Adoption of Recommended Agrochemical Practices among Crop Farmers in Kaduna and Ondo States, Nigeria

This study assessed the level of adoption of recommended practices of agrochemicals among crop farers in Kaduna and Ondo States of Nigeria. It measured the perception of farmers on pesticides and their knowledge on the harmful effects of pesticides. A total of 260 crop farmers who have sustained the use of agrochemicals for at least five years were selected for the study using multi-stage sampling technique. Descriptive statistics (mean and percentages) was used for data analysis. Data was collected using pretested, structured interview schedule. The results obtained revealed that the perception of 33.1% of the farmers was considering pesticides as always good whereas 30% of the farmers perceived pesticides as sometimes harmful. All (100%) respondents indicated that pesticides cause damage to human health. Furthermore, the level of adoption of recommended agrochemical practices (RAPs) was generally low (weighted mean =1.49) despite high level of awareness (weighted mean =2.24). This study therefore, recommends that campaign for attitudinal changes on the use of agrochemical should be mounted by extension agencies in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.   Â

Adoption of Recommended Agrochemical Practices among Crop Farmers in Kaduna and Ondo States, Nigeria

This study assessed the level of adoption of recommended practices of agrochemicals among crop farers in Kaduna and Ondo States of Nigeria. It measured the perception of farmers on pesticides and their knowledge on the harmful effects of pesticides. A total of 260 crop farmers who have sustained the use of agrochemicals for at least five years were selected for the study using multi-stage sampling technique. Descriptive statistics (mean and percentages) was used for data analysis. Data was collected using pretested, structured interview schedule. The results obtained revealed that the perception of 33.1% of the farmers was considering pesticides as always good whereas 30% of the farmers perceived pesticides as sometimes harmful. All (100%) respondents indicated that pesticides cause damage to human health. Furthermore, the level of adoption of recommended agrochemical practices (RAPs) was generally low (weighted mean =1.49) despite high level of awareness (weighted mean =2.24). This study therefore, recommends that campaign for attitudinal changes on the use of agrochemical should be mounted by extension agencies in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.   Â

Factors Influencing Smallholder Farmers Participation in IFAD-Community Based Agricultural and Rural Development Project in Katsina State

This study assessed smallholder farmers’ participation in IFAD-Community Based Agricultural and Rural Development Project in Katsina State. Data for the study were obtained by the use of structured questionnaire. Multistage sampling technique was employed to select the 698 respondents. In the first stage, a purposive sampling technique was used to select one village area that had the highest participating farmers out of the three village areas in each LGA. The second stage involved the use of systematic random sampling technique to select 12% of the population. This gave a total of three hundred and fourty nine (349) participating farmers from the twelve participating village areas. Also, 349 non-participating farmers were selected from neighbouring communities using systematic random sampling. Descriptive statistics and logit regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The result shows that 23% of the participating farmers were between the ages of 46-50 years and 91% were males. The result also shows that level of education with coefficient value of (-0.309), household size (-0.041), farm size (0.801), membership of cooperative (0.547) and extension contact (-0.283) were the factors influencingsmallholder farmers participation in the project. The result further shows that inadequate capital, inadequate agricultural credits and inadequate storage facilities were the major constraints to participation in the programme. The study recommends that extension workers should assist farmers to form viable co-operatives associations and where they are in existence, efforts should be made to strengthen them for easy access to credit, farm inputs and markets for their agricultural products

Factors Influencing Smallholder Farmers Participation in IFAD-Community Based Agricultural and Rural Development Project in Katsina State

