Determinants of adoption of improved oilpalm production technologies in Delta state, Nigeria

Abstract

The study ascertained the factors militating against adoption of improved oilpalm production technologies. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to collect data from 92 randomly selected oilpalm growers. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis. The results revealed that a large proportion (41.3%) of the oilpalm growers are in the age range of 41 – 50 years and about 27.2% had family sizes of 11 – 14 persons, and a fair percentage (26.1%) had farm sizes ranging from 1 – 2 hectares. The regression analysis showed that marital status, membership of cooperative, amount of loan received and contact with extension agents all significantly impacted positively on adoption at 1% and 5% levels respectively Institutional factors influence adoption more than technical factors thus, it is recommended that appropriate policy packages that will ensure easy access to land, encourage membership of cooperative organizations, improve access to credit and increase extension supervision should be embanked upon. These will enhance technology adoption much more than merely developing technologies and making them available.

Journal of Agriculture, Forestry and the Social Sciences Vol. 3 (2) 2005: pp.147-153