ANALYSIS OF FACTORS INFLUENCING ADOPTION OF IMPROVED MILLET PRODUCTION TEHNOLOGIES IN CENTRAL ZONE OF BORNO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study analysed the adoption of improved millet production technologies among farmers in central zone of Borno State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was employed and total of 178 millet farmers were randomly sampled and proportionately drawn at 5% across each of the eight (8) selected villages. Primary data were collected through structured questionnaire and analysed using frequency count, percentage, adoption index, and ordered logistic regression. The results revealed that higher percentage (85.6%) of respondents were male, 57% were married and had age range of 31-40 with mean of 43 years. Similarly, household size had a mean of 11 people, about 52% of farmers had a non-formal education, 46.1% had a farm size of 1-2 ha, and about 47% of the farmers had been involved in millet farming with an average of 10 years farming experience. The adoption index result of 57.2% indicated that the study as a whole recorded medium adoption. The results of the ordered logistic regression disclosed that farm size, and household size; and level of education were negatively significant at P≤0.01 and P≤0.10, respectively. Access to credit and extension contact were positively significant (P≤0.10) and also farming experience had positively significant (P≤0.01) relationship with the adoption of improved millet packages. The major constraint to adoption of improved millet package in the study area was inaccessibility of credit facilities. The study concluded that the adoption of improved millet package as a whole was influenced by socio-economic and institutional factors. The study therefore, recommended that cooperative societies should be strengthened and expanded to accommodate more farmers with a view to having easy access to new agricultural technologies as well as credit facilities.