Determinants of Adoption of Pro Vitamin A Cassava Varieties by Farmers in Imo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined the determinants of adoption of Pro vitamin A cassava by farmers in Imo State, Nigeria.  Multistage sampling technique was adopted to select a total of 120 farmers for the study in 2018 using questionnaire and focus group discussion. Descriptive statistics and tobit regression model were used to assess farmers ‘perception of pro-vitamin A cassava, levels of adoption, constraints and determinants of adoption of pro vitamin A cassava by farmers in the study area. The result showed low perception ( =2.80) of pro vitamin A cassava, though some individual mean indicated positive perception; high level of adoption ( =2.47) of pro vitamin A cassava. Tobit regression result showed that access to extension services at 1%, educational qualification, association membership at 5% and farming experience and nutritional information at 10% were the determinants of adoption of pro vitamin A cassava in the study area. Among the serious constraints in adoption of pro vitamin A cassava were: inadequate fund, high cost of labour, lack of farm credit, literacy level of farmers, marketing problem, inadequate fertilizer and poor extension visit. This paper therefore recommends that improved nutritional information about the new cassava technology should be prioritized to sensitize the farmers despite the high level of adoption among farmers and regular extension visits in order to further educate farmers.