This study assessed smallholder farmers’ participation in IFAD-Community Based Agricultural and Rural Development Project in Katsina State. Data for the study were obtained by the use of structured questionnaire. Multistage sampling technique was employed to select the 698 respondents. In the first stage, a purposive sampling technique was used to select one village area that had the highest participating farmers out of the three village areas in each LGA. The second stage involved the use of systematic random sampling technique to select 12% of the population. This gave a total of three hundred and fourty nine (349) participating farmers from the twelve participating village areas. Also, 349 non-participating farmers were selected from neighbouring communities using systematic random sampling. Descriptive statistics and logit regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The result shows that 23% of the participating farmers were between the ages of 46-50 years and 91% were males. The result also shows that level of education with coefficient value of (-0.309), household size (-0.041), farm size (0.801), membership of cooperative (0.547) and extension contact (-0.283) were the factors influencingsmallholder farmers participation in the project. The result further shows that inadequate capital, inadequate agricultural credits and inadequate storage facilities were the major constraints to participation in the programme. The study recommends that extension workers should assist farmers to form viable co-operatives associations and where they are in existence, efforts should be made to strengthen them for easy access to credit, farm inputs and markets for their agricultural products

Socio-economic analysis of artisanal fisher folks in arid zone of Nigeria: a case study of Katsina State

As strange as it might seem, the arid zone of Nigeria, for all its water resource problems, contains some of the most productive inland fisheries in the whole of the country. Although there is no reliable estimate of annual production, it is widely recognized that the zone constitute an important fisheries area of Nigeria. This study was undertaken to establish the socio-economic characteristics of artisanal fisher folks in the arid zone of Nigeria to provide a much-needed base-line of information which could be used to set priorities for future planning and research. Katsina State was selected for the study and the bulk of the data were gathered between September, 2001 and June, 2002 through two phases of field work. The data shows that all the respondents were males, not surprising, because women involvement in agricultural production in the study area is insignificant. Fishing was the major occupation for 60 percent of them and the major source of income in each study site.Fish production was largely from streams, rivers, fadama, dams and ponds or pools. About 13 fish groups were mentioned as commonly found in the study sites. The study also reveals that major changes have occurred in the villages over the last 10 years as a results of fishing activities. This study has, therefore, established a base-line of information with a number of key policy issues emerging for future planning and research. (Af. J. of Livestock Extension: 2003 2: 13-18

Farmers Groups In Selected States Of Nigeria: A Need For Capacity Improvement

This study evaluated the characteristics ofFGs in Gombe, Kaduna andNiger states of Nigeria. Primary data for the study was collected through reconnaissance observation, group discussionsandstructuredinterviews with the FGmembers while secondary data were sourcedfrompublishedandunpublisheddocumentsrelatedto theproblem. total of 162 respondents drawn from 54 FGs were selected through a 5stage sampling procedure, from whom data on personal characteristics, FG membership, FG development,FGeconomic activitiesandconstraints were collected. The data collected was subjectedto frequency countsandpercentage analysis. The main conclusions and implications were that majority of FGs in the study area were established in the mid 1980s, aphenomenon which wasinspiredbygovernment'spolicyat the time. Apart from theirleadership structure, the rest of theirmode of operation is informal. Comparedwith their years of existence, their achieved growth and development was negligible and problematic. Their problems were low literacy, lack of funds, lack of technical and organizational skills and poor leadership. Their current condition has implications for agricultural extension services in the area. Extension organizations should ensure that extension workers acquire special trainingandskills to enable them dealeffectively with the extension issues of group formation, community organization and pluralistic extension approaches. In this regard, a keyrole ofextension is development technical and organizational capacities of the FGs to enable them organize themselves and take charge of theirown growth anddevelopment. EmpoweredFGs areplatforms for solving localproblems andmobilizingresources forsustainable development

Farmers Groups In Selected States Of Nigeria: A Need For Capacity Improvement

This study evaluated the characteristics ofFGs in Gombe, Kaduna andNiger states of Nigeria. Primary data for the study was collected through reconnaissance observation, group discussionsandstructuredinterviews with the FGmembers while secondary data were sourcedfrompublishedandunpublisheddocumentsrelatedto theproblem. total of 162 respondents drawn from 54 FGs were selected through a 5stage sampling procedure, from whom data on personal characteristics, FG membership, FG development,FGeconomic activitiesandconstraints were collected. The data collected was subjectedto frequency countsandpercentage analysis. The main conclusions and implications were that majority of FGs in the study area were established in the mid 1980s, aphenomenon which wasinspiredbygovernment'spolicyat the time. Apart from theirleadership structure, the rest of theirmode of operation is informal. Comparedwith their years of existence, their achieved growth and development was negligible and problematic. Their problems were low literacy, lack of funds, lack of technical and organizational skills and poor leadership. Their current condition has implications for agricultural extension services in the area. Extension organizations should ensure that extension workers acquire special trainingandskills to enable them dealeffectively with the extension issues of group formation, community organization and pluralistic extension approaches. In this regard, a keyrole ofextension is development technical and organizational capacities of the FGs to enable them organize themselves and take charge of theirown growth anddevelopment. EmpoweredFGs areplatforms for solving localproblems andmobilizingresources forsustainable development

