Market orientation, innovation adoption and performance of food crops farmers in Abia State, Nigeria

Abstract

Food crop farmers, like other farmers, are faced with the challenge of producing sufficient crops to meet the ever-growing consumer demand in the face of limited resources. Specifically, the study examined the socioeconomic characteristics of the food crop farmers, determined their level of commercialization, innovation and performance, estimated the relationship between commercialization, innovation and performance, and estimated the determinants of commercialization, innovation adoption and performance of the food crop farmers. The study adopted a multistage sampling technique in the selection of 60 respondents for the study. Structured questionnaire complimented with oral interview was used in collecting data from the respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tools. The result showed that 68.33% of the respondents were married and the mean age of the respondent was 36.7 years. About 53.33% of the farmers were males and 90% of the food crop farmers had one form of formal education or the other. The mean years of farming experience and mean household size were 14.7 years and 6 persons per household, respectively. The major source of fund for their farming activities was from personal savings. Also, 75% of the farmers do not have contact with extension agents and 48.33% were members of farmers’ cooperative societies. The mean level of commercialization and adoption of innovation was 54.61% and 32.22% respectively. The result showed that food crop production was profitable as the farmers made a net return ₦246,200. There was a significant positive relationship between commercialization and innovation, and between innovation and performance. The significant determinants of commercialization were age (P<0.01), years of education (P<0.01), gender (P<0.01), income (P<0.01), farming experience (P<0.05), labour (P<0.01), distance to the market (P<0.10), and depreciation (P<0.01). The probit regression estimates showed that the significant determinants of adoption were age of the farmer (P<0.01), gender (P<0.01), educational attainment (P<0.01), extension visits (P<0.05), income (P<0.01), access to credit (P<0.01), cost of innovation adoption (P<0.05) and membership of farmers association/cooperative society (P<0.05). The significant variables influencing performance (measured by the net returns/profit from farming) of the food crop farmers were gender (P<0.01), age (P<0.01), education (P<0.01), farming experience (P<0.01), cooperative membership (P<0.01), amount of credit received (P<0.01), and transportation cost (P<0.01). The study recommended that policies that would enhance farmers’ adoption of innovations such as strengthening the agricultural extension system which serve as channel for diffusion of innovations, and access to credit and agricultural inputs should be implemented for increased productivity and commercialization. There is also need for free and affordable educational policies that will enable the farmers’ access and process information on innovations that will enhance productivity and commercialization. Farmers are encouraged to form groups/cooperatives to be able access information, inputs and resources, thereby enhancing economics of scale