Adoption of inland valley farming and rice production practices: Evidence from smallholder farmers in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana

Abstract Inland valley wetlands in West African countries are considered to hold immense potential for rice-based production systems. Policies to increase rice production in inland valleys have until now not lived up to expectations. Previous studies have examined biophysical factors that affect the adoption of inland valley farming, but little empirical work has explored the socio-economic drivers of adoption. This study explores the determinants of farmers’ decisions to adopt inland valley farming and rice production in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana using probit model with data collected from 742 farmers. We show that owners of perennial tree crops are less likely to adopt inland valley farming and rice production than non-owners. This could be because perennial tree crops yield higher economic returns and provide financial stability, also for the next generation, than inland valley farming and rice production. Furthermore, farm size positively correlates with inland valley farming, but households with larger farms tend not to opt for rice production. Our results underscore that the relation between farm size and agricultural production decisions may depend on the type of agricultural practice. These results suggest that policymakers could strengthen local institutions and service providers to target specific groups of farmers when promoting inland valley farming and rice production.