Faculty Of Agriculture, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Nigeria

 Journal

 Analysis Of Utilization Of Mobile Phones In Agricultural Dissemination Among Maize Farmers In Ondo State, Nigeria

 Akinwale, J. A., Owoade, E. O. And Oloruntobi, D. O.

 2019

This study investigated maize farmers' utilization of mobile phones in accessing agricultural information in Ondo State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used in selecting 100 maize farmers. Data for the study was collected with the aid of structured questionnaire. Data obtained were analysed by descriptive (frequency counts, percentages and mean) and inferential (correlation) statistics. Findings revealed that maize farmers were young with mean age of 43.5 years. Most (69%) of the farmers were male and 89% were married. Maize farmers were mainly found to accessed range of agricultural information by using voice calls (99%), phone radio (89%) and SMS platforms (88%). The level of utilization of internet, WhatsApp, Facebook, emails and multimedia was low. Correlation analysis result revealed significant relationships between farmers' level of education (r = 0.446, p?0.05), maintenance cost (r=0.325, p?0.05) and utilization of mobile phones. The basic features of the mobile phones were found as the main sources of disseminating agricultural information to the maize farmers. Thus, the device is currently underutilized. The study recommends adequate training of extension agents and farmers on the use of mobile phone with provision of support infrastructure to promote its usage in disseminating agricultural information. 

 University Of Agricultural Sciences And Veterinary Medicine, Romania

 Journal

 COPING STRATEGIES UTILIZED AMONG SMALL RUMINANT FARMERS DURING THE DRY SEASON IN EKITI STATE, NIGERIA

 Olorunyomi, O. E., Okunlola, J. O. And Akinwale, J. A.

 2019

The study assessed use of coping strategies by small ruminant farmers during the dry season in Ekiti State. A multistage sampling procedure was used in the selection of one hundred and twenty (120) respondents. The result of the study revealed that the average age of the respondents was 47 years and females (78.3 percent) dominate small ruminant rearing in the study area. Coping strategies used during dry season include use of stored crop residue (23.1 percent), use of fresh forage (20.3 percent), increased ration of feeds per meal (19.3 percent) and herd thinning (18.4 percent). There was no significant relationship between constraints to the use of the coping strategies and attitude of farmers towards the use of the coping strategies (r = -0.03, p = 0.72). The study concludes that Crop/livestock combination will go a long way in ensuring crop residue availability during the dry season. 

 Italian Agency For Development Cooperation

 Journal

 Determinants Of Farm Certification Compliance For Sustainable Cocoa Production In Ondo State, Nigeria

 Akinwale, J. A., Ojerinde, K. D. And Owoade, E. O.

 2019

There is a remarkable downturn in cocoa production of recent due to low output and uncompetitive market prices. The situation has therefore led to an enormous gap in demand and supply of the produce to cocoa industries. The challenge now is how producers can sustainably cope with the needs of the ever growing and quality-inclined market. The study therefore investigates how farm certification is positioning the farmers to take advantage of the huge cocoa export market. Using multi-stage sampling procedure, 90 respondents were selected from the participating cooperatives societies in the study area. Interview schedule was used to collect data on socio-economic characteristics of the farmers, access to agricultural support services, farmers’ knowledge on farm certification measures, level of compliance and cocoa outputs. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (percentages, frequencies and means) and inferential statistics. (Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Regression Analysis) The results showed that majority (97.8%) of the farmers were male with mean age of 48 years. The farmers indicated good access to all the components of the support services except supply of fertilizers. The farmers had good knowledge in 18 out of the 19 knowledge test questions and had full compliance with farm certification measures. There was a significant relationship between farmers’ knowledge of farm certification measures and compliance with agronomic practices (r= 0.503, p? 0.01). The result of the regression analysis indicated farmers’ age (?=0.425), output (?=0.300), access to support services (?=0.262) and knowledge of agronomic practices (?=0.249) as the leading determinants of farm certification compliance among cocoa farmers in the study area. The farmers’ high level of compliance with agronomic practices indicated that they are prepared to derive economic benefits from the dynamics in cocoa export market. For sustainable compliance with farm certification, experienced cocoa farmers with track record of productivity should be enlisted into the subsequent schemes. 

