Effects of Credit Utilization on Youth Farmers’ Rice Output in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, Nigeria

The study examined the effects of credit utilization on the output of the youth rice farmers in Nigeria. It also examined the sources of information on credit available to the farmers; the use of the credit and the problems encountered by the farmers in having access to credit. Primary data was used for the study. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data collected for the study. Results of the findings showed that “past experience" is the major source of information on credit used by the farmers, though the farmers prefer cooperative societies to every other source of credit information. Banks, cooperative societies and Esusu/saving groups are the major sources of credit to the farmers. The mean amount of credit obtained by the farmers is N132, 301. The most of the farmers spent their credits on fertilizers, seeds and farmland expansion. The major problems faced by the farmers in accessing credit are: insufficient amount, lack of collateral and high interest rates. However, the general effect of credit utilization by the farmers is increased output. It is therefore recommended that banks are situated in the study area and they should disburse sufficient loans to the farmers at affordable interest rates. The farmers should also form cooperative and savings groups in order to enjoy economies of scale in accessing credit facilities

Assessment of Usage of Upgraded Indigenous Shea Butter Processing Technology by Women Processors in Kwara State, Nigeria

The study was carried out in Agbaku-Eji in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State, Nigeria, to assess the usage of upgraded indigenous Shea Butter Processing Technology by Women processors. All the 61 members of the Shea Butter Cooperative Society was used for the study. An interview schedule was used to obtain information from the respondents. Statistical analysis such as frequency counts and percentages were used to analyse the data. Chi-square was used to test the stated hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The result of the study showed that the mean age of the respondents was 45 years, they were all married .and 77% of the respondents have had no formal education, 54.1% had over 15 years of experience in Shea butter processing and 95% earned over N50,000.00 as their annual income from Shea butter. About 91.8% engaged in Shea butter processing as the main source of livelihood. The study further showed no significant relationship between level of usage of Shea butter upgraded technology and socio-economic characteristics of women processors. However, there was significant relationship between Shea butter processing and usage of upgraded technology. Despite the constraints experienced by the women processors, the study revealed that they preferred the use of the new technology that is, upgraded technology to the indigenous method they were used to. The study recommends the promotion of upgraded technology by Raw Material Research and Development Council, the Federal and State Governments and Private Sector Investment to all Women Shea Butter Processors in Nigeria.Key words: Upgraded Technology, Women Processors, Shea Butter Processing

Perceived Factors Limiting Rice Production in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, Nigeria

The study examined the perceived factors limiting rice production in five selected villages in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, Nigeria. The study area was purposively selected based on their known potentials for rice production. One Hundred and Ten (110) rice farmers were selected for the study. An interviewed scheduled was used to obtain information from the farmers. Frequency counts, percentage and means were used to analyze the data. The study revealed that 87% of the respondents fall between 41 – 50 years age category, about 82% were married, about 81% were Muslim, about 92% had farming as there main occupation and 32% had no formal education. The perceived limiting factors in rice production include lack of rice processing machines 59.1%, financial constraints 42.7%, illiteracy 30.0%, poor access to input 22.7%, pest and disease 21.0%, poor transportation 11.8%, fluctuation in climate 11.8%, lack of extension service 10.9% and lack of storage facilities 10.9% respectively. It is recommended that government should assist the rice farmers with the provision of rice processing machines (such as threashers and destoners) and credit facilities so as to improve the quality and quantity of rice produced in the study area

Irrigation farmers motivation for participating in social networking in North Central Nigeria

The study focused on the motivation of farmers in participating in social networking on the use of irrigations in north central Nigeria.  For the purpose of the study, social networking for this study consist of water users Association, Cooperative Societies, Agricultural  Agency, Farmers Group, Family, Neighbourhood, Religious Group, Community Based Organizations, Non- Governmental Organization and Input Suppliers that are operating within the lower Niger River Basin Authority Irrigation sites at Shonga, Oke-oyi and Ejiba in North Central Nigeria. One hundred and ninety four irrigation farmers were randomly selected from three irrigation farming areas in two states of Kwara and Kogi in north central Nigeria. Data were obtained using a structured questionnaire. The Motivation for undertaking irrigation farming and their level of participation in social networking were measured through a 4-point likert scale while the data was analysed using descriptive statistics and Pearson product moment correlation. The findings showed that all the respondents (100%) were male, 94.6% were married and more than half (54.1%) of the respondents had no formal education, the result revealed family had the highest mean (3.86) based on their level of participation in social networking which was followed by water users association (3.82). Respondents ranked market information (2.47) as the most important contribution of social networking to the use of irrigation while Agricultural Extension Agency (2.85) was ranked as the most effective social networking in providing access to resource for irrigation farming. The result of Pearson product moment correlation revealed that there is significant relationship between their motivation for undertaking irrigation farming and their level of participation in social networking (r= 0.159; p < 0.05). Based on the findings, it is therefore recommended among others that farmers involved in irrigation farming should come together to form functional groups that can access resources for irrigation farming. Key Words: Farmers, Irrigation, Motivation, Social Networkin

Effect of Climate Change on the Health of Rural Farmers in Offa, Kwara State, Nigeria

