Iinformation accessibility and farmers manageriability of guinea worm disease intervention package in Kwara and Niger states, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined the farmers’ access to information and their manageriability of the intervention programme in the study area. To achieve the objective, there was need to determine farmers’ information accessibility and manageriability of guinea worm intervention package; then determine farmers satisfaction with the intervention package.
Data were collected from three hundred and twenty (320) farmers randomly from those areas that have been affected by guinea worm disease before. Four (4) Local Government Areas each of Kwara and Niger States notable for endemic experience of guinea worm were selected. The information collected was through the use of descriptive statistics, means scores and correlation coefficient analysis. Findings revealed that the famers’ major access to information on guinea worm intervention package was through friend s and neighbours. This is so because friends and neighbours were the closest to the farmers and for much trust they have in each other. Other information access includes guinea worm officers, town criers, radio messages cooperatives, farm service centre and demonstration plots. More than half (54.4%) of the farmers have been able to manage their time spent on the farm efficiently after guinea worm intervention; while 59.5% of the farmers increased their man-hours on the farm. The inputs used, the farming methods and practices have all also increased. Labour after the introduction of intervention package has been categorized as “very satisfactory”, while income, manhours and crop yield were found categorized “satisfactory”. A significant relationship exist between information accessibility and satisfaction of the farmers’ intervention package (rr = .282 at P < .05). With farmers access to intervention information, they managed their farms efficiently and were satisfied on the job.

Key words: Information accessibility, farmers, guinea worm disease