Effectiveness of agricultural technologies dissemination and adoption among rural farmers in Yenagoa Agricultural Zone, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study analyzed the effectiveness of agricultural technologies dissemination and adoption among rural farmers in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Data were collected through interview schedule and well-structured questionnaires from 90 rural farmers. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The result showed that plantain sucker multiplication (^x̄ =3.0), provitamin A cassava (x̄ = 3.4), and value addition (^x̄ = 3.0) were the various agricultural technologies development practice by research. The result showed that extension agents (^x̄ = 2.3) as well as friends and relations (^x̄ =3.6) were the various channels through which the developed technologies were disseminated. The result further showed that awareness (^x̄ = 2.9), interest (^x̄ = 3.1), trial (^x̄ = 3.1), evaluation (^x̄ = 3.0), and adoption (^x̄ = 3.1) were the various categories of adoption of agricultural technologies disseminated. The study also showed that complexity of technology (^x̄ = 2.8), triability of technology (^x̄ = 3.5), relative advantage and cost (^x̄ = 3.6) were the various attributes that influenced the adoption of agricultural technologies by rural farmers. The regression result indicated that the co-efficient of agricultural innovations (0.222) was positive and statistically significant at 1%. The ANOVA result showed that F-test (4.074) was greater than the tabulated F-value (3.04) at 5% level of significance. It was concluded that extension agents, contact farms, space and print, friends and relations were the various channels through which agricultural extension technologies were disseminated. Hence, the study recommended that the development of new agricultural technologies must be pursued with vigorous provision of extension services to farmers.