The study examined the effect of climate change on the health of rural farmers in Offa, Kwara State. Nigeria. For the purpose of achieving the objectives of the study Ninety-eight (98) respondents were randomly sampled from ten wards. Data were collected through interview scheduled couple with a well structured questionnaire. The data were analysed through the use of frequency count, simple percentages and Pearson product moment correlation (PPMC). The result of the study indicated that the mean age is 45.5%. 68.4% are male. 53.1% were married. 72.4% were literate with only 14.3% non-literate. The study further revealed a significant relationship between socio-economic characteristics of the respondents and their present health status (r=0.344, p=0.001 α=0.05) The study also revealed a significant relationship between socio-economic characteristics of the respondents and their perceived effect of climate change on their health status (r=0.381,p=0.001,α=0.05). More so the major source of information of the respondents on climate change were through radio/television (mean=61.3) while only few (mean=36.3) heard from research institute, majority of the respondents health status were  good (49.0%) they usually have deviation from normal health status as consequence of climate change. The common ailment they experienced is malaria (31.6%) while only few had headache and cholera (3.1%). It was concluded that their major source of information on climate change was through radio. More so it was deduced from the study that malaria is the most common and severe disease affecting the respondents with tuberculosis which is less severe. It was recommended that government should educate farmers through the mass media such as use of radio, newspaper and television on the need to plant trees to combat the effect of the ozone layers depletion which is also associated to climate change.Key words: Climate and Climate change, Ozone layers, Malaria, Health  status, Headache

Effects of Climate Change on Poultry Production in Ondo State, Nigeria

The study assessed the effects of climate change on poultry production in Ondo State, Nigeria. Eighty three (83) poultry farmers were interviewed to elicit relevant information in line with the objectives of the study. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistical tools were used for data analysis. Findings revealed that majority (93.3%) of the respondents are aware of climate change, 78%, 98.8% and 86.7% of the respondents agreed that temperature fluctuation, increased in sunshine intensity and global warming has a negative effects on poultry production, 72.4% of the respondents agreed that prices of feed grains are usually high in hot and dry seasons which may affect cost of production and number of birds to raise for egg and meat production in the farm, 73.5% of the respondents agreed that climate change has effect on feed grain availability, this implies that high temperature and low rainfall are climatic factors that affect general grain harvest, their supply to the market and ultimately cost of poultry production. the findings further revealed that 94% of the respondents agreed that climate change affects egg and meat production pattern and 95.2% of the respondents agreed that moist climatic conditions encouraged the distribution and development of diseases. Inferential statistics shows that there is a significant relationship between respondents’ socio – economic characteristics and perception of poultry farmers on effects of climate change on poultry production since p > 0.05 (r = 0.454, p= 0.001), the results also revealed there is a significant relationship between socio-economic characteristics of respondents and their level of awareness of climate change since the p > 0.05 (r = 0.652, p= 0.001). It is recommended extension agents and other development agencies need to educate the poultry farmers more about the effects posed by climate change on poultry production and intensify awareness campaign to poultry farmers on how to reduce the effects of climate change on poultry production.Key words: Climate, Climate change, Temperature, Poultry, Farmers, Perception

Determinants of Value Addition Initiatives Use by Fish Farmers in Kwara and Kogi States, North Central Nigeria

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Sacred Forests : Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Beliefs for Conservation of Forests in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria

The study was designed to assess the use of indigenous knowledge in forest conservation by the local people of Ifo Local Government Area (LGA) of Ogun State. Purposeful sampling technique was used to select two villages: Balogun and Ososun in Oke-pata community, Ifo LGA. The communities were selected based on their housing of sacred forests dedicated to one god or the other. The respondents for the study include traditional rulers and chiefs, forest priests, rural dwellers and selected key informants. Seventy-one respondents were interviewed through the useof structured questionnaire complemented with field observation and in-depth interview. All the sampled respondents (100%) were aware of at least a sacred forest in their respective communities. In Ososun community, the respondents mentioned Igbo Igunuko (59%) and Igbo Oro (41%) as their sacred forest, while all the dwellers in Balogun mentioned Igbo so’ro, which housed a river, believed to possess powers that heal children of their diseases. About 95.8% of the respondents affirmed that people were not allowed to extract products from the sacred forests. However, all the respondents (100%) affirmed the susceptibility of religious activities in the sacred forests. Some of the resources protected in the sacred forests are rare plants and animal species as well as the customs and beliefs of the people. Among the perceptions of the local people in the sacred forest include: the sacred forest is the foundation of the communities; the forest is a place of residence of the gods of the land, rituals done in the forests determine the productivity of the rural communities, and women and unauthorized people must not enter to avoid the punishment by the gods. There should be policies that protect the indigenous peoples’ cultural heritage such as the sacred forest so that they would not be tampered with during developmental projects resulting from urbanisation and other land competing activities. Keywords: Sacred forest, cultural belief, conservation, indigenous knowledge, religious activitie

Assessment of Training Needs of Cashew Farmers in Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria

The study assessed the training needs of cashew farmers in Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. Using structured questionnaire, data were collected from eighty (80) randomly selected cashew farmers in five villages of Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State. The findings revealed that the mean age of the respondents was 46.5 years. Majority (87.5%) of them attended one form of education or the other and about seventy percent of the respondents had been farming for more than 10 years. The tasks performed by the cashew farmers ranged from land preparation to harvesting and storage of farm produce. The study identified strong training needs for cashew farmers in the study area on water management, transplanting, harvesting and storage and nursery preparation. The correlation analysis showed that farming experience had significant relationship with the respondents' training needs (r=0.489, p=0.05). In order to improve performance and increase productivity, adequate training is required for cashew farmers with respect to the identified areas where they indicated needs for training.Keywords: Assessment, Tasks performed, Training Needs, Cashew Farmers, Owan Eas

Need For Privatization Of Agricultural Extension Services In Nigeria

The Federal Government of Nigeria has in the past been involved in too many enterprises which should have been left for private ownership. In line with current world trends of less government but more market intervention, the Federal Government is now encouraging privatization. This paper discussed the need for privatization of Agricultural extension services in Nigeria. It examined the objectives of the Federal Government privatization andcommercialization programme, it examined the meaning and forms of privatization. The paper discussed three reasons why there is the need for privatization of Agricultural Extension Services in Nigeria and backed it with findings of two past studies on the need for privatization of extension services in Nigeria