Determinants of Youth Farmers’ Utilization of Improved Rice Production Practices in South West, Nigeria

Abstract

The study assessed the determinants of the usage of Improved Agricultural Practices (IAPs) among young rice farmers in South West Nigeria. The multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 317 respondents for the study. Data were collected through the use of interview schedule. Frequency counts, percentages, mean and double-hurdle were used to analyse the data. The Findings revealed that the major improved agricultural practices utilised in rice production included the selection of improved rice varieties (88.3%), planting at the recommended spacing (100%) and appropriate use of agrochemicals (99.3%). In contrast, the most intensively utilised practices were farm planning and use of cropping calendar (WMS=1.38), timely planting of rice (WMS=2.24) and safekeeping and handling of agrochemicals (WMS=2.48). The result of the double-hurdle reveals that age (? = -0.073646, -0.0039496), years of education (? = -0.0565773, 0.003665), years of farming experiences (? = 0.0081413, 0.003140, availability of improved agricultural practices information (? = 0.0413969, 0.114309) and knowledge level of IAPs (? = 0.0396945, 0.408986) had the likelihood of determining usage and intensity of use of IAPs .The study recommends that the identified factors should be considered jointly to enhance food and nutrition security of rice in the study area.

Keywords

• Improved Agricultural Practices, Rice production, Young Farmers