ADOPTION OF OBA 98 MAIZE PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES BY FARMERS IN DELTA STATE, NIGERIA

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ABSTRACT

This study was carried out to examine the adoption of Oba 98 maize production technologies by farmers in Delta State. Specifically, the study ascertained major sources of information on Oba 98 maize production technologies; determined the extent of adoption of Oba 98 maize production technologies; determined factors influencing the adoption of Oba 98 maize pro- duction technologies; and identified perceived constraints to adoption of Oba 98 maize pro- duction technologies.  The study was carried out in Delta State. Multistage sampling tech- nique was used to select the sample size for the study. In the first stage, six (6) LGAs were purposively  selected  out  of 25 LGAs based on their popularity on maize farming.  In the second stage two (2) towns farming communities that are popular in maize production were randomly selected from the six (6) LGAs giving a total of  twelve (12) town farming com- munities. In the third stage, ten (10) maize farmers were selected from a list of maize farmers from the twelve communities through simple random sampling technique, giving a total of one hundred and twenty (120) maize farmers. Data collected on socio economic characteris- tics were analyzed using descriptive statistics consisting of percentages, frequency and mean scores. Objectives 1 and 2 were analyzed using frequencies and percentages. Objective 3 was analyzed using multiple regression, while objective 4 was analyzed  using mean score and standard deviations. The statistical products and service solutions (SPSS) version 20.0 consti- tuted the software package used for the analysis. The study revealed that greater proportion (27.5%) of the respondents were within the age range of 31-40 years. Majority (65.8%) were male. About 43% had household size of between 8-11 persons. Majority (72.5%) were mar- ried. About 35% had more than 10 years farming experience. Also, 30% acquired primary school education. Majority (91.7%) were Christians. Furthermore, 45.8% received between N

10,000   and N 100,000 as income realized from the sale of maize. Majority (95%) cultivated less than 3 ha of land.   A greater proportion    (65.8%) inherited their  farmland. Majority (61.7%) did not have access to credit facilities, but 38.8% received credit from institutional sources. Greater proportion (29.7%) had thrift savings as non-institutional source of credit. Majority (69.2%) of the respondents used hired labour as their major source of labour for ma- ize  production.  Also,  majority  (73.3%)  had  been  visited  by extension  agents.  Majority (87.5%) belonged to one or more social organizations. Data collected on sources of informa- tion revealed that majority (33.3%)  received information from radio. Technologies  mainly adopted included  use of planting space of 75cm by 25cm with adoption mean score of 3.48, use of post emergence herbicides with adoption mean score of 2.45and use of insecticides to control pest with adoption mean score of 3.38. Major constraints to adoption of innovations were poor access to sources of agricultural information with a mean score of 2.87, poor ac- cessibility to institutional credits with a mean score of 2.86, inadequate rural roads with a mean score of 2.84 , inadequate extension contact with a mean score of 2.81, in adequacy of modern storage and processing facilities with a mean score of 2.77, poor health status of rural farmers with a mean score of 2.71, weak market information with a mean score of 2.67, scar- city and high cost of inputs with a mean score of 2.62 and   ignorance of usefulness of the technologies with a mean score of  2.53. Conclusively, mean age was 37 years, mean house- hold size was 10 family members, mean farming experience was 11 years and mean number of years spent in school was 12 years. The only personal characteristic that influenced adop- tion was annual income  realized  from  the sale of maize.  It is recommended  that farmers should be encouraged to participate actively in farmers/social organizations and co-operative societies in order to strengthen their group action and as such act as effective channels for extension information delivery system to farmers, when maize farmers are in cooperative so- cieties they take advantage of government policies and programmes and attract more funds to themselves.  Also, farmers should be linked to sources of affordable credit so as to enable them        purchase        necessary        inputs        and        their        complementary        need.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1      Background information

