ANALYSIS OF FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ADOPTION OF POTATO PLANTING MATERIAL TECHNOLOGIES IN PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined the factors influencing the adoption of potato planting material technologies in the central agricultural zone of Plateau State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling procedure was employed to select 306 potato farmers randomly from the study area. Primary data was collected through structured questionnaire. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, adoption index, logit regression and factor analysis. The result revealed that 74.8% of the potato farmers were males, with a mean age of 40 years. The study further revealed that majority (91.2%) of the respondents had a form formal education with a mean household size of 6 persons. The results from the adoption index showed that seed tuber technology was highly adopted with an adoption score of 5.96, cutting seed technology with 2.52 and true potato seed technology with adoption score of 1.81. The results of logit regression revealed that household, labour and other occupations other than potato farming all significantly influenced adoption of potato planting technologies. The result of factor analysis revealed the major constraints faced by farmers to include poor technical information, economic problem, inadequate resources, environmental problem, pathological problem and technological problem. The study concluded that seed tuber potato planting technology was the most highly adopted in the study area.  The study recommended that the dissemination of technical information should be increased by ensuring more contacts with farmers by extension agents; and proper soil, water, pest and disease management practices should be intensified among farmers.