Assessment of Training Needs of Cashew Farmers in Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study assessed the training needs of cashew farmers in Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. Using structured questionnaire, data were collected from eighty (80) randomly selected cashew farmers in five villages of Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State. The findings revealed that the mean age of the respondents was 46.5 years. Majority (87.5%) of them attended one form of education or the other and about seventy percent of the respondents had been farming for more than 10 years. The tasks performed by the cashew farmers ranged from land preparation to harvesting and storage of farm produce. The study identified strong training needs for cashew farmers in the study area on water management, transplanting, harvesting and storage and nursery preparation. The correlation analysis showed that farming experience had significant relationship with the respondents' training needs (r=0.489, p=0.05). In order to improve performance and increase productivity, adequate training is required for cashew farmers with respect to the identified areas where they indicated needs for training.

Keywords: Assessment, Tasks performed, Training Needs, Cashew Farmers, Owan East