Endogenous pathways and dissemination of personal cleanliness and family hygiene to rural farmers in South Eastern Nigeria

The study investigated the effectiveness of endogenous channels in transferring messages on personal cleanliness and family hygiene to rural farmers. The study was carried out in Southeastern Agro-Ecological zone of Nigeria. Four research objectives were proposed to guide the study. Multi stage sampling technique was used to select respondents for the study. Four states were selected for the study; two states that participated in UNICEF promoted community dialogue and two that never participated. Two LGAs were sampled from each of the states and from each LGA, two autonomous communities. Twenty-five respondents were sampled from each of the communities. This gave a total of two hundred respondents from each group of rural farmers. A set of questionnaire was used to elicit information from the respondents. Frequency counts, percentages, mean as well as Z-Statistic were used to analyse the data collected from the study. Result of the analysis shows that respondents that participated in the community dialogue had better knowledge, attitude and behaviour towards the messages on personal cleanliness and family hygiene than the nonparticipants. Result of the Z-Statistic shows that at 1 per cent level of significance there are differences in the attitude and behaviour of participants and nonparticipants towards messages on personal cleanliness and family hygiene. Based on the result it was recommended that Non-Governmental Organisations, government agencies and media houses disseminating messages on sanitation and hygiene should use communication channels that are integrative and appeal to both the senses of the audience and their social status.Keywords: Message, Channel, Endogenous, Rural Transfer, and Communicatio

Differentials in market participation among cocoyam farmers in Enugu State, Nigeria

The study was conducted to empirically investigate determinants of market participation among cocoyam farmers in Udenu, Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu state. Structured questionnaires were used to obtain data from the respondents. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics and probit regression analytical procedure. The results of the descriptive statistics showed that majority of the respondents were females (65%) who had an average farm size of 4ha and 10 years farming experience. The coefficient of gender and household size had an indirect relationship with market participation at 10% level of significance respectively. The coefficient of farming experience and income had a direct relationship with market participation at 5% and 10% level of probability each. The study recommends policies targeted at the provision of storage facilities and processing machines to avoid post-harvest losses, access to micro credit facilities should be encouraged, access to farm input such as pesticides, fertilizers and improved planting materials at affordable rates, good infrastructure (road network), and training of farmers should go a long way in strengthening and promoting market participation for cocoyam in the study area.Keywords: Cocoyam, Market and Participatio