Gender Roles and Technology Adoption in Rubber Production in Edo State.
CHAPTER ONE
Objectives of the Study
The major objective is to examine the gender roles and technology adoption in Rubber Production in Edo State, Nigeria. This will be achieved through the following specific objectives.
- To describe the socio-economic characteristics of the rubber farmers by genders in the study area.
- To identify the activities performed in rubber productions
- To examine gender roles in rubber production.
- To identify sources of information on rubber production
- To examine technology adoption among gender categories in rubber production.
- To identify the constraints faced by men and women in rubber production.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
Adoption of innovation in agriculture expresses willingness of a farmer in accepting a change which was alien to him and practicing it because of perceived advantages in it. It represents a full-scale integration of recommended practices or innovation into on-going farm operations. It is a process because adoption of improved practices or technologies is not a single unit act. Adoption consists a series of actions which are preceded by thoughts. The adoption process is essentially a decision making process (Ekong, 2010). Research studies in the United States of America have identified a number of stages in the process of adoption by which different researchers have claimed different stages Ekong, (2010), Roger (1995), has accepted five stages including; awareness, interest, evaluation, trial and adoption. Eze (2005) agreed with the foregoing and concluded that there are three stages namely: Awareness, Trial and Adoption, which are the most important. Adoption of innovation in agriculture manifests in increases in crops and livestock production, soil management practices and farm mechanization. However, one crucial issue which facilitates adoption process and overall integration of innovation into full scale farm operation is appropriateness of the innovation or production technologies (Ugwa and Abubakar, 2006). Generally, in Nigeria the production of cash crop was not considered a serious problem in early 60s. Support was provided by government for food crops such as Cassava, Yam, Maize, Cocoyam, Plantain, Banana and Vegetables (Ejembi, et al., 2006). In recent times however, there is a growing realization that, development of cash crop production such as rubber, cocoa and oil palm can increase the capacity and productivity of the economy. For instance, the increased concentration on rubber development programmes in Akwa Ibom State led to the employment of about 20% of the youth population in the area (AKSMANR, 2011). Natural rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) production was introduced into Nigeria from England in 1805. It is a perennial crop that is capable of being exploited for 35 years (RRIN, 2004). The plant thrives in rainforest regions of the lowland tropics with temperatures between 21-350C and a well-distributed rainfall of 2,000mm per year or more. Well-drained soils with a pH of 4.5 to 6.0 have been found suitable (RRIN, 2004). Hevea brasiliensis takes its origin from the tropical rainforest of South America specifically from the Amazon forest in what is now Brazil. From Brazil, the first seed were transferred to Kew Garden by Sir Henry Wickham (Aigbekaen et al, 2000). According to Campbell (2000), natural rubber became popular in Europe after the invention of pheumatic tyre for bicycles and cars. The discovery of waterproof garments by Charles Macintosh in 1823 and vulcanization by Charles Goodyear laid the foundation for the development of the rubber industry. Rubber has the ability to renew its bark and ensure sustained harvest. Food and Agriculture Organization F.A.O (2003), reported that unselected, local and dry rubber have yielded 3000kg to 4000kg per hectare per year. Production statistics also show that Nigeria has a total of 247,100 hectares of land under rubber cultivation. Small scale farmers own 200,100 hectares while 47,000 hectares are owned by estates (Aigbekaen et al., 2000 and Schroth et a.l, 2004). Williams and Williams (2004), suggested use of the clone improved for high productivity by introducing clone rubber trees instead of the traditional seedlings with low yield potentials. Considerable research has been conducted on natural rubber in areas of crop improvement and other production innovations. In recent times, Federal Government of Nigeria evolved policies and programmes aimed at making the country less dependent on mineral oil, thus encouraging agricultural production. One of such government programmes is the resuscitation of moribund research institutes in the country such as the Rubber Research Institutes of Nigeria. This resulted in development of improved clones of rubber in Nigeria. Despite the innovations, it was noticed by the research institutes that the rate of adoption of these technologies by farmers have remained very low (RRIN, 2004).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought to gender roles and technology adoption in rubber production in Edo state.
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain gender roles and technology adoption in rubber production in Edo state. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of gender roles and technology adoption in rubber production in Edo state
Summary
This study was on gender roles and technology adoption in rubber production in Edo state. Five objectives were raised which included: To describe the socio-economic characteristics of the rubber farmers by genders in the study area, to identify the activities performed in rubber productions, to examine gender roles in rubber production, to identify sources of information on rubber production, to examine technology adoption among gender categories in rubber production and to identify the constraints faced by men and women in rubber production. In line with these objectives, two research hypotheses were formulated and two null hypotheses were posited. The total population for the study is 200 staff of ministry of agriculture, Edo state The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made director, farmers, senior staffs and junior staff were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
This study revealed that improved rubber production technologies were not fully adopted by rubber farmers. The reasons as shown in the study is the low level of adoption which was a little above average. The enterprise however was highly profitable and holds a strong prospect for household income generation, export and youth empowerment if adoption is enhanced. Rubber production has also been identified as one enterprise with great potentials which can greatly impact on poverty reduction, and the general economy of the nation.
Recommendation
The new technologies should also be compatible with the farmer’s objectives and have fewer risks. The application of clonal rubber seems to be compatible with the objective of rubber farmers to increase their income, however it has high risks. In the case of Edo state which is environmentally and culturally suitable for wild pigs, planting clonal rubber has been seen as having more risks rather than planting local rubber. Risks and uncertainty caused by pests were the main constraints for non adopters in edo state, reducing the attractiveness of clonal rubber.
References
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