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Communication and uptake pathways in the adoption of a corn variety with perceived herbicide tolerance in Mindanao, Philippines
Dissertation Abstract:
This study examined the dynamics between communication and uptake pathways in the adoption of a corn variety with perceived herbicide tolerance locally known as 'sigue-sigue '-an undocumented corn crop that resembled the traits of a roundup-ready Bt corn. Despite not being promoted by any organization, this unidentified crop was extensively being used and adopted in Mindanao, Philippines.
Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches, this study surveyed 187 farmer-adopters to know their socio-demographic characteristics and farmrelated profile; conducted focus groups to 88 farmer-adopters to analyze their adoption flow and general pattern of uptake pathways; and interviewed 27 informants for framework development.
Analysis of the uptake pathways revealed that farmer-adopters seemed to operate in three separate worlds divided into the marginalizing situation of indigenous people to whom the undocumented crop was being attributed to, the unique case of dependency of the Bt corn farmer-adopters to their seed traders and financiers, and the unique experiences of farmers whose life has been changed by adopting the unknown corn crop. A framework called the 4Cs in the adoption of a corn variety with perceived herbicide tolerance was developed to explain this social phenomenon.