Farmers' perception and knowledge of environmental problems affecting sustainable food production in Edo State

Abstract

This study examined farmers' perception and knowledge of environmental problems affecting their food production. A total of 120 farmers randomly selected from six communities in Orhionmwon and Uhunmwonde Local Government areas of Edo State were used for the study. Data were collected from respondents using interview schedule and analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Results showed that majority of the respondents (76.0%) were males, half of them (50.0%) were in the age group of 31-40 years old and majority of them had educational qualification below secondary school (72.0%). Findings showed that soil erosion (M = 4.30), soil nutrient depletion (M = 3.96) and deforestation (M = 3.84) are the top major environmental problems affecting food production in the study area. The result also shows that majority of the respondents (72.0%) received information on environmental issues from other farmers and only 16 percent received information from extension agents. Respondents were found to have inadequate knowledge of many environmental conservation methods. However, they have very good perception of environmental issues. The respondents' perception of environmental issues did not have significant association with their age (c2=0.229) sex (c2=0.688) and farm size (c2=0.572). Level of education and farming experience were however significantly associated with their perception of environmental issues. It was therefore recommended that there is a need for the integration of environmental issues into messages disseminated by extension agents and also a need to empower farmers through educational/training programmes on environmental conservation methods to boost sustainable food production.

Keywords: Farmers' Perception/Knowledge, Environmental Problems, Food Production

Journal of Environmental Extension Vol. 6 2007: pp. 86-91