Adoption of hybrid maize and tobacco in Malawi's smallholder farms: Effects on household food security

As a result of the policy changes in Malawi, tobacco as a new crop is being rapidly adopted on smallholder farms since the early 1990s. Hybrid maize varieties experienced a declining share in smallholder hectarage from 25% in 1992 to about 20% in 1993 and 1994, but then showed a strong revival. National crop production estimates for the production year 1996 predict a smallholder cropping share for hybrid maize of 29.6%. Based on an econometric model using 1994 household-level data, we analyze the determinants of adoption of hybrid maize and tobacco by smallholder farmers and assess the effects of adoption on farm income and consumption expenditures. The paper focuses on the determining factors and conducive policy environment for adoption of new crops or high-yielding varieties.