Abstract The study investigated the factors influencing adoption of improved cultivars of macadamia (Macadamia spp) among small-scale farmers in Embu County, Kenya. Data was collected from a sample of 384 small-scale farmers obtained through multistage stratified sampling technique and probability proportionate to size in ten sub-locations in the study area. Binary Logit model was used to determine the effect of selected institutional and socio-economic factors on adoption of improved cultivars of macadamia. The results revealed that education level, access to extension services and farm size had significant positive influence on adoption of improved cultivars of macadamia while age of the farmer and market distance had a negative influence on the same. There is need to encourage the youth to embrace macadamia farming and to develop smart marketing strategies to promote adoption of improved cultivars.