AWARENESS AND UTILIZATION OF ORANGE FLESHED SWEET POTATO PRODUCTION IN EBONYI STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study assessed the awareness and utilization of Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) production in Ebonyi state, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used in selecting 120 respondents for the study. Data was collected with the aid of a questionnaire. The results revealed that the average age of the respondents was 51.2 years, and 71.6% were female, 55% were married with a mean household size of 5 persons respectively. The study further revealed that 75% of the farmers were only aware of two out of three OFSP varieties, and the level of utilization was moderate with a mean score of 2.45. The result further revealed that 81.7% and 71.7% of farmers were constrained by the unavailability and high cost of planting materials, while 65.8% and 65.0% were constrained by the high cost of fertilizer and high cost of labor respectively. Therefore, the study recommended that there was a need to create more awareness and increase the adoption and utilization of OFSP to improve food security and nutrition in Ebonyi state, Nigeria.