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Apr 30, 2021Keywords:
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Main Article Content
Willingness to pay for irrigation technology: the role of perceived benefits and barriers among cohort of vegetable farmers in Southwest Nigeria
Abstract
Adopting irrigation technology in vegetable production is beyond just the ability to pay. It is a decision that involves the sociology of consumption which asserts the relevance of human perception. Hence, this study was designed to examine how the perceived- benefit of, and barrier against adoption of irrigation technology predict vegetable farmers’ willingness to pay for irrigation technology in Ido LGA of Oyo State, Southwest Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 110 respondents who were sampled using snowball method. Multi-item measures were used to assess variables. Significant differences in mean scores of willingness to pay across sub-groups of sex, age, education, economic wherewithal and category of technology-use were assessed using independent sample Z-test and one-way ANOVA. Stepwise, multiple linear regression was used to assess the predictors of willingness to pay. Results indicate that 30%, 18.2%, and 51.8% of respondents do not currently use irrigation technology, use basic, and improved technology for vegetable production respectively. Respondents who exhibited poor and high willingness to pay constituted 39.1% and 60.9% respectively. Sex, age, education and technology use have no significant effects on willingness to pay (p> 0.05), but economic wherewithal did (p< 0.05). Perceived barrier is a better predictor (standardized β= -0.592, R2 = 0.374, r= -0.611, p< 0.001) when compared to perceived benefit (standardized β= 0.220, R2 = 0.048, r= 0.273, p<0.05). The two variables afforded multiple relationship of 64.9% and explained 42.2% of the variation in willingness to pay (multiple correlation= 0.649; R2= 0.422, p< 0.001). Economic wherewithal is a fundamental limitation to willingness to adopt irrigation technology for vegetable production. Perceived barrier significantly decreased this willingness far more than perceived benefit expands same. Therefore, efforts directed at expanding the adoption of irrigation technology for vegetable production must focus more on boosting farmer-finances and mitigating barriers against the use of irrigation technology.
