Willingness to pay for drone technology in the application of pesticides for control of FallArmy Worm

In Ghana, maize is one of the major staple food crops. Since 2016, it has been plagued by fall armyworm, leaving production capacity below the national average. The introduction of drone technology is to assist farmers to reduce havoc caused by fall armyworm. The majority of research done in the area of drone technology has focused on the technical and mechanical aspects. This gap gives rise to this study, as the study seeks to ascertain the willingness to pay for drone technology in the application of pesticides for fall armyworm control. The study adopted a quantitative research approach and cross-sectional survey design to ascertain the interplay of variables, using a sample of 152 maize farmers in the Northern and North East Region of Ghana. The research used a questionnaire as the data collection tool with binary logistic regression for analysis. The majority of respondents were willing to pay for drone technology but did not have the resource to purchase. Their decision was influence by their source of income, access to credit and input. The study recommends that the cost of drone technology be reduced to make it affordable for all categories of farmers.