Practice and level of Awareness of Good Agricultural Practices among Smallholder Farmers in the adopted villages

in Northern, Nigeria

Presented at CCRI Winter School 2016

University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham,

United Kingdom

PresenterSamson Olayemi Sennuga

M.Sc (Reading), B.Sc (UI), NCE (TASCE)

PhD Student

What I will talk about …….• Introduction

• Define Good Agricultural Practices with examples

• Link that to the study area and methodology

• Results of the survey Characteristics of the Respondents Awareness of GAP Access to Extension Service

• What next in PhD study

• Conclusions to date

Good Agricultural Practices are a collection of principles for on-farm production and post-production process, resulting in safe and healthy food and non-food agricultural products, while taking into account economical, social and environmental sustainability (FAO, 2013). These can include:

Maintaining soil fertility, Water resources and irrigation, Animal production and welfare, Integrated pest management, Integrated fertilizer management, and Conservation agriculture.

To name a few…

Introduction and Background Information

The Study Area

The study was conducted in two communities (Shika and Basawa) in the Northern Guinea Savannah ecological zone of Kaduna State, North Western, Nigeria.

Adapted livelihood survey tool were used to create a baseline and data collected on different parameters such as:

socio-economic profiling, awareness of GAPs, cropping system, use of ICTs and sources of

agricultural information.

Shika

Basawa

GiwaSabon-Gari

Methodology

During the fieldwork, community meeting was conducted to introduce researcher, research objectives and the benefits to the communities.

Stratified sampling procedure was used to select 60 farming households from each community to represent age, gender and farming experience.

Primary Data

Specific questions on awareness of GAPs, use of ICTs and how it could be used to improve adoption of improved technologies and it constraints,, farmers coping strategies and available guidance. On average respondents were interviewed for 50 minutes.

Analysis and the result of the survey

Data editingThe data editing involved the sorting out of the questionnaire papers visually and discard those with obvious anomalies e.g. error, missing data

Data coding and entryThe data from the numbered questionnaires was coded and entered into the computer for analysis.

Data analysisBoth quantitative and qualitative data (Mixed Methods Approach) were summarized and analyzed. Mostly, the data were analyzed descriptively. With descriptive analysis, averages and percentages were calculated using SPSS and Microsoft Excel.

Figure 1: Age Distribution

Shika: The Results reveal that majority 65% of the respondents were middle age and married, between 31-50yrs.

Basawa: My findings indicates that 53% were middle age 31-50yrs. This suggests that the majority of the respondents were within their economic active age and this will enhance their productivity in order to be food secure.

Results of the Households SurveyCharacteristics of the Respondents

Results of the Households Survey

Characteristics of the Respondents

31%

43.%

23%

3%

22%

48%

20%

10%

0 10 20 30 40 50

No Education

Primary

Secondary

Tertiary

Shika and Basawa Communities

Basawa Shika

Figure 2: Education LevelThis implies that majority of the respondents had one form of education or the other. The level of education can enhance food security status and productivity of respondents.

Awareness of Good Agricultural Practices

• The findings show that 82% of participants were aware of the specific GAPs covered by the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS) programme.

• Despite this, the results show that the majority of the respondents were not practicing the GAPs.

Figure 3: Level of Awareness of GAP

Challenges to GAPs implementation

• Participants identified numerous challenges to GAPs implementation, which include; unreliable and inadequate rainfall; lack of farm inputs; high cost of farm inputs; lack of technical know-how; lack of irrigation facilities and high illiteracy.

• The study shows that the level of awareness of GAPs among farmers in the study areas has a statistically significant impact on the productivity and livelihood of smallholder farmers in the area.

Access to Agricultural Extension

Do you receive ext. visit from a trained extension worker

Figure 4: Extension visit to farmers

65% Yes; 35% No

Shika & Basawa Communities

Fig. 5: Location of Ext. officers

Shika & Basawa Communities

21% of the respondents received extension advice from Academia, 4% from Private sector, 1% from NGOs, while 39% came from KADP and 35% never receive extension visit in the area.

Training packages on scientific evidence on GAPs, 25 farmers will be selected as “Lead farmers” from the two communities. This is called farmer-to-farmer extension model.

Criteria: completion of secondary school, able to read and write, must be a group member and have a role.

Second Visit to the study area (February, 2016) - During this visit the following will be addressed:

What next in PhD

Focus group discussions with extension workers from Government, NGO’s, Academia and the Private Sector.

Extension workers will be interviewed face to face in a group of three to five.

Shika and Bassawa communities will be divided into those that use ICTs and those who do not or rarely use it (adopter and non-adopter of ICTs) based on the first livelihood survey.

Adopter of ICTAdopter of ICT

Adopter of ICTAdopter of ICT

Non-adopterNon-adopter Non-adopterNon-adopter

Shika Community Bassawa Community

T&V Extension

T&V + ICT

Interview with the Extension workers

Adopter of ICT

• Third Visit (September, 2016) - Final visit to the study area at the end of the second growing season to see what has been adopted based on initial training on GAPs and what has not. For non-adopted practices the study will explore the barriers to adoption?

• The final survey tool with participating farmers will include some key questions about types of communication; ranging from the value of traditional extension, ICT, farmer led extension and the popular “I saw my neighbour doing it the activity”.

What’s next

Conclusions to date

This study will complement current extension with the use of ICTs in order to boost production and improve rural livelihood which is seriously lacking according to the literature.

Furthermore, linking the use of Good Agricultural Practices and ICTs has never been conducted in West Africa before.

It is anticipated that this study will help create rural prosperity in the Northwestern Nigeria and may provide the stimulus for Agricultural Information Centers to be established in the two communities via the Ministry of Agriculture in order to reach the unreached.

Thank you!