Table 2 Definition of variables hypothesized to influence the adoption of improved rice technology packages

Demographic characteristics

 Gender

Gender of the household head

0 = female, 1 = male

 ± 

 Age

Age of the household head

Years

 ± 

 Rice experience

Experience of the household in rice farming

Years

 + 

 Family Education

Average education level of the family

Years of schooling

 + 

 Household size

Number of family members

Number

 ± 

Asset Ownership

 Total cultivated land

Cultivated area

Area in ha

 ± 

 Rice area

Total area covered by rice

Area in ha

 ± 

 TLU

Livestock ownership

TLU

 + 

 Rice income

Income from sale of rice

Birr

 + 

 Mobile phone

Mobile phone ownership

1 = Yes, 0 = No

 + 

 Radio

Radio ownership

1 = Yes, 0 = No

 + 

 Non/off-farm

Non or off-farm income

1 = Yes, 0 = No

 ± 

Institutional Variables

 Extension

Frequency of extension contact in a year

Count

 + 

 Receive credit

Did you receive credit last year

1 = Yes, 0 = No

 + 

 Irrigation access

Did you have access to irrigation

1 = Yes, 0 = No

 + 

 Market distance

distance to main market in walking minutes

Walking minutes

-

 Coop membership

Membership of the HH on cooperative

1 = Yes, 0 = No

 + 

 Social capital index (The social capital index is an index number calculated using the membership of the household heads in local and social institutions or organizations Equb, Edir, Debo, Kebele administration, development committee, and religious group) ranging from zero to one.)

Index of social capital

Number

 + 

Plot characteristics

 Soil fertility

Soil fertility status perception

0 = fertile,1 = medium, 2 = infertile

 ± 

 Plot distance

Rice plot distance from the residence

Distance in km

−

 Crop rotation

Crop rotation practice in the plot

1 = Yes, 0 = No

 ± 

 Rice ecosystem

Rice ecology

1 = lowland, 0 = upland

 ±