Maize (Zea mays L.) is the most important cereal crop in sub-Saharan Africa. Maize is also one of the three most important cereal crops in the world (International Institute of Tropical  Agriculture,  2006).Maize  is easy to process,  readily digested  and  an affordable cereal. (Ismaila, Gana, Tswanya & Dogara,   2010; Kudi,  Bolaji,  Akinola & Nasa’l, 2011). International  Institute  for Tropical  Agriculture,  (IITA)  (2006)  asserted  that every part of maize plant has economic  value. The grains, leaves, stalk,  tassel and cob can be used to produce  large  varieties  of  food  and  non-food  products.  Also,  maize  is one  of the  most important crops in Nigeria because it is a major source of  dietary fiber and calories which are a good source of energy and it is used  industrially for production of food, beverage,  and livestock feed. Maize grains are rich in vitamins A, C and E, carbohydrates, and essential minerals, and contain about 9% protein (IITA, 2010).   Food and Agriculture Organization (2011) estimated  that the  land area planted with maize in West and Central Africa alone increased from 3.2 million hectares in 1961 to 10.5 million hectares in 2010.  This expansion of the land  area devoted to maize cultivation in Nigeria resulted in increased production of maize  from 2.4 million metric tons in 1961 to 7.6 million metric tons in 2010 (National Bureau of Statistics, 2011). Despite the observed increases the demand for maize as a result of various domestic uses still out weights supply (Menkir & Akintunde 2001).

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (2007) estimated that 158 million hectares of maize are harvested worldwide. Africa harvests 29 million hectares with Nigeria, being the largest  producer  in  sub-Saharan  Africa.  According  to  Ado  (2012)  the  bulk  of  maize production in Nigeria is located in the derived savanna zone. The Central Bank of Nigeria Annual Report and Statement of Accounts (2010) stated that 6.4 million tons of maize was produced in 2010. Based on the average yield of about 1.3-1.4 metric tons/hectare, this means that about 5.0 million hectares of land was under maize cultivation.

Factors like diseases and pests, poor storage facilities, declining soil fertility which is exacerbated by the high cost and/or unavailability of fertilizer, lack of financial and human resources, high seeds price and inaccessible roads which often prevents extension staff from getting to rural communities have been observed as key constraints to maize production in the country (Babatunde,  Fayode & Bardo, 2008). In view of this,  the Federal Government  of Nigeria established  research institutes such as National  Cereal Research Institute, (NCRI), Badeggi, National Agricultural Extension Research Liaison Services (NAERLS), Institute of Agriculture Research and Training (IAR&T)  and international bodies such as International Institute  for  Tropical  Agriculture  (IITA)  aimed  at  promoting  maize  and  other  cereals production for household’s food security and poverty alleviation. Some of these efforts are focused  on  biological  and  agronomic  researches  for  the  development  of  high  yielding varieties. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Cereal Research Institute, Badeggi, and  Institute  of  Agriculture  Research  and  Training(IAR&T)  developed  improved  maize varieties  and  they include:  NARZO-15(TZPB),  NARZO-16(TZB)  NARZO-20(TZSR-W), NARZO-24(DMR-LSRW),   NARZO-26(DMR-ESRW),   NARZH-(8321-18),  Oba  super  1, Oba 98, New Kaduna, Oba super 3(H16-8), Oba super 5(HY02-2), Oba super 98, Ife maize hyb 3 and Ife maize hyb 4. Most of these introduced technologies have been accepted by farmers and are widely spread in states of Nigeria.

International  Institute  of  Tropical  Agriculture  (IITA,  2009)  asserted  that  the  recent achievements  by breeders in the development and release of superior maize  varieties with higher yield potentials and better resistance to pests and diseases have played a major role in increasing maize production in the country. FMARD (2010) asserted that improving maize production is considered to be one of the most important strategies for food security in Nigeria. As a result of this, maize production has received substantial research and extension

attention. According to Menkir, (2003), the bid to address the problem in maize production, necessitated  the development  and  introduction  of high  yielding  varieties  of maize  crops, efficient natural resources and crop management technologies to maize farmers in Nigeria.

Oba  98  maize  variety  was  registered  and  released  to  farmers  by premier  seeds, Nigeria  in  2002  and  was  introduced  to  Delta  State  farmers  in  2003  after  an  on  farm demonstration  (Delta  state  Agricultural  Development  Programme  Annual  Report,  2003). Olokojo  (2002)  asserted  that  given  adequate  agronomic   attention,   Oba  98  maize  is manageable by an average farmer. Oba 98 maize has special characteristics such as resistant to rust, blight and streak.  Menkir and Akintunde (2002) noted that Oba 98 hybrids variety performs better than farmers’ local varieties in terms of grain yield, protein content and other traits. The superior performance of Oba 98 maize technologies has generated great demand for hybrid maize seeds by commercial and small scale farmers over the years.

