- : Ms Word, Ms Word Format
- : 140 Pages
- : ₦5000
- : 1-5 Chapters
- Click to DOWNLOAD Materials
ANALYSIS OF FARMERS’ PERCEPTION OF INNOVATION SYSTEM IN OIL PALM PRODUCTION IN SOUTH-EAST, NIGERIA
ABSTRACT
This study analyzed farmers’ perception of the innovation system in oil palm production in the South-east, Nigeria. The study specifically examined key actors in the innovation system, assessed the farmers’ perceived roles of each actor, the level of linkages between and among the key actors; investigated the adoption of various oil palm innovations, among other, Data were collected using structured questionnaire from 300 oil palm farmers. Descriptive and inferential statistical tools such as frequency, percentages, mean and standard deviation, Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression model and Analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used for analyses. Results revealed that the innovation system was dominated by oil palm consumers (30%). Research was perceived as the most active actor in the innovation system ( = 4.4; SD = 1.2). The actors maintained strong linkage with one another by collaborating in deciding areas of research ( = 2.9; SD = 1.3). The use of improved seedlings recorded the highest adoption score ( = 4.6; SD = 0.8). Results further showed that affordability, accessibility, usefulness, credibility and simplicity were the major attributes promoting farmers’ adoption of improved seedlings, line spacing, weeding/use of herbicides, mulching, pests and disease control measures, fertilizer application methods and improved harvesting methods in their oil palm production. Radio was the major source of information for majority (83.3%) of the farmers. The oil palm innovation system was perceived to have impacted mostly employment generation ( = 4.1; SD = 1.5). Unavailability of inputs ( = 4.0; SD = 1.0) and inadequate finance ( = 4.0; SD = 0.9) were the most perceived constraining factors to the oil palm innovation system. The socio-economic characteristics of the farmers had a significant relationship (R2 = 0.65) with the level of adoption of the oil palm production technologies. Farmers in the 3 States of the South-east did not differ in their perception of the effects of effective utilization of the actors in oil palm innovation system (F-cal = 2.961; F-tab =2.42, P = 0.30 > 0.05). Farmers in the oil palm innovation system in the three States differed significantly in the perceived roles of the actors towards generating improved technologies (F-cal = 1.99; F-tab = 2.05, P = 0.006 < 0.05). The study concludes that synergy among the actors is imperative for effectiveness in the oil palm innovation system in South-east Nigeria and therefore recommends that marketing information system should be made an integral component of extension service delivery. Oil palm technologies should also be developed in line with identified attributes considered appropriate by the farmers.
Keywords: oil palm, innovation system, actors, extension, agricultural technology, South-east
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgement iv
Abstract v
Table of contents vi
List of tables x
List of figures xii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study 1
1.2 Statement of the problem 7
1.3 Objectives of the study 12
1.4 Hypotheses of the study 12
1.5 Significance of the study 13 1.6 Scope of the study 14
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Origin, Nature and Composition of Oil Palm 16
2.1.1 Origin and nature of the oil palm 16
2.1.2 Composition of fresh ripe fruit and mesocarp 16
2.2 Oil pam climatic and soil requirements 19
2.3 The role of oil palm in the economy of Nigeria 20
2.4 Expansion and exploitation of oil palm potentials to promote Nigerian
economy 22
2.5 Ways of developing oil palm industry in Nigeria 22
2.6 Innovation diffusion and adoption 28
2.6.1 Innovation 28
2.6.2 Innovation diffusion 30
2.6.3 The concept of adoption 31
2.6.4 Variables that determine the rate of innovation adoption 32
2.6.5 Innovation adoption processes 34
2.6.6 Innovation characteristics that affect adoption 35
2.6.7 Innovation adoption curve 36
2.6.8 Some critical reflections and shortcomings in innovation diffusion
and adoption 39
2.7 Agricultural innovation system 41
2.7.1 Actors of an innovation system 42
2.7.2 Components of an agricultural innovation system 44
2.7.3 Media communication channels used in innovation system 48
2.8 Agricultural research and technology generation 52
2.8.1 Development of agricultural research 52
2.8.2 Agricultural research and technology generating system in Nigeria 54
2.9 Agricultural extension systems 57
2.9.1 Extension linkage 57
2.9.2 Research- extension- farmer linkage 58
2.10 Theoretical framework 60
