Factors Determining the Willingness to Adopt Grasscutter Domestication Technology among Urban Dwellers in Southwest, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated factors determining the willingness to adopt grasscutter domestication technology in South west, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 160 respondents from 9 urban towns in Oyo, Ogun and Osun States. Well-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data was analysed using descriptive analysis, correlational analysis and t-test. Results showed that the majority (69.4%) of the respondents were male and married. Coefficient correlation (r value) at (p< 0.05), shows that there is a significant association between respondents’ educational status, religion, household size, primary as well as secondary education with respondents’ willingness to adopt the technology. There was also found significant relationship between, perceived health status of those who are into the grasscutter technology, perceived nutritional value and economic value of the grasscutter domestication technology with the willingness to adopt the grasscutter domestication technology. The result if the T-test revealed that there is significant relationship between perceived ease of practice and willingness to adopt the technology. The majority of the respondents are willing to rear grasscutter if variables like space, fund, availability of ready-made buyer and feed, breeding stock and training are put into place. However, issues relating to having enough plots of land, funding, ready-made buyer of grasscutter, and training facilities are most germane. It is therefore recommended that funding and training on the adoption of the grasscutter domestication technology should be made available to individuals.

Keywords: grasscutter, technology, urban dwellers, southwest Nigeria