Theoretical Framework for Analysing Agricultural Technology Spillovers and Poverty Reduction in Smallholder Farming Systems in North West Nigeria

Agricultural technology spillovers, defined as the diffusion of productivity-enhancing innovations beyond direct programme beneficiaries, represent an undertheorised mechanism connecting technology adoption to broader poverty reduction pathways in smallholder systems. Existing analytical frameworks inadequately capture the spatial, social network, and market-mediated channels through which technology spillovers propagate in heterogeneous smallholder environments. This study develops and empirically validates a theoretical framework for analysing agricultural technology spillovers and poverty reduction in smallholder farming systems in North West Nigeria, using the groundnut and sorghum sectors as empirical anchors. The framework integrates social network theory, spatial econometric modelling, and general equilibrium reasoning to identify spillover mechanisms operating at household, community, and market levels. Primary data from 480 farming households across Zamfara, Kebbi, and Katsina States were combined with social network data and market price series for empirical validation. Spatial autoregressive models and network centrality measures were used in estimation. Results provided empirical support for the framework, demonstrating significant positive spatial and network-mediated technology spillovers that extended productivity gains to non-adopter households. Poverty reduction effects were found to operate through both direct productivity pathways and indirect market-price and labour market channels. This theoretical contribution fills a significant gap in the agricultural economics literature on technology impact pathways in Nigerian semi-arid smallholder systems. Keywords: technology spillovers, theoretical framework, poverty reduction, North West Nigeria, spatial econometrics.