DETERMINANTS OF FARMERS’ DOMESTICATION PREFERENCE FOR LOCUST BEAN TREE (Parkia biglobosa) IN KWARA AND OYO STATES, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the Locust beans tree (Parkia biglobosa) as a species whose products have a wide–range of socio-economic benefits, but relegated to the background among stakeholders in terms of cultivation unlike other economic trees. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select respondents for the study. Two states, namely Kwara and Oyo States were purposively selected, representing different vegetation zones which are savannah and forest zones respectively. Ten local government area (10 LGAs) were also selected purposively with three (3) from Kwara state (Asa, Edu and Moro LGAs) and seven (7) from Oyo State (Atisbo, Irepo, Iseyin, Itesiwaju, Olorunsogo, Orelope and Saki East). This was followed by random selection of two (2) village communities from each of the Ten (10) selected LGAs to make a total of twenty (20) communities selected for the study. Finally, fifteen (15) farmers were purposively selected from each of the 20 village communities, giving a total of three hundred (300) respondents selected for the study. A structured interview schedule was used to obtain information on socio-economic characteristics of respondents, factors influencing Parkia tree domestication (cultivation), perception towards Parkia tree domestication, domestication practices and levels and constraints to Parkia species domestication. Chi-Square, regression analysis, t-test and correlation coefficient were used to analyse collected data at 5% level of significance. The results showed that most of the respondents were still very active in farm work. Also majority (98.6%) of the respondents had locust beans trees in their farm and they utilized locust beans tree products. However, not less than 88.3% of the respondents settled for the practice of mere harvesting the tree products from the wild and maintenance of its wild (natural) stands in their farms without a conscious effort of planting or transplanting the tree through direct cultivation. This practice accounted for the low level domestication of the species.