AN EVALUATION OF THE NATIONAL ACCELERATED FOOD PRODUCTION PROGRAMME STRATEGY FOR INCREASED SORGHUM PRODUCTION IN THE ZARIA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KADUNA STATE
AN EVALUATION OF THE NATIONAL ACCELERATED FOOD PRODUCTION PROGRAMME STRATEGY FOR INCREASED SORGHUM PRODUCTION IN THE ZARIA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KADUNA STATE
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Date
1984-03
Authors
MOHAMMED, BARAU ZARIA
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Abstract
The broad objective of the study is to evaluate the effect
of the National Accelerated Pood Production Programme (NAFPP?) as
an extension strategy for increasing the production of Sorghum
in the Zaria Local Government Area. To this end, four objectives
were specified and examined.
The first specific objective examined was the farmers'
personal characteristics and the effect those characteristics
had on their adoption behaviour. The second objective examined
was the extent of adoption of the NAFPP improved sorghum
practices by the farmers who had been exposed to the new
production technology in the study area. The third objective of
the study examined the operational problems faced by the
extension workers in the process of implementing the NAFPP
Sorghum Programme in the area. The fourth objective of the
study is to make suggestions for the improvement or otherwise of
the new extension approach.
Two types of questionnaires (one for the farmers and one
for the extension workers) were designed to fulfill the objectives
of the study. The main questionnaire was used to gather
appropriate data from a sample of 180 randomly selected farmers. '
Fourty farmers who served as NAFPP sorghum demonstrators in the
area were included among the samples.
The data was analysed and percentages and means were used
in reporting the farmers personal characteristics as well as
their level of awareness and extent of adoption. The pearson Correlation
procedure was used to test the hypotheses postulated, while the
Stepwise Multiple Regression analysis procedure was used to
further isolate the relative contributions of the variables.
The .05> level of significance was used in reporting the
significance of relationships between variables.
The findings on personal characteristics showed that most
farmers (68%) in the area were relatively young, with a mean age
of 45.6 years. The average household size was 10.3 persons
while size of holdings averaged 5.2 hectares. Nearly all the
respondents ( 9 0 % ) had attended koranic schools and nearly
two-thirds of them (61%) were literate in the Hausa (Ajami) script.
On the other hand only a few of the respondents (14%) had any
formal primary education. Although farming is a primary
occupation in the area, all of the respondents reported
practising secondary and even tertiary occupations all the year
round. A substantial number of them were holding community
leadership positions such as Village Head, (13%), Political
Party Officials (8%), among others. It was found that only a
few of the respondents belonged to any voluntary farmers
organisations.
Knowledge level or awareness of improved farm practices
among the respondents was found to be fairly high, while the
actual adoption of the practices was comparatively low. The
highest level of knowledge was in respect of planting date (96%)
and the lowest was close spacing (37%). On the other hand,
most of the sorghum recommended practices attracted only very
low rate of adoption. Close spacing, use of improved varieties,
monocropping, use of storage chemicals, and thinning were adopted
by only 19% 21%, 22% 24% and 33% of the respondents
respectively. It was however observed that all of the
respondents used fertilizers on that crops.
It was concluded that the extent of adoption of improved
practices varied from one practice to another, depending on
their relative advantages, complexity and compatibility with
farmers traditional practices, and other socio-economic factors.
Desire for higher crop yields was found to be the most important
motivating factor for adopting certain recommended practices
such as the use of fertilizers and improved varieties.
Non-availability of certain production inputs and incompatibility
with existing practices were among the most important reasons
for non-adoption of certain practices.
The farmers were found to be facing a number of problems
in adopting improved farming practices. The most important ones
(in order of importance) are insufficient fertilizers, lack of
tractor service, shortage of manpower, lack of credit/loan
facilities, inadequate supply of improved seeds, poor crop
marketing arrangements, lack of extension advice; and lack of
storage and other agro-chemicals.
Extension workers too, were faced with some operational
problems that limit their success in implementing the NAFPP
programme in the area. Among the most important ones are too
many assignments to cope with; delay in receiving demonstration
materials; lack of transportation to supervise trials, delay in
settlement of allowances and claims: inadequate training and
lack of cooperation from farmers.
Statistically, a strong relationship was found ("both positive
and negative) between the various personal characteristics
studied and the adoption of the NAFPP sorghum innovations by the
farmers exposed to such innovations in the study area. The
characteristics of leadership} membership, level of living,
participation in extension activities; use of various sources of
information, additional occupations and formal education; were
all found to be positively and significantly related to the
adoption behaviour of the respondents. The variables of
leadership, literacy, sources of information and size of farms
were however, found to have more influence on the adoption
behaviour.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Postgraduate School,
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the
degree of Master of Science in Agricultural
Extension
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AND
RURAL SOCIOLOGY, INSTITUTE FOR AGRICULTURAL
RESEARCH/FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE, AHMADU
BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA
NIGERIA
MARCH, 1984
Keywords
EVALUATION,, NATIONAL ACCELERATED POOD PRODUCTION PROGRAMME STRATEGY,, INCREASED SORGHUM PRODUCTION,, ZARIA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA,, KADUNA STATE