Comparative Estimation of the Costs and Returns of Integrated Fish-Based Farming Systems in Kaduna Metropolis, Nigeria

The present study was conducted to know the costs and returns of three integrated fish-based farming (IFF) systems in Kaduna metropolis of Nigeria during 2015 to 2016 farming season. Primary data were collected through the structured questionnaire from 138 fished-based farmers and analyzed using net farm income and ANOVA. The results indicated that among the three integrated farming systems, fish-poultry farming was the most profitable farming with a net income of N1,166,441.80 and BCR of 1.69 followed by fish-vegetable farming with net income of N770,708.87 and BCR of 1.31. The least was fish-pig farming with a net income of N759, 052.11 and BCR 1.25. The ANOVA results showed that the calculated F value of 12.08 was significant at 1% probability level, implying that there was a significant difference in the profitability of the three fish-based farming systems in the study area. It was recommended that government and the private sector should provide adequate funding for livestock research that has to do with development of low cost, high quality feeds using local feed materials and manufacturing/fabrication of local machines

Adoption of Recommended Rice Production Practices among Women Rice Farmers in Nasarawa State, Nigeria

This study assessed the factors influencing adoption of recommended rice production practices (RRPPs) by women farmers in Nasarawa State. A total of 203 women rice farmers were selected for the study using multi-stage sampling procedure. Data were collected using structured interview schedule. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression were used for data analysis. Results reveal that majority (70.9%) of the respondents were less than 45 years old, married (82.5%), had below secondary education (80.0%), had farming experience of 10 years and above (80%), and inherited their farmlands (81.4%). Majority (78.4%) of the women rice farmers received not more than ₦60,000 credit in the last one year. ADP was the most important sources of information for the women rice farmers (M=2.12). Factors influencing adoption of RRPPs were farm size (2.6353, P<0.01), amount of credit assessed (0.1618, P<0.01), membership of association (-0.3248, P<0.01), relative advantage (0.2337, P<0.01), compatibility (0.3519, P<0.01) and complexity (-0.1251, P<0.05) significantly influenced adoption of RRPPs by women rice farmers in the study area. It was recommended that government should ensure that credit facilities are made available on regular basis to women farmers. Also, buy-back arrangement should be introduced in order to ensure good pricing for rice producers

Adoption of Recommended Rice Production Practices among Women Rice Farmers in Nasarawa State, Nigeria

This study assessed the factors influencing adoption of recommended rice production practices (RRPPs) by women farmers in Nasarawa State. A total of 203 women rice farmers were selected for the study using multi-stage sampling procedure. Data were collected using structured interview schedule. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression were used for data analysis. Results reveal that majority (70.9%) of the respondents were less than 45 years old, married (82.5%), had below secondary education (80.0%), had farming experience of 10 years and above (80%), and inherited their farmlands (81.4%). Majority (78.4%) of the women rice farmers received not more than ₦60,000 credit in the last one year. ADP was the most important sources of information for the women rice farmers (M=2.12). Factors influencing adoption of RRPPs were farm size (2.6353, P<0.01), amount of credit assessed (0.1618, P<0.01), membership of association (-0.3248, P<0.01), relative advantage (0.2337, P<0.01), compatibility (0.3519, P<0.01) and complexity (-0.1251, P<0.05) significantly influenced adoption of RRPPs by women rice farmers in the study area. It was recommended that government should ensure that credit facilities are made available on regular basis to women farmers. Also, buy-back arrangement should be introduced in order to ensure good pricing for rice producers