 Department Of Agricultural Economics And Extension, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.

 Others

 Ownership And Utilization Of Personal ICTS Among Undergraduates Of Agriculture In Federal University Gashua, Nigeria

 Owoade, E. O. And Akinwale, J. A.

 2018

The study investigated ownership and utilization of personal ICTs among agricultural undergraduates of Federal University Gashua, Yobe State. Primary data were collected with a structured questionnaire from 147undergraduate students studying agriculture using simple random sampling procedure. The results showed that majority (85.0%) of the respondents were males with the mean age of 23.4years. Most undergraduates owned mobile/camera phone (93.9%), internet/modem (60.5%), and had email addresses (79.6%) but the ownership of computer was low (42.2%). Slightly above average of the respondents (52.4%) had low utilization of ICTs and 51.7% had low ICTs skills respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between self-perceived ICT skills (r= 0.574, p 

 Indonesian Coffee And Cocoa Research Institute

 Others

 Factors Influencing Farmers’ Adoption Of CRIN TC Cocoa Hybrid Technology In Oyo State, Nigeria

 Akinwale, J. A. And O. E. Folarin

 2018

Cocoa production in Nigeria has been on a downward trend in recent years. Low productivity from ageing cocoa trees and low technology uptake among the farmers are some of the contributing factors. Efforts are therefore ongoing to introduce cocoa hybrid technology to enhance cocoa farmers’ productivity. This study therefore examines factors influencing adoption of CRIN TC (TC 1- 8) cocoa hybrid technology among cocoa farmers in Oyo state, Nigeria. Using multi-stage sampling procedure, 80 respondents were sampled for the study. A well-structured questionnaire was used to gather information from the farmers. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis. The results revealed that most (83.8%) of the farmers were male with the mean age of 55 years. It also showed that 43.8% of the farmers completed primary education while majority (51.3%) had a household size of 6-10 persons with a mean household size of 5 persons. The study also showed that 80% of the cocoa farmers got their information regarding cocoa hybrid through research institute. It was also found that most of the farmers had high level of adoption. Meanwhile, high cost of agrochemicals was identified as a major constraint toward adoption of CRIN TC (TC 1- 8) cocoa hybrid. Meanwhile, farmers age (?=-0.007) farming experience (?=-0.004) were identified as the factors influencing farmers’ adoption of the cocoa hybrid. Governments at various levels are encouraged to subsidise the price of agrochemicals which was discovered as major constraint to adoption of CRIN TC (TC1-TC8) cocoa hybrid technology. 

 University Of Novi Sad, Faculty Of Agriculture, Serbia

 Others

 Lead Farmer Extension Approach And Sustainable Extension Service Delivery In Oyo State, Nigeria

 Benjamin Oyelami, Jonathan Akinwale And Ademola Ladele

 2018

Over the years, provision of extension and advisory services has been the main thrust of both the public and private extension services in Nigeria. Meanwhile, the lead farmer extension approach has been deployed for cost effectiveness, broader reach and sustainability. The utility value of this approach needs to be empirically established. This study therefore examined the extent to which the approach has achieved the intended objectives among randomly sampled maize farmers in Iseyin and Saki-West Local Government Areas (LGAs). Interview schedule and focus group discussion among farmer groups were used for the study. Lead farmer extension approach was cost and time effective vis-a-vis the number of farmers reached and the achieved outcome. Almost 70% of the lead farmers encountered late arrivals and impatience from group members during step-down training activities while all of them complained of insufficient funds for refreshment. About 65% of the farmers engaged in selective adoption of the training items owing to various reasons. There was also a significant difference between the knowledge level of the lead farmers and their respective group members while the group members’ assessment of their respective lead farmers’ performance was high. The study concluded that this extension approach was effective and could serve to complement the efforts of extension workers in the state. 

