ABSTRACT

The study investigated the determinants of adoption of improved cocoyam production technologies by farmers in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia state. A multi stage random sampling was employed to select a sample size of 120 farmers for the study. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics (Frequency, counts and percentages), and inferential statistics such as multiple regression analysis. The study revealed that (43.3%) of the respondents were within productive age of (31-40 years) and were young, strong and agile. Majority (78.3%) of the respondents were married while 44.1% of the respondents had household size of 3-4 persons and only 15.8% had no formal education. Majority (64%) of the farmers were educated, while about 60% of the respondents had farming experience of 11-30 years fifty percent of them were full time farmers. Result also showed that overall adoption level of cocoyam technology was above average. Planting materials like cocoyam minisetts and fertilizer application technology were most widely adopted by farmers with 3.9% and 4.2% adoptions respectively. Spacing was discontinued because the respondents found it difficult to measure correctly. Lack of market information, poor knowledge of technology, poor infrastructural facilities were identified as major problems affecting the adoption of cocoyam technologies in the study area. The results of Tobit analysis showed that farming experience, gender, occupational status, age and farm size are variables significantly, affecting the level of adoption of cocoyam technologies. It was recommended that men should be encouraged to participate more in cocoyam production since increase in number of men leads to increase in production, Research Institutes should compliment extension by organizing training for the farmers. In addition government should provide good market system to the farmers while financial institutions should give credit to the farmers to enable them improve their production capacity.