2.10.1 A linear and “top-down” model of innovation 60
2.10.2 Innovation diffusion theory 62
2.11 Conceptual framework 63
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
3.1 Area of the study 66
3.2 Sample and sampling 68
3.3.1 Method of data collection 68
3.4 Standardization of research instrument 68
3.4.1 Estimating validity of instrument 68
3.4.2 Estimating reliability 69
3.5 Method of data analysis 69
3.6 Limitations of the study 74
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Socio-economic characteristics 75
4.1.1 Sex 75
4.1.2 Age 76
4.1.3 Marital status 77
4.1.4 Household size 78
4.1.5 Educational level 79
4.1.6 Membership of social organization 80
4.1.7 Major occupation 81
4.1.8 Farm size 82
4.1.9 Monthly income 83
4.1.10 Farming experience 84
4.2 Farmers’ perceived actors in oil palm innovation system 85
4.3 Roles of actors in oil palm innovation system 87
4.4 Linkage between the actors of oil palm innovation system 90
4.5 Information sources 92
4.6 Adoption of oil palm innovation 93
4.7 Innovation attributes influencing adoption 97
4.8 Effectiveness of the oil palm innovation system as perceived by farmers 99
4.9 Farmers’ perceived constraints to oil palm innovation system 101
4.10 Hypotheses of the study 104
4.10.1 Hypothesis 1 104
4.10.2 Hypothesis 2 106
4.10.3 Hypothesis 3 107
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary 109
5.2 Conclusion 110
5.3 Recommendations 111
5.4 Contributions to knowledge 112
REFERENCES 114
APPENDIX 123
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Agriculture has remained a major player in the development of Nigeria’s economy, as it contributes significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. According to Oladele and Oladele (2011), agriculture does not only generate employment opportunities for about 70% of the Nigerian labour force and earn huge foreign exchange for the country, but it supplies food for consumption and raw materials for the industries. The contribution of the agricultural sector in supplying food for the teeming population of over 160 million Nigerians is quite laudable, though insufficient, as Nigeria still depends on food import to address her food supply deficit. For instance, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentFMARD(2011) states that Nigeria spends about N300 billion on food imports alone (food, beverage and processed combined), observing that Nigeria’s gross national income per capital is US$1.190 compared to Austria with
US$32.330.
It is pertinent to say that Nigeria’s aspiration for industrialization cannot be achieved or poverty reduced significantly without a reliable source of cheap energy. Observably, micronutrient deficiencies like vitamin A which is derived from oil palm, among others pose a vast global health problem. In most developing countries, iron deficiency anaemia, vitamin A deficiency and zinc deficiency increase the probability of early death for children and women; impair Intelligent Quotient (IQ) development in children and consequently leading to a large loss in quality of life, production and economic growth in most developing countries. Vitamin A deficiency affects the immune system of approximately 40 percent of children under six years of age residing in developing countries. This leads to over one million child mortality yearly. The impact of this is relatively more severe in some countries like India where vitamin A deficiency affects 60 percent of pre-school children (Federal Ministry of Women and Child Development,2009). These micronutrients of great importance are available in large quantities in palm oil, one of Nigeria’s staple food.
Oil palm (Elaseisguineensis) is a native of West Africa. It is one of the cash crops that have contributed greatly to the economic development of Nigeria. All parts of this plant are useful. It is the most important source of oil and it produces more oil per hectare in comparison with other oil producing crops (Ndon, 2006). The history of oil palm in
Nigeria is inseparable from the colonial history of the eastern Nigeria. As far back as 1911, the first export of palm produce was recorded and from that, this commodity crop dominated the interest of colonial administration (Oboegbulem, 1992).
Oil palm represented 80 percent of Nigeria’s export trade for a long time until cocoa, cotton and groundnut joined the queue (Oboegbulem, 1992). The joining of cocoa and cotton unfortunately became diversionary for the government as Nigeria over time lost her oil palm production status to Malaysia, a country that previously imported her seedlings from Nigeria. Painfully, this position has remained so to date and with Nigeria continual decline in oil palm production, she has become a net importer.
