Socio-Economic Determinants of the Adoption of Improved Maize Varieties by Farmers in Shongom Local Government Area of Gombe State
Abstract
This study was designed to determine the socio-economic determinants of the adoption of improved maize varieties by farmers in Shongom Local Government Area of Gombe State, Nigeria. The study specifically described the socio-economic characteristics of maize farmers in Shongom LGA, determined the socio-economic factors influencing the adoption of maize varieties introduced to farmers and identified the constraints faced by farmers in the adoption of the maize varieties. Data were collected through structured questionnaire and focus group discussion and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed that majority of the respondents were male (84.96%), the mean age of respondents involved in maize farming was 36 yearsand46.90% of maize farmers had secondary school education. Also, above average (61.36%) of the respondents were married and the mean household size of the respondents was 8. The binary logit regression output shows that education, years of farming experience and extension contacts had positive and significant relationship with adoption of improved maize varieties; education, years of farming experience and extension contacts were all significant at P<0.01.Years of residence and credit received were significant but had negative coefficients; credit received was significant at P<0.01 while years of residence was significant at P<0.05. The most common constraints to adoption of maize were high cost of fertilizer (97.80%), inadequate credit (74.73%), weeds (57.14%), pest and diseases (41.76%) and late arrival of inputs (33.52%). It is recommended that the cost of education be reduced to the barest minimum so that farmers can afford to educate themselves and their children. Also, more emphases should be made by ADPs and other extension agencies on regular visits by their agents to farmers.
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Introduction
Maize is a major cereal and one of the most important food crops in Nigeria. Its genetic plasticity has made it the most widely cultivated crop in the country from the wet evergreen climate of the forest zone to the dry ecology of the Sudan savanna (Kamara et al., 2020). Over the years, maize has become an important crop, taking over acreages from traditional crops such as millet and sorghum. In 2018, about 10.2 million tons of maize was produced from 4.8 million hectares, making Nigeria the highest producer in Africa (FAO, 2018).
Soil fertility in the savannas has progressively declined due to increased pressure on land resources arising from rapid population expansion combined with low use of fertilizers. The soil is deficient both in macronutrients, such as N, P, and K, and key micronutrients, such as copper and zinc. Therefore, the soil cannot support meaningful maize yields without proper fertilization. Yields as low as less than 1 t ha-1 can be obtained without the addition of fertilizer (Kamara et al., 2020). Research efforts by plant breeders and agronomists have led to the production of many technologies including the breeding of high yielding varieties that are tolerant to drought, diseases, low nitrogen, and striga infestation (Kamara et al., 2014). Maize being a major staple crop in Nigeria is of vital concern to agricultural policy decisions. FAO (2017) reported that Nigeria produced 10.5 Million metric tons of maize in the year 2017. Maize production in Nigeria for the 2019/20 season is estimate at about 10.5 Million metric tons (Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) Lagos, 2019). Local maize farmers in Nigeria can raise yield to about 4.2 tonnes/ha and national production could hit 20 million tonnes (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), 2009). The average yield of maize in Nigeria for the year 2019 was recorded to be 1.69 tonnes/ha ( IITA, 2020 ). When compared to other African countries such as Egypt and Mauritius with average yields of 7.1 tonnes/ha and 5.8 tonnes/ha respectively, Nigerian maize farmers can be said to be producing far below expectation (Food Agriculture Organization Corporation Statistic Database, 2009). In Shongom LGA, maize farmers do not realize up to the expected average yield of 4.2 tonnes/ha despite the availability of new maize varieties and other improved agronomic practices, the reason for this anomaly is what the study sort to reveal. This study is motivated by the important position of maize production in the Nigerian economy. Maize production does not only serves as a major staple food to a majority of the citizens of Nigeria but also a good source of revenue to both farm households and the nation at large. The study therefore assessed the socio-economic determinants of the adoption of improved maize varieties by farmers in Shongom Local Government Area of Gombe State, Nigeria. The study objectives were to: describe the socio-economic characteristics of maize farmers in Shongom LGA, determine the socio-economic factors influencing the adoption of maize varieties introduced to farmers and identify the constraints faced by farmers in the adoption of the maize varieties. The research hypothesis is: H 1: Socio-economic factors of maize farmers have no significant influence on adoption of improved maize variety. 0 H 1: Socio-economic factors of maize farmers have significant influence on adoption of improved maize variety. A
Conclusion
The mean age of farmers in the study area was 36, this indicates that most people engaged in farming in the study area were still in their active stage and therefore have more energy to engage in maize production. Also, the mean household size was 8, this implies that they had adequate manpower to carryout farm activities. Education, years of farming experience and number of extension contacts had positive and significant relationships with adoption of improved maize varieties. This implies that more formal education and visits by extension agents have the capacity to increase the adoption rates of technologies introduced to farmers. Some of the major constraints faced by farmers in adoption of the practices introduced were late arrival of inputs, high cost of fertilizer, weeds, pest and disease and inadequate credit. If these constraints are given proper consideration by appropriate bodies, maize production in the study area would be boosted.
Education and extension contacts were significant and positively influenced the adoption of practices introduced. It is recommended that the cost of education be reduced to the barest minimum so that farmers can afford to educate themselves and their children. Also, more emphases should be made by ADPs and other extension agencies on regular visits by their agents to farmers. One of the major constraints faced by farmers in the adoption of practiced introduced was high cost of fertilizer, therefore, proper monitoring and strengthening of the on-going fertilizer subsidy intervention in order to block leakages and ensure timely disbursement to farmers should be put in place.
