Abstract:
Agricultural development depends to a large extent on the utilisation of Agricultural Research Outputs (AROs). Several AROs have been generated by Departments in the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Ibadan (UI). However, acceptance and utilisation of these AROs by end users had been bedeviled with various challenges. Information on utilisation of UI AROs by end users is scanty. Therefore, determinants of utilisation of UI AROs among beneficiaries in Southwestern Nigeria were investigated.
A three-stage sampling procedure was used. Purposively, the States (Oyo and Osun) and communities (Ilora, Egbeda, Mokola, Akinyele, Iwo and Ile-ogbo) where UI AROs were disseminated were selected. Thereafter, beneficiaries were stratified into crop and livestock enterprises. Finally, 194 beneficiaries were randomly selected across the agricultural enterprises proportionate to size. Using structured questionnaire, data were collected on respondents’ personal (sex, age, marital status, household size and educational level) and enterprise characteristics (farm size, years of farming/processing experience, monthly income, source of labour), knowledge and attitude to utilisation, level of utilisation, benefits derived and constraints to utilisation of UI AROs. Indices of knowledge (low, 7.00-13.82; high, 13.83-19.00), attitude (unfavourable, 39.00-55.58; favourable, 55.59-77.00), level of utilisation (low, 5.00-19.62; high, 19.63-45.00) and benefits derived (low, 8.00-12.38; high; 12.39-18.00) from UI AROs were generated. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, Pearson product moment correlation and multiple regression at α0.05.
Respondents’ age, household size and monthly income were 40.05±5.48 years, 4.04±1.25 and N32,299.50± N26,241.60, respectively. More than half (55.7%) practiced commercial agricultural production and had 7.9±5.3 years of farming experience.
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Source of labour for 62.9% was family and 90.7% had no access to extension services. Respondents’ knowledge was high (67.0%), while 59.8% had favorable attitude to UI AROs. Utilisation of Integrated Farming System (IFS) (55.8%), neem extract for pest control (55.8%), Sweet Potato Granule (SPG) (57.9%), Sweet Potato Flour (SPF) (55.6%), Moringa powder (52.9%) and ruminant block meal (55.6%) were high. However, level of utilisation of UI AROs was highest (26.53±3.21) in IFS compared to SPF (21.78±3.15) and ruminant block meal (19.52±2.53) but least in neem extract (13.46±4.38). Benefits derived from utilising UI AROs was high for 62.4%. Constraints to utilisation of UI AROs were insufficient capital (0.84±0.63), technical expertise requirements (0.83±0.73) and labour intensiveness of innovations (0.67±0.68). Respondents’ marital status (χ2=5.99), sex (χ2=3.92), level of education (χ2=30.69); age (r=0.23) and income (r=0.79) were significantly related to UI AROs utilisation. Respondents’ attitude (r=0.67, knowledge (r=0.32) and benefits derived (r=0.80) were significantly related to utilisation of UI AROs. UI AROs utilisation was determined by beneficiaries’ educational qualification (β=0.46), years of farming or processing experience (β=0.27), scale of production (β=0.33), knowledge (β=0.45), attitude towards UI AROs (β=0.61) and constraints to its use (β=-0.21).
Utilisation of University of Ibadan agricultural research outputs was high for innovations disseminated and was determined by respondents’ knowledge, attitude and constraints encountered.