An outcry on disastrous yearly importation of food in Nigeria has been made, FMARD (2011) lamented that given the natural endowed resources in Nigeria that would facilitate boost of agriculture, it is sad to note that in spite of this, Nigeria engages in a high galloping trend of importing food, spending over N1.1 trillion on importation of food yearly. Describing this as disastrous, he contrasted with the initial Nigeria agricultural master plan in the early 1960’s which was supposed to be generating over N10 billion annually as revenue for the nation. FMARD (2011) while suggesting on unfolding the vision of the administration to make Nigeria a hunger free nation, posited that Nigeria should look at, and hinge on agriculture sector that will drive the income growth, achieve food security, national security, generate employment and transform Nigeria into a major
food player in the world.
To achieve launching Nigeria into a major food player in the world, FMARD (2011) opined that Nigeria should start doing something, pointing out that the era of depending on agriculture as a development project was over. Nigeria would not have isolated projects that are not connected in a way that can drive agricultural growth, income growth and job creation, in a very measurable manner. Okonjo (2011) while presenting the Agricultural Transformational Action Plan (ATAP) of the nation’s economic management team, pointed out that private sector would be the major driver in the implementation, especially, with respect to harnessing the oil palm industry. The ATAP which intended to address the politics that are inherent in the distribution of major materialto boost oil palm crop development (oil palm inclusive), reiterated that the federal government should no longer participate in the distribution of such commodity as
fertilizer.
The bulk of the palm produce in Nigeria comes from the wild grove of Nigeria oil palm belt, mainly in Southeastern Nigeria, including patches of grooves in Kafanchan, Zakibian and Kwara in the northern Nigeria. The yield of fresh fruit bunch per hectare from the wild, ranges from 2.5 tons to 5 tons. Improved oil palm seedlings are planted by millions of small plantation with sophisticated high tonnage per hour mills in the following parts of this country – Ubima in Rivers state, Okitipupa in Ondo State, Egbema in Imo State and Calaro in Cross River state (Ndon, 2007). However, the establishment of these oil palm programmes have not noticeably closed the supply gap created by increased domestic and individual demands in the country and as of today only about 60 percent of this demand can be met (Oboegbulem, 1992). Innovation system is a set of interrelated agents, their interactions and the institutions that condition their behavior with respect to the common objectives of generating, diffusing and utilizing knowledge and technology (Olusegun, 2008).
Little, Quintas and Ray (2002) for purpose of extension, advocated need for a more pragmatic conception of an innovation. They proposed to define an innovation more pragmatically in terms of successful application. Adekoya and Tologbonse (2011) in this light opined that an innovation needs to be understood as a novel working whole (or reordered working whole). In other words, it may be a new way of doing things or doing new things, but it can only be considered an innovation if it actually works in everyday practice. He further maintained that to help accelerate the adoption of and diffusion of innovation through research findings, typical questions have been raised by esteemed researchers which includes:
- What are the stages that people go through when considering whether or not to adopt an innovation? Which type and sources of information are important in each stage?
- What are the differences between people who adopt innovations quickly or slowly? iii. How do characteristics of innovation and other factors, affect the rate of adoption? iv. How does an innovation diffuse through a society over time. What is the role of communication between different categories of potential users in the process.
