Determinants of the Decision to Plant Trees on Farmland among Rural Farmers in Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State

Abstract

Tree planting plays an important role in improving the livelihoods of rural farmers, through soil enrichment, leading to improved crop productivity among the farmers. It also a substitute source for income generation to farmers. Consequent upon this, the study attempted to assess the factors that influenced the decision of rural farmers to engage in tree planting in Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to choose the respondents from the study area. Descriptive statistics including frequencies and percentages as well as inferential statistics such as Logistic Regression Analysis were applied in the study to analyze the collected data. It was revealed that some socioeconomic variables such as age, gender, farm size, education as well as the availability of planting materials significantly influenced the decision of rural farmers in the study area to embark on tree planting on their farmland. In addition, the study also revealed that several constraints were opposing the decision of the farmers to engage in tree planting in the study area. Some of the stated constraints by the farmers included lack of knowledge and required skills on tree planting, the long gestation period of trees, and insufficient land for tree planting, lack of planting materials among others.