networks by 0.59 and 1.06 units, respectively. Therefore, the study recommends a paradigm shift in extension services received by smallholder farmers to embrace the use of social networks and replicate them in other agricultural sectors. Additionally, financial services should be improved among cage fish farmers to promote credit access, and the role of group membership in promoting intensive cage fish farming should be considered as well.