- What does this all mean for the change agents in stimulating the adoption and diffusion of innovations? (Rogers 1995; Asiabaka 2002; Adekoya and Tologbonse, 2011; Ifenkwe, 2013)
Key conclusions drawn from adoption and diffusion research studies showed that adoption of innovation is not something that happens overnight, but rather that it is the final step in a sequence of stages (Rogers, 1995). Cees (2004) argued that agricultural sector, specifically agricultural extension has to be reinvented as a professional practice, that is to say that it will have to significantly adapt its mission, rational mode of operation, management and organizational structure. He further observed that in the past, extension and extension theory have focused on supporting individual farm management and on the promotion of farm – level innovation. Urgently required are new forms of coordination among farmers, and between farmers and other stakeholders in issues like the management of collective natural resources, chain management, collective input supply and marketing, organization building, multi-functional agriculture and venturing into new markets. In the past, successful application of most farm level innovations often depend on factors that transcend the farm level (e.g. input supply, marketing, community support, processing, etc.). In other words, many innovations have been mistakenly looked at as being individual in nature, revolving around individual decision making and adoption process. Present realities according to Ifenkwe (2013) indicate that most of the innovations needed in present day agriculture have collective dimensions (i.e., they require new forms of interaction, organization and agreement between multiple actors).They have important implications for extension practice and extension theory. Further, Van shoubroeck (1999), observed thateffective dissemination of innovations such as oil palm production practices will always have to include elements of redesign, encompassing new processes of learning and negotiation, and hence should not be looked at merely as dissemination, but as an innovation system.
Attempt to understand the role and interaction between and among component elements involved in the generation, transfer, facilitation and use of agricultural innovations lies in careful studying of the system in which they are constituted. According to Madukwe (2011), the useful tool in studying agricultural extension innovations is the innovation system approach. Its meaning functionally lies in the aims it is designed to accomplish. Hall et al. (2001) sees it as a way to strengthen agricultural innovation capacity. This is considering that innovation is a multi-stakeholder process that cannot be achieved by one group of stakeholders. Wennink and Heemskert (2006) find the role farmers play in innovation system as a predicate of the reconfiguration of agricultural research and extension for positive outcomes. At the farmers level, Madukwe (2011) observed that social networks and the changes that occur within them, are crucial element in defining the nature of the role and delineate the context for success or failure of innovation. He further noted that innovation system goes beyond the creation of knowledge to encompass the factors affecting demand for and use of knowledge in useful ways. It is safe to say considering the position of the farmer in the innovation system that the farmer enjoys a greater vantage in analyzing the intricacies of innovation system as would farmers’ analysis of the oil palm innovation system in South-east Nigeria.
1.2 Statement of the problem
The oil palm industry has huge potentials for foreign exchange, food security and poverty reduction. Despite this, it has become pertinent to note that the production of this high value crop has been on the decline. Omereji (2005) observed that the extent and size of the Nigeria oil palm industry is not easily estimated. The dominance of the subspontaneous semi-wild and natural groves palm stands in the oil palm production system in the country renders estimating the size of the industry difficult. The extent of these groves and palm stands cannot be accurately determined. Glaringly too, the smallholder system in Nigeria is dominated by unarticulated, but important plantings by various individuals. This makes production both in terms of fresh fruit bunches and palm oil difficult to estimate before disposal in sales and consumption. Sadly too, Nigeria’s current estimates of oil palm production are about 900,000 metric tons of palm oil and 400,000 metric tons of palm kernel annually, given that Nigeria was before 1965 the world leading producer and exporter of palm oil, and has since 1974 ceased to contribute to the export trade in the commodity, largely due to increased domestic demand in palm produce
(Omoti, 2003).
Expansion in the oil palm industry has since then not kept pace with growing domestic demand to enable the country to re-enter the export trade. Although, the output of palm produce has grown steadily overtime, the country today remains the third largest producer of palm oil in the world after Malaysia and Indonesia. Omereji (2005) reported that besides the more favourable climatic and ecological environment of Malaysia and
Indonesia, the difference in trends of expansion in production of palm oil between these
Asian countries and Nigeria lies in the differences in the dominant production system.
Though the plantation system has grown popular in the country, small holder of sole or mixed plantations intercropped with a variety of food crops and the natural or semi wild grove system have remained the dominant production system of Nigeria estimated 2.5 million hectares of oil palm, about 240,000 ha are under the plantation system of large, medium and small scale with the grove system dominated largely by unimproved dura planting (Omereji 2005).
This scenario has not augured well for Nigeria’s economy and thus brings to doubt the effectiveness of the oil palm innovation system; the actors, and their actions. In the light of this the level of poverty and insecurity have continued unabated. And this continue to exacerbate by the day to day quality of data to bridge knowledge gap.Since after the Nigeria civil war in 1970, government policies aim to expand production to meet domestic demands for food and individual uses, create employment and improve rural incomes and the quality of life of the rural populace. Furthermore, decline in yield had been associated with some of these: climatic condition, inadequate capital for plantation development, high cost of imported oil palm processing equipment like mills.
