Determinants of Adoption of Improved Cocoa Technologies in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the determinants of adoption of improved cocoa technologies in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Specifically, it examined the socio economic characteristics of the cocoa farmers in the study area; identified the various technologies practiced by cocoa farmers in the study area and determined the intensity of adoption of improved technologies. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select eighty (80) respondents in four (4) local government areas namely: Ise/Orun LGA, Irepodun Ifelodun LGA, Oye LGA and Ekiti South-West LGA; which were predominated with cocoa farmers. Tobit model was used to examine the determinants and intensity of adoption of improved cocoa technologies. At 5% level of significance, variables that positively and significantly influence adoption of improved cocoa technologies include sex, level of education, source of information and visit by the extension agents; meaning they were important in the adoption of improved cocoa technologies and raises the probability of adoption by 9.14, 2.97, 2.98 and 3.94%. The age of the cocoa farmers; family size and the farm size were not significant and have negative coefficients meaning increase in these factors will reduce the likelihood of cocoa farmers adopting the improved techniques. Result of budgeting analysis implies a better performance of the adopters of improved cocoa technologies whereby the benefit cost ratio for the adopters and non-adopters of improved cocoa technologies were 3.50 and 1.26 respectively.