Factors influencing adoption of chemical pest control in cowpea production among rural farmers in Makarfi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examines the factors influencing the adoption of chemical pest control in cowpeas production in Makarfi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. Data were collected using stratified random sampling method from 61 farmers adopting chemical pest control and 79 non-adopters making up a total of 140 respondents. A Probit analysis was used to ascertain factors influencing farmers' adoption of chemical pest control while the t-test was used to determine whether there is statistical significant difference between the productivity of adopters and non-adopters to enable us draw inference on the food security and poverty reduction ability of the chemical pest control practice. The results reveals that the adoption of chemical pest control in cowpeas production is influenced by farmers' age, marital status, educational qualification, the desires of farmers for higher yields and the contact with extension activities. The results also helped to establish that chemical pest control could help the farmers in making sure that higher yields are obtained from cowpeas production thus helping the rural farmers to become food secured since cowpeas are very good protein rich food. Moreover, the result of the yields from adopters has shown that the practice could help farmers realize marketable surplus that will lead to higher income generation thereby reducing poverty among the rural farmers. © 2007 Academic Journals Inc.