Introduction of New Technologies in Agriculture: A Study of the Challenges in the Adoption of Hybrid Rice in India

Rice is India’s number one foodgrain and is crucial to its food security. Raising its production with increasing demand and escalating commodity prices is a major challenge. The promising hybrid rice technology, despite its success in neighboring China and Bangladesh, has faced serious difficulties in India. The study examines the complexities in the introduction and adoption behavior of hybrid rice. It develops a conceptual framework to understand the adoption which includes technological, economic, behavioral, market and policy factors. The research uses secondary data, interviews, and primary farmer sample surveys to explore and test the conceptual model. Preliminary specific findings on the processes, determinants and challenges in the adoption of hybrid rice are reported. This would help in identifying critical factors and recommendations of relevance to this and other such technologies.