The Impact of Adopting Improved Wheat Technology on the Productivity and Income of Households in Misha District, Southern Ethiopia.

Wheat rust disease is a major constraint of wheat production in Ethiopia. Thus, this study is carried out to examine the impact of rust resistant wheat varieties on the productivity and income of households in Misha district in Southern Ethiopia. Using a household survey, cross-sectional data were collected from 387 randomly selected households. Descriptive statics and propensity score matching methods were used for data analysis to achieve the objectives of the study. Propensity score matching method was used to measure the impact of adopting rust-resistant improved wheat varieties on productivity and income of households. The study has found that age and education level of household head, land size, livestock holding, frequency of extension contact, and access to credit services were factors that significantly affected adoption of rust-resistant improved wheat varieties. Using the propensity score matching method, the study found that the adoption of rust-resistant improved wheat had a positive impact on average wheat productivity and income of households. Moreover, the results were insensitive to unobserved heterogeneity bias. This indicates that adoption of the technology has a positive contribution to households' wellbeing. Therefore, government and concerned bodies should better give due attention to the development, dissemination, and scaling up of rust-resistant improved wheat varieties.