 Faculty Of Agriculture University Of Ilorin PMB 1515,Ilorin, Kwara State Nigeria

 Others

 Yield Differentials Among Participating And Non-participating Rice Farmers In Public-private Partnership In Benue And Ogun States, Nigeria

 Akinwale, J. A., Ladele A. A. And Olajide B. R.

 2016

The shortfall in domestic rice production in Nigeria has been attributed to inadequate provision of productivity-enhancing agricultural support services to rice farmers. Input supply and guaranteed market that entrenched the shortfall are the focus of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement in rice production. The extent to which this has impacted on rice production was investigated in this study. Respondents totaling 235 from two rice producing states in Nigeria were purposively sampled. The respondents were further grouped into two, namely: participating farmers (PFs) and non-participating farmers (NPFs). Data relating to preferred sources of market information, perception on enabling policy environment for PPP to thrive, level of access to agricultural support services, and yield from rice production were obtained from the respondents. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, multiple regression analysis and chow test at a0.05. The results show that both PFs and NPFs still relied on traditional sources to access market information. PFs had higher access to improved rice varieties, guaranteed market and extension services delivery than NPFs. The results of chow test show that the impacts of the explanatory variables were not the same across the two groups. Quantity of seeds and farm size contributed to reduction in quantum of yield gap for PFs, while farmers' age, access and timeliness of agricultural support services provision were for NPFs. Participating farmers had higher crop yield than nonparticipating farmers. Adequate supply of seeds aided the yield of participating farmers. Nonparticipating farmers had to utilize more quantity of fertilizers to have appreciable yield. 

 Agricultural Extension Society Of Nigeria (AESON)

 Journal

 Linking Maize Farmers To Market: A Case Study Of Private Extension Service In Yewa North Local Government Area Of Ogun State, Nigeria

 Ladele, A. A., Akinwale, J. A. And Oyelami, B. O.

 2016

This paper presents the activities of a private extension outfit along maize value chain in Ogun state, Nigeria. The study reveals that the outfit performs functions that are not limited to knowledge transfer but as well as building integration and interaction among the diverse actors. The study further identified crucial performance indicators to evaluate success and ensure sustainability of the actors. Challenges such as breach of trust and sharp practices were also identified as obstacles to this approach. Meanwhile, farmers were able to experience improved linkage to market as a result of the well coordinated maize value chain. These findings had therefore demonstrated how private extension services in Nigeria are responding proactively to the pressure of changing roles and additional responsibilities of extension by rendering services that are not fully covered in public extension services. 

 Taylor & Francis Group

 Others

 Determinants Of Productivity Level Among Rice Farmers In Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area Of Ogun State, Nigeria

 Akinbile, L. A., Akinwale J. A. And Ashimolowo O. R.

 2006

The need to improve the productivity and subsequently the local production of rice to reduce the huge wage bill expended on the importation of rice necessitated this study. The factors that determine the productivity level achieved by the rice farmers were assessed in this study. Structured questionnaire was administered to 120 randomly sampled rice farmers from Obafemi-Owode local government area of Ogun State. Results of the study reveal that majority of the respondents cultivate the improved version of the local variety, which is Ofada OS6. They also cultivate small farm holdings and they are knowledgeable in seed identification and sowing, fertilizer identification and application, as well as intercropping of rice with other crops. However, their knowledge in herbicide use is low, indicating their low use or wrong use of herbicides. Productivity level of most of the respondents is low, while factors that determine their productivity level are farm size, knowledge of improved practices, quantity of labour used and respondents’ level of education. There is thus the need to enhance respondents’ knowledge of improved practices through extension education as well as exposing them to literacy programmes to boost their rice productivity.