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ADOPTION OF NEW RICE FOR AFRICA (NERICA) TECHNOLOGIES IN EKITI STATE, NIGERIA
Ojo, OF; Dimelu, MU & Okeke, MN
Abstract
Acceptance of new agricultural technology can lead to significant increase in
productivity, income and improve livelihood of rural poor farmers in Nigeria. The study
assessed adoption behaviour of the beneficiaries of Multinational (New Rice for Africa)
NERICA Rice Dissemination Project in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Simple random sampling
technique in a multistage sampling procedure was used to select 52 beneficiary rice
farmers. Data were collected through the use of structured interview schedule and
analysed using mean score, adoption index, multiple regression and factor analysis. The
results revealed that majority (80.4%) of rice farmers were males, average age of the
farmers was observed to be 40years and average farming experience of the famers was
found to be 19years. Also, results showed high adoption score for planting distance, early
planting, late planting and harvesting duration (61%), fertilizers use (95%) and
herbicides use (75%), while water efficiency methods (26%) and improved rice varieties
(48%) of the NERICA disseminated technologies had low adoption. Regression analysis
indicated that only age and number of years spent in school influenced adoption decisions
of rice farmers. The perceived serious constraints to adoption of improved NERICA rice
technologies were menace of birds on rice field (M = 4.96), menace of grass cuter (M =
4.47), high cost of labour (M = 3.41), poor access to road (M = 3.61) amongst others.
Also, the perceived not serious constraints to adoption of improved NERICA rice
technologies were lack of sufficient land (M =1.96), untimely availability of improved
NERICA rice varieties (M = 1.92), inadequate knowledge about rice processing
techniques (M = 1.78), inadequate access to NERICA rice varieties (M = 1.59) and
incompatibility of innovations conflict between technology and norms of the people (M
= 1.59). Therefore, the study recommends that researchers should increase farmers’
participation and interaction of local and ecological knowledge to enhance generation of
socially, economically and ecologically adaptable rice varieties.
Keywords
New Rice for Africa (NERICA); adoption; rice farmer; technologies
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