Determinants of adoption and intensity of use of balanced nutrient management systems technologies in the northern Guinea savanna of Nigeria

As part of a major effort to address soil fertility decline in West Africa, a project on Balanced Nutrient Management Systems (BNMS) has since 2000 been implemented in the northern Guinea savanna (NGS) of Nigeria. The project has tested and promoted two major technology packages, including a combined application of inorganic fertilizer and manure (BNMS-manure) and a soybean/maize rotation practice referred to as BNMS-rotation. This study employed Tobit model to examine factors that influence the adoption and intensity of utilization of BNMS technologies in the NGS of Nigeria. Results showed that less than 10% of the sample households adopted at least one of the two components of the technology package by the end of 2002. However, by 2005 the adoption of BNMS-rotation had reached 40% while that of BNMS-manure had reached 48%. A number of factors such as access to credit, farmers’ perception of the state of land degradation, and assets ownership were found to be significant in determining farmers’ adoption decisions on BNMS-manure while off-farm income was found to be significant in determining farmers’ adoption decisions on BNMS-rotation. Extension services and farmer-to-farmer technology diffusion channels were the major means of transfer of BNMS technologies.Adoption, BNMS-manure, BNMS-rotation, Northern Guinea Savanna (NGS)., Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Crop Production/Industries, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty, Health Economics and Policy, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, International Relations/Trade, Livestock Production/Industries, Productivity Analysis, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Economic impacts of soil fertility management research in West Africa

This paper assesses the potential economic impacts of balanced nutrient management systems technology options: BNMS-manure, which combines inorganic fertilizer and organic manure, and BNMS-rotation, which is maize–soybean rotation, in maize-based systems in the northern Guinea savanna areas of Nigeria, Ghana, Togo and Benin. The economic surplus analysis suggested that BNMS-manure research and extension could achieve returns ranging from 17 to 25% and a maximum adoption of 24 to 48%, for the conservative and base scenario respectively; and that BNMS-rotation research and extension could achieve returns ranging from 35 to 43% and a maximum adoption of 20 to 40%, for the conservative and base scenario respectively. Our results were consistent with earlier economic analyses which showed that BNMS-rotation was more productive, profitable and acceptable to farmers than BNMS-manure. It may be difficult to achieve large-scale adoption of BNMS-manure because the increases in yields are smaller and markets for manure are missing

Determinants of adoption and intensity of use of balanced nutrient management systems technologies in the northern Guinea savanna of Nigeria

As part of a major effort to address soil fertility decline in West Africa, a project on Balanced Nutrient Management Systems (BNMS) has since 2000 been implemented in the northern Guinea savanna (NGS) of Nigeria. The project has tested and promoted two major technology packages, including a combined application of inorganic fertilizer and manure (BNMS-manure) and a soybean/maize rotation practice referred to as BNMS-rotation. This study employed Tobit model to examine factors that influence the adoption and intensity of utilization of BNMS technologies in the NGS of Nigeria. Results showed that less than 10% of the sample households adopted at least one of the two components of the technology package by the end of 2002. However, by 2005 the adoption of BNMS-rotation had reached 40% while that of BNMS-manure had reached 48%. A number of factors such as access to credit, farmers’ perception of the state of land degradation, and assets ownership were found to be significant in determining farmers’ adoption decisions on BNMS-manure while off-farm income was found to be significant in determining farmers’ adoption decisions on BNMS-rotation. Extension services and farmer-to-farmer technology diffusion channels were the major means of transfer of BNMS technologies