Adoption of Improved Soybean Varieties and their Impact on Household Food Security: A Case Study from Pawe District, Western Ethiopia

Agricultural technologies can enhance farmer welfare when yield improvements translate into better access to nutritionally adequate food. Improved crop varieties have shown considerable potential for strengthening household food security, improving consumption patterns, and increasing dietary diversity, thereby supporting better nutrition outcomes. This research examined the determinants of improved soybean variety adoption and its consequences for household food security. Data were collected from selected households in Pawe district. The analysis employed Double Hurdle models to identify factors affecting both adoption decisions and intensity of adoption of improved soybean varieties. An Endogenous Switching Regression (ESR) model was utilized to evaluate the technology's impact on food security, using three proxy indicators: the food security scale, food consumption score, and household dietary diversity score. Results from the Double Hurdle analysis indicated that household size, farm size, presence of adopter neighbors, market proximity, access to extension services and credit, farmer perceptions, training participation, and total household income significantly influenced both the probability and intensity of improved soybean adoption. The ESR findings demonstrated that adoption of improved soybean varieties led to increases in average dietary diversity score and food consumption score by 0.53 and 5.91 points, respectively. Furthermore, the food security scale estimation revealed that adoption reduced food insecurity by 2.56 units. These findings collectively suggest that promoting the adoption of improved soybean varieties can meaningfully enhance the nutritional status of farming households.