Thesis Abstract

<p></p><div>               <b>ABSTRACT&nbsp;</b><br></div><div><br></div><div>The study analysed the factors influencing the adoption of improved cassava production technology in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Data were collected using a well structured questionnaire assisted with interview schedule from one hundred and twenty respondents selected from six local government areas using the multistage sampling technique. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Probit model and budgeting analysis. Results of the socio-economic analysis revealed that about 73.3 percent of the respondents adopted improved cassava production technology and there were</div><div>significant differences in the socio-economic variables of age, social status, farming experience, major occupation, number of years in cassava farming and farm size between the adopters and non-adopters of improved cassava production technology. Also the cost and return analysis showed that cassava production was profitable with the adopters of improved cassava production technology having higher and significant net returns over the non-adopters. The result of the probit model showed that age, marital status, household size, membership of cooperative society, ownership status, major occupation, contact with extension agent and feedback from the extension personnel were the significant determinants of adoption of improved cassava production technology in the study area. The study thus recommended that effort must be made to motivate farmers through extension agents to embrace improved cassava</div><div>varieties which will increase cassava production and income to the farmers in Ekiti State and Nigeria at large.</div> <br><p></p>

Thesis Overview

<p> </p><div><b>1.1 INTRODUCTION&nbsp;</b></div><div>Agricultural growth is fundamental in fostering economic growth of any agrarian nation in order to feed the growing population (Datt and Ravallion, 1996). However, since area expansion and irrigation have not made much impact on agricultural development in the developing world, agricultural growth will depend more and more on yield increasing technological change (Hossain, 1989). In the same vein, the World Bank (2008) noted that the adoption of new agricultural technology, such as the high yielding varieties that led to a green revolution in Asia could lead to significant increases in agricultural productivity in Africa and stimulate the transition from low productivity subsistence agriculture to a high productivity agro-industrial economy.</div><div><br></div><div>There is a need to focus attention on high yielding variety crops, most especially cassava being one of the staple food crops in Nigeria. Cassava plays a vital role in the food security of the rural economy because of its capacity to yield under marginal soil conditions and its tolerance to drought. However, cassava production in Nigeria is still characterized by low yields compared to other cassava growing regions in the world due to some of these factors: planting of low yielding unimproved variety and cultivation of cassava on over used land with very short fallow period with little or none usage of organic or inorganic fertilizer among other factors. The trend in cassava production in Nigeria from 2000 to 2010 shows that area planted increased from 3.3 million hectares in 2000 to 3.875 million hectares in 2007 when it started declining to about 3.125 million hectares in 2010. During the period under review actual cassava production in million metric tonnes rose from 32.01 to 44.58 between</div><div>2000 and 2008 and thereby declined to 37.5 million metric tonnes in 2010. The average actual production per hectare was about 10.943 metric tonnes per hectareduring the period under review, whereas cassava production could be as high as 40 metric tonnes per hectare with the planting of improved varieties (FAO Statistics, 2012). Thus cassava production in Nigeria has not yet reached a maximum production level. If the demand for cassava and income generated from cassava production increase, farmers will be motivated to adopt productivity-enhancing technologies to increase yields and to expand cassava production even further (Nang'ayo et al., 2005). This study thus analysed the factors influencing the adoption of improved cassava production technology in Ekiti State, Nigeria. It specifically determined the adoption rate of improved cassava production technology, examined the determinants of the adoption of improved cassava production technology and the level of adoption of cassava technologies on farmers' income in the study area.</div> <br><p></p>