ADOPTION OF AGRICULTURAL INNOVATIONS AMONG MEMBERS AND NON-MEMBERS OF WOMEN CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN OJU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF BENUE STATE
ADOPTION OF AGRICULTURAL INNOVATIONS AMONG MEMBERS AND NON-MEMBERS OF WOMEN CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN OJU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF BENUE STATE
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Date
1998-02
Authors
OKWOCHE, VICTORIA ADA
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Abstract
This study examined the influence of selected socio-economic characteristics on
awareness and adoption of agricultural innovations among women co-operators and non cooperators
in Oju Local Government Area of Benue State. Also, the extent to which
some socio-economic variables of the farmers affected the awareness and adoption of
agricultural innovations was stressed. The socio-economic characteristics of the women
studied were age, household size, farm income, agricultural credit, possession of
durable goods, membership of co-operatives, non-farm income, level of formal
education, farm size, length of membership, and contact with extension..
The sample size was one hundred and twenty respondents.
The statistical methods employed in the study included frequency distribution,
percentages, means, t-test, Pearson correlation and step-wise regression.
The results of the study showed that there was no significant difference in age
between the two groups, but a significant difference existed in the other socio-economic
characteristics at 5 % level. The study showed that 55 % of the co-operators were aware
of all the innovations while none of the non-cooperators fell in this category. A total
of 67% co-operators and 2% of non-cooperators had adopted between 5-8 innovations.
The correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between most of the variables.
For co-operators, the variable that were positively significant to awareness included
level of formal education, farm size, farm income, non-income, agricultural credit,
membership of co-operative, possession of durable goods, contact with extension and
length of co-operative membership. The step-wise regression showed that all the
variables affected awareness by 46%. While for non-members, the three variables
which were significantly related to awareness included household size, farm income and
non-farm income. The step-wise regression showed that these variables accounted for
20% of the variable in awareness.
For co-operators, the findings showed that levels of formal education, farm size,
farm income, non-farm, possession of durable goods, contact with extension, household
size, membership of co-operative, agricultural credit were positively significantly
related to adoption of innovations. The variables accounted for 49% of the variance.
For non-cooperators, age, household size, farm size, farm income and non-farm-income,
were significantly related to adoption. The step-wise regression analysis showed that
the variables accounted for 28% of the variance in adoption.
This study showed that the adoption of innovations by co-operators and non cooperators
was hampered by lack of credit facilities, inadequate processing and storage
facilities, mismanagement, lack of ownership of land, inadequate knowledge of cooperative
education.
This study supports the need for the government to strengthen and provide the
womens' co-operative societies with the necessary logistic support, well managed cooperative
production credit and encourage co-operative formation and contact between
farmers and extension agents.
Description
A Thesis submitted to the Postgraduate School,
Ahmadu Bello University, In Partial Fulfilment of the requirements of the
Degree of Master of Science in Agricultural Extension,
and Rural Sociology
Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural
Sociology, Faculty of Agriculture/IAR,
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
FEBRUARY, 1998.
Keywords
ADOPTION,, AGRICULTURAL, INNOVATIONS,, WOMEN,, CO-OPERATIVE,, SOCIETIES,, BENUE STATE.