Possible Predictors Determining the Adoption of Potatoes (Solanum Tuberosum) into a Wheat- (Triticum Aestivum) Based Cropping System in Mokhotlong, Lesotho

The main objective of the study was to identify possible predictors of adoption of potatoes into a wheat-based cropping system. In this study nine explanatory variables were tested against two dependent variables (p= 0,15). The explanatory variables were gender, age, training, land ownership, soil type, household size, number of household members below the age of six (< 6) years, number of household members between 6 and 18 years of age and farming experience. The dependent variables tested were: crops adopted by farmers and household knowledge on soil fertility. Of all the nine explanatory variables tested against crops adopted, only two categorical variables, namely training (p=0,11) and land ownership (p=0,09), and one continuous variable, farming experience (p=0,02), were significant possible predictors. Of all the three variables (gender, age and training) tested against household knowledge on soil fertility, only gender emerged as a significant possible predictor (p=0,01). Farmers' years of experience and level of knowledge on soil fertility indicated a significant relationship (p=0,00) with a correlation coefficient of 0,25.