Wealth Status and Agricultural Technology Adoption Among Smallholder Rice Farmers in Nigeria

Abstract

The adoption of agricultural technologies is a necessary condition for the achievement of agricultural productivity increase and poverty eradication among the farming households in Nigeria. The role of households’ Wealth status in agricultural technologies adoption in Nigeria has not been well documented. Hence this study assessed the effect of smallholder rice farming households’ wealth status in the adoption of improved rice varieties. The data were collected using a multistage random sampling technique. Osun, Niger and Kano states were selected to represent -upland, lowland and irrigated rice growing systems, respectively. Five major rice-producing Local Government Areas (LGAs) were selected from each state, followed by the selection of three villages from each LGA. In all, 600 rice farmers were selected on the basis of probability proportionate to the population of rice farmers in the villages. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Logistic regression and Tobit model. The results revealed that there was variation in the rates and intensity of adoption of improved rice varieties among the wealth groups. Overall, a larger percentage of the well-endowed farmers have adopted at least one improved varieties in the last five years, while majority of those that were less- endowed find it difficult to adopt any improved variety and were mainly cultivating the traditional varieties. The probability of adoption of improved rice varieties was significantly affected by education of household’s head, age, household size, income and household endowments. Hence, policies that will lead to improvement in household wealth should be vigorously pursued in order to increase the rate of improved rice varieties adoption and generate the much desired increase in rice productivity in Nigeria.

Keywords: Adoption, Farmers, Nigeria, Rice, Wealth