Quantum technologies and innovations to arrest the above constraints have over the years been researched and developed, but unfortunately many of the innovations could be found stacked away in shelves or at best ineffectively and poorly disseminated to sustain diffusion (Asiabaka, 2010). Wide scale adoption and adaptation have remained low. The decline in yield had been associated with some biophysical constraints like:
- Tall wild palm growing with harvesting difficulties.
- Soil fertility constraint as a result of fertilizer unavailability.
- Prevalence of oil palm diseases.
- Lack of credit facilities.
- Infrastructural constraints through bad roads, poor and inadequate processing mill.
- Poor distribution and high price inputs.
- Inadequacy on the part of government in making and delivering proper extension education in oil palm production to the farmers (Olusegun, 2008).
In recent development, commercial production of oil palm under monoculture has increased with the advent of large scale oil palm production and more inclusive actors such as government agencies, researchgroup, technology transfer group, market group and the farmer group. In the interplay of the above, Asiabaka (2010) has observed that the research service commonly deals with those problems that it considered relevant to its own interest and not to those of the farmer component. Often these results are not delivered sufficiently to the extension agent component who did not have either adequate information or resources necessary to carry out their work. Further observation in the above technology transfer interplay, researchers’ extensions and farmers are viewed as three separate strata and links between them were weak and nonexistent, with communication programmes used independently and very often without any co-ordination with research and extension activities. A yearning therefore for an innovation and new knowledge to be introduced into and utilized in an economic or social process in oil palm production should be sort after. This will have the ultimate aim of working to close up the supply gap already created by increased domestic and foreign demands of oil palm products. Observably, there have been in existence, problems of oil palm farmers in adopting innovation in oil palm production technologies. This situation has learnt credence to low output in oil palm production. Oil palm being an important component in farming system in Nigeria needs to attract a network of people, group and organization who together will form actors in oil palm innovation. This has often given rise to the development of inappropriate technologies. The farmersexpress skepticism to the use of such technologies as the technologies more often than not are not compatible with their socioeconomic milieu culminating in outright rejection or poor adoption. This has not been ascertained empirically and the ensuing lacuna is prohibitive to progressive policies in oil palm development.
Effective innovation system should involve the prime movers and drivers of agricultural and technology development. It also contributes to technology development transfer and up scaling. The involvement of the prime movers is very paramount. This is because research finding need commercialization before it can reach the resource farmers. In order to differentiate sufficiently the stage and functions which each must perform, Asiabaka and James (1999) strongly posited the need to calibrate the research extension farmer continuum. Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, FMARD (2011) observed further that the above components, instead of operating as a continuum, surprisingly, their service often act in ways that reinforce their separation rather than their mutual support. Perception often is that the researchers are often out of touch with the farmers problems that research programmes tend to be designed in isolation of such problems, and that extension workers are poorly served by or ignorant of the output of research system evidencing extension agent being also out of touch with farmers problems and do not attempt to understand the research process.
The government and non-government organizations are in earnest bid to recognize the need to move away from mere instructions and blueprint solutions towards more participatory approaches which support the communities in their capacity to set and fulfill their own developmental goal. The result of this change is that the rural people themselves will recognize that they are owners and shapers of their own development. In consequence, these changes precipitate some major challenges not for the communities but also to the very institutions which advices and support them. The extension agents see themselves as fundamental changes in the way they work and operate as they now become catalysts, helping communities achieve goals which they themselves have defined. Asiabaka (2010) and Engel (1995), from their perspective, affirmed that integrating research, education and extension could improve the overall performance of agricultural technology system. They further observed that in practice, weak linkages are persistent and so pervasive.
