Farmers Adoption of Improved Technology in Cassava Production and Processing

Farmers Adoption of Improved Technology in Cassava Production and Processing

Chapter One

Objectives of the Study

The broad objective of the study was to examine the adoption of improved cassava processing technologies by women in Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State. The specific objectives were to:

describe the socio-economic characteristics and institutional factors of women using improved cassava processing technologies in the study area;
identify the level of awareness of improved cassava processing technologies in the study area;
identify the sources of information on improved cassava processing technologies in the study area;
describe the level of adoption of improved cassava processing technologies in the study area;
determine the socio-economic, institutional and technological factors influencing adoption of improved cassava processing technologies among women cassava processors in the study area;
determine the effects of adoption of improved cassava processing technologies on output and income of women processors in the study area;
describe the constraints militating against adoption of improved cassava processing technologies in the study.

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

Origin of Cassava

The cassava plant originated in the North East Brazil and Central America, and was probably first grown for food by the American Indians in those two areas (Onwueme and Sinha, 1991). Cassava has since spread to various parts of the world and today it is grown in all parts of the tropics. Cassava was introduced to Africa in the sixteenth century by the Portuguese who brought it to Congo River Delta from South America. Since the crop was readily adaptable to different environmental condition as well as suited to traditional farming system and social circumstance it spread rapidly on this continent. Its continuation becomes especially widespread in regions of high population density such Southern Nigeria, Western Zaire, Eastern and Northern Tanzania where food security is still heavily dependent on cassava production (Ngoddy, 1976). In Africa, significant cassava production occurs in practically every country within the tropical belt but the greatest production is found in West Africa and Congo basin.

Economic Importance and Uses of Cassava

World production of Cassava root was estimated to be 184 million tonnes in 2002, rising to 230 million tonnes in 2008 (FAO, 2010). The majority of production in 2002 was in Africa, where 99.1 million tonnes were grown; 55.1 million tonnes were grown in Asia and 33.2 million tonnes were grown in Latin America and the Caribbean. Nigeria is known to be the leading producer of cassava globally harvesting 3.81 million hectare. It produces 45.72 million tonnes in 2006, 18% higher than its production in 2004. This increase in production between 2004 and 2006 came about as a result of the interventions of the Nigerian government and some developmental agencies. The Nigerian government facilitated the development of new disease-resistant cassava varieties by the joint efforts of International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), National Root Crop Research Institute (NRCRI), Root and Tuber Expansion Programme (RTEP) and Federal Ministry of Agriculture (FMOA) in Conjunction with State Agricultural Development Projects (ADPs) and Cassava Farmers (Sanni et al., 2009).

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

The Study Area

The study was conducted in Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State. The State is located in North Central Nigeria and made up of 21 Local Government Areas. Kogi State has a total land area of 28,313.53 square kilometers and has a population of 3,595,789 (NPC, 2006). The projected population of Kogi State in 2015 using an annual growth rate of 2.5% is, therefore, 4,225,052. The state is situated between Latitude 6⁰ 26¹N and 8⁰ 45¹N and Longititude 6⁰E and 8⁰E. It is situated in Central Nigeria middle belt and bordered by ten (10) states and Abuja, the Federal Capital. Specifically, the boundaries are Abuja to the North, Nassarawa to the North-East, Benue and Anambra to the East, Enugu to the South-East, Edo to the South-West, Ekiti and Ondo to the West and Niger to the North (NPC, 2006).

Kogi State has two seasons; the wet and dry. The wet season begins in March and ends in October while the dry season spans between November and early March. The annual rainfall is between 1016mm and 1524mm while mean temperature ranges between 24⁰c and 27⁰c. Ankpa, one of the 21 Local Government Areas was chosen for the study because of the extensive cassava processing activities in the area. It is located in the Eastern part of the state and occupies an area of about 482.5 square kilometers. The population figure according to 2006 census was 266,176 (NPC, 2006). The projected population for 2015 using an annual growth rate of 2.5% is, therefore, 312,756.

Farming is the major occupation of the area. Both sole and mixed cropping is practiced. The major crops grown are yam, cassava, maize, cowpea, melon, bambara, beniseed (sesame), oil palm, castor, cashew and citrus. Cropping pattern is more of mixed cropping than sole cropping. In addition to crops livestock such as goats, sheep and poultry are also kept.

CHAPTER FOUR

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter contains a detailed presentation and discussion of the results of the study. It presents results from data analysis and interpretation. The results are in accordance with the stated objectives of the study.

Socio-Economic and Institutional Characteristics of the Respondents.

Certain socio-economic and institutional characteristics were considered in this study in order to obtain valuable information on the effects of such variables on adoption of improved cassava processing technologies.

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary of Findings

This study focused on adoption of improved cassava processing technologies by women in Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria. Primary data were collected from 152 respondents using structured questionnaire. The statistical tools used to analyze the data were descriptive statistics, regression analysis and Z-test. The study shows that the mean age of the respondents was 35 years. Majority (68%) of the respondents were married. The mean household size of the respondents was 9 persons. About 16% of the respondents had no formal education. The mean years of processing experience was 11 years. Only 20% of the respondents obtained credit, only 26% had extension contact and only 22% belonged to an association. The mechanical grater and the screw press recorded higher levels of awareness and adoption than the mechanical sifter and fryer (toaster).

Age, household size, processing experience, membership of association, affordability and complexity were significant to the adoption of improved cassava processing technologies. Other variables such as marital status, education, access to credit, extension contact and compatibility were not significant. The coefficient of determination (R²) was 0.47 which means that the regression model explained 47% of the variations in the level of adoption of improved cassava processing technologies.

For both output and income, the Z-stat was greater than the Z-critical at 5% level of probability. The major constraints encountered by the respondents include inadequate credit, inadequate extension contacts, high cost of transportation, high cost of cassava tubers, bad access roads and long distance to processing centers.

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