Drought-tolerant maize varieties have been introduced to address climate change impacts in Ethiopia's Northern regions, where smallholder farmers face significant challenges in crop productivity. A mixed-methods approach combining quantitative data from surveys with qualitative insights from in-depth interviews to analyse farmer perceptions and practices related to these agricultural innovations. Farmers showed an initial high adoption rate of drought-tolerant maize varieties, particularly those benefiting from extension services. However, there was a notable drop-off in subsequent years due to limited access to credit and market linkages. The study concludes that while these varieties have the potential for increased resilience against climate change, their effective implementation requires supportive policies addressing economic barriers and improving farmer education on sustainable practices. Developing targeted extension programmes and providing financial support will be crucial to sustaining high adoption rates of drought-tolerant maize varieties in Northern Ethiopia's agricultural landscape. Drought-tolerant Maize, Smallholder Farmers, Adoption Dynamics, Northern Ethiopia
West et al. (Fri,) studied this question.