A review of previous studies show that notmuch studies have aptly addressed farmers’ perception of innovation system in oil palm production, especially in Southeastern Nigeria. The work of Ndon (2007), study by Omereji (2005) centered holistically on oil palm and the Nigerian economy and oil palm and Nigerian industries, respectively, but none was on the South-east or on the innovation system. The foregoing gap in knowledge occasioned scarcity of empirical data capable of hampering apt policy formulation and programme design in oil palm innovation system. It is this gap in knowledge that this study addressed by providing answers to the following research questions:
- Who are the key actors in oil palm innovation system?
- What are their socio-economic characteristics
- What are the farmers perceived roles in oil palm production?
- How do the farmers perceive the level of linkage existing among the actors?
- What is the level of adoption of technology developed in oil palm innovation system?
- What constraints influence the adoption of oil palm innovations among farmers?
Answers to these research questions would provide the bench marks for this study.
1.3 Objective of the Study
The broad objective of the study was to analyze farmers’ perception of the innovation system in oil palm production in South-East, Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study included to:
- determine the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents;
- identify the key actors in oil palm innovation system;
- ascertain farmers’ perceived roles of actors in oil palm production;
- assess the farmers’ perceivedlinkage existing among the actors;
- identify information sources on oil palm technologies available to farmers;
- examine farmers’ adoption of oil palm technologies;
- determine attributes influencing the adoption of oil palm technologies by farmers;
- assess the perceived effects of effective relationship of the actors in the oil palm innovation system;
-
ascertain the various constraints of oil palm innovations among farmers;
- Hypotheses of the study
The following null hypotheses were tested:
Ho1: There is no relationship between the socio–economic characteristics of the farmers and their level of adoption of oil palm production technologies in Southeast Nigeria Ho2: There is no significant difference in the perceived effects of effective relationship of the actors in the oil palm innovation system among farmers in the 3 States of
Southeast Nigeria
Ho3: There are no significant differences in the farmers’ perceived roles of actors in oil palminnovation system in the 3 selected States of South-east Nigeria
- Significance of the Study
Oil palm is a unique crop with some peculiar tasking characteristics. These include the difficulties which oil palm breeders need to contend with in palm oil extraction processes, nursery practices and field practical operations. These are problems to the production and pose challenges to technologies evolutions. Technology development in all ramifications, aims at improving the well-being of the resource – poor farmer (target beneficiary) as well as improving food production efficiency and security.The findings of the study will provide to the generality of stakeholders in oil palm innovation system – research, extension, farmer, input dealers, intervention agencies, independent researchers, agricultural financiers, etc. empirical reasons why thepotentials of oil palm technologies may not have been realized in the study area, as well as facts explaining why oil palm
technologies have recorded low adoption.
The paucity of empirical data on oil palm innovation system would greatly assist research efforts, as well as allow intervention agencies circumvent past flaws in innovation generation and diffusion. The hitherto information dearth that characterized the information database of Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs) in the study area and beyond would receive a boost from the results of this study and enable the extension organizations explain and predict the outcome of innovation system in other areas of agriculture (Omereije, 2005). Determining aspects of the oil palm innovation that promotes its adoption in the study area, this study will make room for recommendations on ways of improving areas of weaknesses in the innovation system as well as means of consolidatingpossible areas of strength in the innovation system (Nwachukwu, 2013).
According to Arokoyo (2011) the revolution in ICTs is changing the channel and form of information distributed across the innovation system and Nwosu and Nwachukwu (2013) found that farmers in Southeast Nigeria mostly utilized the radio, mobile phone and internet to assess agricultural information on improved production technologies. Hence, the result of this study will reveal information distribution channel prevalent in the study area as to validate previous findings of (Nwosu and Nwachukwu, 2013). It will also assist agricultural development programme planners and policy makers determine trendy and most preferred channels of communicating oil palm innovation in the study area. The report of this work will add to existing knowledge on oil palm innovation system, and thus serve as a reference material for researchers, students, extension practitioners and utilizers of agricultural information and technologies.
1.6 Scope of the study
The study centered on innovations system in oil palm production. The study was restricted to South-East, Nigeria. Oil palm farmers in the States of Imo, Abia and Ebonyi were used in the study. It was a perception study.
ANALYSIS OF FARMERS’ PERCEPTION OF INNOVATION SYSTEM IN OIL PALM PRODUCTION IN SOUTH-EAST, NIGERIA
