ADOPTION OF SOIL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES BY SMALLHOLDER CROP FARMERS IN ONDO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigates the adoption of soil management practices by smallholder crop farmers in Ondo State of Nigeria. Data were collected from one hundred and twenty (120) farmers through a multi-stage random sampling technique from four Local Government Areas of the State, namely: Okitipupa, Irele, Odigbo and Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo Local Government Areas. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as percentage, frequencies, table, and charts to examine the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers in the areas. Three binary logit models were set up as maintenance of vegetation cover, non-tillage with herbicide and fallow models respectively. The descriptive statistics showed that 70.9% of the crop farmers were active with an age class of between 20 and 49 years. It was deduced that 83.3% of the studied farmers were male while marital status of the respondents was 75.8%. It was also reported that 26.7% of the respondents lived with a family size of 5 and 9. However, educational status of the farmers indicated that a pool of 68.3% had one form of education or the other. Education spurs farmers to embrace innovations package on the conservation of soil erosion. The analysis also showed that 59.2% of the farmers had been in farming for over 11 years while the study also shows that 80% the farmers has no access to extension services. About 81.7% of the farmers perceived problem of soil erosion on their farm plots while 79.2% of sheet erosion that farmers experienced occurred by water agent (86.7%). Consequently, 40% of the farmers’ income was lost to soil erosion and the result also indicated that the frontier of cropland in the areas was limited and this had made the fallow length reduce. The result also showed that farmers’ major constraints were poor market prices (29.2%) and absence of information in the area with a statistical analysis of 25% as well as shortage of land (20.8%) in the areas. However, the result of the individual binary logit model analyzed showed that probability of adopting the maintenance of vegetation cover, non–tillage with herbicide and fallow practices was conditioned and shaped by the following factors, all things being equal, age of household head in years, sex, household size, experience of household head in years, extension service, income level of farmers, inputs and output prices, farm size, and tenancy and productivity of the adopted technique. They were not only statistically significant at 5% level, but the result also showed that there was a significant relationship between the socio-economic variables and the adoption of soil management practices. The study also recommended that priority should be given to address problems of poverty, rapid population growth, land policy conflict, technical and Infrastructural problems as well as problem of unemployment particularly in the areas and generally in Nigeria.