ADOPTION OF IMPROVED SOYBEAN (Glycine Max) PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES AMONG FARMERS IN WESTERN AGRICULTURAL ZONE OF BAUCHI STATE

Abstract

The study examined the adoption of improved soybean production technologies among farmers in Western Zone of Bauchi State. The Agricultural Programme comprises of seven (7) Local Government Areas of Alkaleri, Bauchi, Bogoro, Dass, Kirfi and Tafawa Balewa. Primary data were randomly collected from 164 respondents using questionnaire and were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The result revealed that substantial proportion (30.8%) of the respondents were within the age range of 30-39 years with average age of 40. The results also showed that majority (81.7%) of the respondents were male and 56.1% were married. The findings revealed that most (91.5%) of the respondents had one form of education or the other with 37.8% having farming experience of 11-20 years. The major attributes of improved soybean include drought tolerance (x=3.64), compatibility (x= 3.61) and disease resistant (x= 3.51). On the other hand, the findings revealed that respondents had high levels of adoption on recommended planting date (67.7%), recommended weeding interval (6.6%) and recommended harvesting time (57.3%). The study concludes that farmers were willing to adopt new technologies in the production of soybean so as to improve their living standards and levels of income, hence the need for the farmers to form cooperative societies and hire more extension officers to enlighten their members on recommended production practices in soybean production.