Understanding seed technology adoption and brand switching behavior among small-scale farmers in Southern Africa: A comparative study of Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe

This study investigates the factors influencing hybrid maize seed adoption across Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe using Stata software for statistical analysis. The dataset, consisting of 527 observations, includes 441 hybrid maize adopters (84%) and 86 non-adopters (16%). The analysis utilized descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and generalized linear modeling (GLM) to assess the impact of variables such as age, family size, marital status, education, seed source, and geographic location on adoption rates. Descriptive statistics revealed significant differences in farming experience by country, with Malawi showing a predominance of farmers with 6–10 years of experience, Mozambique with 0–5 years, and Zimbabwe with 11–15 years and 6–10 years. Chi-square tests indicated significant associations between country and farming experience ( χ 2 (10) = 40.28, p < 0.001), as well as between seed source and adoption rates ( χ 2 = 18.48, p < 0.001), while other variables like seed source from distributors and agro dealers did not significantly impact adoption. GLM results highlighted that having 1–3 years of brand experience reduced the odds of adoption by 20.2% (OR = 0.798, p = 0.022), and smaller family sizes were linked to lower adoption odds (family size male < 10: OR = 0.605, p < 0.001). Adoption rates varied significantly by country, with Malawi showing 100% adoption, while Mozambique and Zimbabwe had lower rates (80% and 70%, respectively). The overall model fit was significant (χ² = 42.784, p < 0.001), emphasizing the importance of geographic context, family size, and seed source in hybrid maize adoption decisions. These findings provide insights for targeted interventions to enhance hybrid maize adoption in different regional contexts.