Suchergebnisse

The study assessed the contribution of vegetable production to food security in Uruan Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Specifically, the objectives of the study were to identify the socio-economic characteristics of respondents and to identify the major vegetable crops grown by farmers for livelihood diversification in the study area. Sample sizes of 121 respondents were selected through multi-stage sampling procedure from selected agricultural zones in Uruan LGA. Data collected were analyze using descriptive statistics. Results of the study revealed that female farmers (88.3%) participated in vegetable production, while (11.7%) of the participants were males. Majority of the farmers aged 51-60 years (63.3%) were involved in vegetable production while a small proportion aged 20-30 years (2.5%) were also involved; 55% of the farmers had no formal education implying that their educational level were relatively low. In identifying vegetable crops grown by farmers for livelihood diversifications, waterleaf ranked 1st (x̄ = 3.61) followed by fluted pumpkin (x̄ = 3.59) while cucumber ranked 9th (x̄ = 2.44). Results of the hypothesis revealed that sex, marital status, farm size and system of land ownership were 11.519, 9.664, 44.072 and 44.817 respectively and were significant at 1%, 5% and 10% respectively. The study concluded that socio-economic characteristics of farmers are significantly related to vegetable production. The study therefore recommended that land tenure policy should be reviewed to enhance land ownership, human capital development should be prioritized, agricultural co-operatives should be formed, also, extension services should be provided to farmers.Keywords: Vegetable, food security, contribution, Uruan

The study assessed weed management techniques among cocoa farmers in Akamkpa Local Government Area, Cross River State, Nigeria. Specifically, the objectives of the study were to assess the socio-economic characteristics of respondents in the study area; identify major weeds affecting cocoa farms, identify major techniques of weed management; ascertain the various indigenous weed management techniques employed by cocoa farmers in the study area. A random sampling technique was adopted in the selection of 120 respondents for the study. Also, descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, means and percentages, as well as inferential statistics such as chisquare model were used for analysis of the study objectives and the testing of study hypothesis respectively. Results of the study revealed that (41.70%) had no formal education, (37.50%) were aged above 50 years, (58.30%) were married with children. Results of cocoa weeds predominant in the study area revealed that; Chromolaena odorata, Ageratim conyzoides, Pennisetum purpureum and Mimosa pudica were the major weeds that interfered with the cocoa crops in the study area at the percentage of (82.50%), (74.20%), (63.30%) and (48.30%) respectively. The results also showed that integrated weed management techniques were mostly used by cocoa farmers, but that indigenous weed management techniques such as slashing of weeds with machetes (83.30%), hoe weeding (75.00%) and hand pulling or hand rouging (73.30%) were also utilized by cocoa farmers for weed control in the study area. The study concluded that majority of the respondents were relatively young with very little or no formal education, limited access to large farmlands for cocoa production, earned less than N100,000 per annum from cocoa sales. The study, therefore, recommended that extension services be provided to the cocoa farmers to facilitate training and education on basic scientific weed and pest management techniques; that the land tenure system of 1978 be reviewed to allow farmers access to large hectares of arable land for cocoa farming.Keywords: Weed Management, Techniques, Cocoa, Farmers, Akamkpa

The study assessed rubber production technologies and the related socio-economic environments in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The study seeks to reawaken the interests of rubber farmers in improved rubber production technologies in the study area. The specific objectives of the study were to; identify the socioeconomic characteristics of rubber farmers in the study area, identify improved rubber production technologies disseminated to farmers and to assess some socio-economic variables associated with adoption of improved rubber production technologies in the study area. Purposive and random sampling techniques were used in selecting 96 rubber farmers for the study. Primary data generated for the study were analysed using descriptive statistics such as percentages, frequencies and Multiple Regression Analysis. The result showed that Extension Officers disseminated about 13 improved rubber production technologies to farmers in the area. From the OLS regression estimates, R2 value was 0.559 with three selected socio-economic variables being the major factors affecting adoption of improved rubber production technologies. These include; Age, Education and Contact with Extension Agents. These were significant at l% level of probability. This calls for the re-introduction of non-formal education among farmers in the rural areas to improve their level of education and adoption of improved technologies. Government should increase the extension-farmer ratio from the present 1:1000 to 10:1000.Keywords: Rubber production, technologies, socio-economic environments, variables and Akwa Ibom State