Article Sidebar
Published:
Dec 31, 2022Keywords:
Article Details
NAJ supports free online communication and exchange of knowledge as the most effective way of ensuring that the fruits of research and development practice are made widely available. It is therefore committed to open access, which, for authors, enables the widest possible dissemination of their findings and, for readers, increases their ability to discover pertinent information. The Journal adopts and uses the CC: BY license and is open access. This license lets others distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the Journal’s published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Copyright for articles published in this Journal is retained by the Journal.
Main Article Content
Differentials in Level of Awareness and Adoption of Good Agronomic Practices (GAP) among Smallholder Cassava Farmers in Okigwe Agricultural Zone, Imo State, Nigeria
Abstract
Good Agronomic Practices (GAP) is a technological concept for adoption in Nigeria. The study assessed the level of awareness and adoption of Good Agronomic Practices (GAP) among smallholder cassava farmers in Okigwe Agricultural zone of Imo State, Nigeria. Using stratified random sampling techniques, 60 farmers were chosen for the study. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results revealed that the level of awareness of GAPs technologies was high (85%), but adoption by the respondents was moderate in the study area which could be one of the reasons for poor agricultural productivity, income and livelihood of the respondents. The findings also revealed that, NRCRI, extension agents and training had a significant effect on the awareness of GAP technologies in the study area. It was found that a greater proportion (80%) of the farmers indicated that the presence of NRCRI, Umudike, had a positive impact and provides them with new skills and information. The respondents ranked financial constraints, lack of farm inputs, high cost of farm inputs, poverty, poor access to improved technologies, poor market prices, low production and dissemination system as the major challenges of adoption of GAP in the study area. The study thus recommended that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture should provide more funds for research institutions and the State ADPs in order to intensify their efforts towards creating more awareness of the GAP system among rural farmers. It also recommends collaboration between state government and private sectors, this collaboration will help to provide low cost of farm inputs and credit facilities to farming communities for more rapid adoption and sustainability and also to make better informed decisions which will encourage implementation of the GAP system.
