DETERMINANTS OF ADOPTION OF IMPROVED CASSAVA PRODUCTION PRACTICES AMONG FARMERS IN ONDO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined the determinants of adoption of improved Cassava production practices among farmers in Ondo State, Nigeria. The specific objectives sought to ascertain some socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents, identify the improved cassava production practices disseminated to the respondents, determine the adoption level of improved cassava production practices by the respondents, examine the farmers perceptions about improved cassava production practices and ascertain the constraints affecting adoption of improved cassava production practices by the respondents. To achieve the stated objectives, through a multi stage sampling procedure, data were collected using a well- structured interview schedule, administered to 120 farmers. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as frequency, percentages, Chi-Square, Regression and Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. The study revealed that the average age of the respondents was 46 years; Male respondents constituted the Majority (75%), with the mean household size of 6 persons while Majority (51.7%) had cassava farming experience of between 16 to 30 years with mean cassava farming experience of 19 years. About 95.8 percent had cassava farm size of between 1 to 2 hectares with the mean farm size of 1.5 hectares while 50.8 percent had annual income of between N 100,000 to N 300,000 with the mean annual income of N 411,475. About 95.8% of the respondents had Extension Agents as the source of information on improved cassava production practices. Also, 92.1 percent of the respondents planted cassava varieties TMS 30572. The result about the respondents’ perceptions shows that they had positive perceptions toward improved cassava production practices with the grand mean of (𝑥̅ = 3.60) for the positive perceptions and the grand mean of (𝑥̅ = 4.03) for the negative perceptions. Determinants such as Age (t= -2.39; p ≤ 0.05) and Marital Status (b= 2.33; p ≤ 0.05) were shown to significantly influence adoption of improved cassava production practices. The constraints to the adoption of improved cassava production practices include; lack of farm credits, inadequate land, high cost of using new technologies and lack of resources to carry out necessary activities associated with new technologies. The results show that there was a significant relationship between some socio-economic characteristics of the respondents such as age (r = 0.203, p< 0.05), cassava farming experience (r = 0.226, p< 0.05) and their level of adoption of improved cassava production practices. Whereas, there was no significant relationship between respondents’ constraints and level of adoption of improved cassava production practices (r = 0.006, P = 0.952). There was also a significant relationship between the perceptions of the respondents and the level of adoption of improved cassava production practices (r = 0.238, P = ˂0.05). The study concluded that age, marital status and perception were the determinants to the adoption of improved cassava production practices. It was therefore recommended that, there should be provision of credits, which are accessible and available to farmers either through the Bank of Agriculture or other financial institutions so as to enhance their production. Efforts should be made by Governments at all levels to make land available for cultivation especially in the areas where government lands are lying fallow for interested farmers to enhance their production. Stakeholders should target younger farmers in the introduction of new technologies as age was a strong determinant to adoption.