1.2 Problem Statement

Despite the fact that maize contributes   significantly in food requirements of the entire populace in Nigeria, its production is far below the average maize consumption quantity of

53.20g/day and 43 kg per year (Food and Agriculture Organization Statistics, 2007).  Also, maize  production in Delta  state has not been sufficient  to meet the needs of  people and livestock despite the introduction of improved packages like Oba 98 (Babatunde, Fayode & Bardo, 2008). Maize production in Delta state fluctuated between 81.1 metric tons to 80.1 metric tons  between  2002  and 2013  showing a  declining  trend  (Delta State  Agricultural Development Programme crop yield survey 2013). The unfolding performance of maize in Delta state can be attributed  to the  continuous  use of traditional  varieties  of maize crops which  are  recognized  as  major  impediments  to  sustainable  agricultural  productivity  in Nigeria (Yates and Kiss, 1992; Valnauwe and Giller, 2006). In other words, low adoption of productivity  enhancing  technologies  has  dwarfed  efforts  to  reduce  rural  poverty  (World Bank, 2008). This is further evidenced by low and declining yield per hectare of major crops in Nigeria (NBS, 2006). Bulk of the country’s maize farm is dependent on small holders with rudimentary  farming  system  and  low  yield  per hectare,  other  factors  such  as pests  and diseases have been associated with low maize production (Oyekale and Idjesa, 2009).

Ado (2012) opined that maize production technologies have not been fully utilized by the farmers due to some constraints.  Such maize production technologies  include   the  use of appropriate  seed/seedling  variety  (Oba  98),  technology  on  use  of  appropriate  seed  rate, ( 20-25 kg seed per hectare), technology on use of herbicides,  land preparation technologies, time of planting, technology on appropriate spacing, technology on pest and disease control, technology on post-harvest handling and agro processing, among others.

It behooves this study to address the following questions:   what is the extent of adoption of this variety by maize farmers? Which factors determine the adoption of Oba 98 maize technologies? What are the major sources of information used by farmers with regard to Oba 98 maize technologies? What constraints affect the adoption of Oba 98 technologies?

1.3     Objective of the Study

The broad objective  of the study was to examine  the adoption  of Oba 98  maize production technologies by farmers in Delta State. Specifically the study sought to:

1.   ascertain farmers’ sources of information on Oba 98 maize production technologies;

2.   assess the extent of adoption of Oba 98 maize production technologies ;

3.  determine the factors influencing the adoption of Oba 98 maize technologies; and

4. identify constraints to the adoption of Oba 98 maize production technologies

1.4      Hypothesis

The null hypothesis was tested

1.  There  is  no  significant  difference  in the  adoption  level  of  Oba 98  maize  production technologies and those associated with local varieties in Delta State.

1.5      Significance of the Study

Oba 98 maize is an improved variety of maize developed with the aim of boosting food  production  in  Nigeria.  Agricultural  research  efforts  can  only  be  successful  when developed  technologies  by research  institutes  are  adopted  by the  end  users  to  increase production. Therefore, an agricultural innovation that is unable to boost food production on this ground shows ineffective research effort. Hence it is always important to determine the status of adoption of transferred technologies by farmers group. This will elicit information on the usefulness and relevance of the technologies as well as elucidate further modifications that are supposed to increase adoption of technologies.

This study, therefore, seek to give information that would help International Institute  of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and other related research institutes, farmers and the universities to promote technological packages on maize production that would be relevant to the needs and problems of farmers in Delta state. More so, this study will also furnish policy makers with relevant data and insight for sustainable policies and programmes for Oba 98 production technologies. It can also provide extension workers and policy makers with valuable information that will assists in improving efficiency of communication. This study will contribute to improving agricultural research, technology transfer, input provision and policy formulation. Findings of this study will serve as reference material for future researchers who may be willing to conduct similar research in future



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ADOPTION OF OBA 98 MAIZE PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES BY FARMERS IN DELTA STATE, NIGERIA

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