Factors influencing the diffusion of cooking banana in Nigeria

Abstract

As an interim measure in combating the incidence of black Sigatoka disease on plantain, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture introduced cooking banana in Southeast Nigeria in the late 1980s. This was multiplied and distributed to farmers through the extension systems of both governmental and non-governmental agencies. This study examined the diffusion of cooking banana among the farmers in the region, about a decade after its formal introduction. Data were collected from 285 randomly selected farmers from 76 of the villages where it was initially introduced, using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistical tools were utilised in data analyses while an econometric model was employed in determining the factors that have influenced the diffusion process. From the results, 60% of the farmers received their initial suckers from fellow farmers while 62.1% of the respondents have given suckers out, and 98% of them gave to other farmers. Therefore, a significant spread of cooking banana has taken place in the region, and this has been achieved through farmer-to-farmer interactions. Among the factors that have significantly influenced the spread of cooking banana in the region were household size, extension education and training, years of cropping cooking banana, number of suckers initially planted, adoption rate by farmers, condition of initial sucker acquisition, and ready market.

Nigerian Journal of Technology and Education in Nigeria Vol. 8(2) 2003: 1-20