The Effect of Bio-fortified Vitamin A Cassava on Poverty Status of Farming Households in Nigeria, Evidence from Oyo State.

Olakunle Ibitoye; Isaac Olusegun Ogunwande

doi:10.54117/gjpas.v3i1.121

Authors

Olakunle Ibitoye Federal University of Technology Akure
Dr. Isaac Olusegun Ogunwande READER/ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54117/gjpas.v3i1.121

Keywords:

Adoption, Farming Households, Poverty Status, Vitamin A Cassava

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Profitable farming is a prime target of all farmers regardless of the scale of production adopted and the veritable opportunity to attain the threshold of bumper harvest is not unconnected with the adoption of new technology. Bio-fortified vitamin A cassava remains the best option for farmers to experience improvement in cassava performance in both the quality and quantity terms and they are encouraged to adopt it in order to improve their households’ welfare. The survey was launched to investigate the effect of bio-fortified vitamin A cassava on the poverty status of the farming households in Nigeria using Oyo State as a case study. A Multistage sampling technique was used to sample a total of 186 cassava farmers comprising 92 adopters and 94 non-adopters of bio-fortified vitamin A cassava variety using copies of well-structured questionnaires. Parametric tools used were descriptive statistics and probit regression for socioeconomic characteristics and adoption status analysis. The socioeconomic results showed that both the adopters and non-adopters were in the productive ages of 42 years and 59 years respectively. The majorities of farmers in the two categories were married and had formal education. Years of experience possessed by them were 11 years and 18 years while both groups were members of associations. Poverty classification result showed 41.3% of adopters being poor while 83.0% of non-adopters were poor. Marital status (2.1271<p=0.05), education (1.1510; p<0.1), seasonal income (0.0757; p=0.05) and poverty status (I.6019; p<0.1) had influence on the farmers’ adoption status while lack of credit was voted highest among the factors militating against adoption of bio-fortified vitamin A cassava. It is therefore recommended that stakeholders in the crop enterprise should make frantic efforts in providing credit and other basic inputs that will enhance improved vitamin A adoption.

Author Biography

Dr. Isaac Olusegun Ogunwande, READER/ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

Dr. Ogunwande Isaac Olusegun is a senior lecturer in the department of Agricultural Resource Economics, Federal University of Technology Akure.

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