Tobit Analysis of Improved Dual Purpose Cowpea in Damboa, Borno State, North-Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

A recursive three equations simultaneous tobit was modelled to analyse and unravel adoption issues: the intensity of adoption and adoption determinants of Improved Dual Purpose Cowpea (IDPC) in four villages socio-economically stratified in to two domains: Low Population-Low Market (LPLM) and Low Population-High Market (LPHM) selected on the basis of human population density and accessibility to whole sale market in Damboa, Borno State, Nigeria. Data collection spanned between December, 2006 and February, 2007 conducted on 150 cowpea respondents. The study revealed that IDPC cultivation started in 2004 and mass cultivation of 65.3% adoption rate was recorded in 2006. Of the varieties grown, IT89KD-288, IT97K-499-35 and IT90K-277-2 were the most preferred in order of decreasing magnitude with seldom cases of intra-adoption movement but no case of inter-adoption movement recorded. The intensity of adoption (∞) was estimated 0.3957 which infers about 40% of cowpea areas in the study sites were seeded with the IDPC varieties. Socio-economic domain, ownership of small ruminants, hired labour, number of cowpea varieties planted and group membership were factors significantly identified to influence farmers' decision to adopt IDPC varieties in the area. While fertilizer was observed as a necessary condition, insecticide spray was discerned as a sufficient condition for IDPC adoption. The study recommended targeting socio-economic domain, cowpea-livestock integration, formation of cowpea farmers' cooperative groups and revitalization of extension work as avenues for increased IDPC adoption.