This study was conducted in Nkanu East and West Local Government Areas of
Enugu State, Nigeria, with the key objective to determine adoption of improved
maize and cassava technology packages by farmers in the area. Data for the study
were collected in 2008-2009 cropping season using 120 farmers randomly drawn
from the two LGAs. The results on the main sources of information used by the
farmers revealed that 84.40% of them used radio, while 73.69% of them used
television. Households consisting of 6-10 persons per household constituted
63.33%, 51.67% of the respondents owned land of 1-3ha per farm household,
while about 51.67% of them had between 8-14 years’ farming experience and
44.20% of the farmers belonged to 3-4 social organizations per person. Findings
further showed that 52.50% of the farmers had only 3 times contact with extension
agents in the preceding year of this study while 94.17% of the farmers listen to
agricultural programmes on radio. Compatibility and complexity attributes
received 72.50% and 81.67% affirmations respectively by the farmers. Between
2004-2005 and 2008 – 2009 seasons, awareness and adoption rates rose gradually
from 7% – 28% while 84.17% of the respondents assented to having adopted the
improved cultivars. Although Pearson product moment coefficient of correlation
and regression results revealed that factors such as household size, farm size,
group membership mass media exposure and extension contact, compatibility and
complexity were related to adoption at p<.05 and p<.01, the major determinants of
adoption were group membership, mass media exposure and compatibility at
p<.05, while extension contact, farming experience and complexity were at p<.01.
Effects of adoption on farmers’ production, income and perceived individual wellbeing
showed increases from mean production level of 4.57 tonnes per ha before
adoption to 5.16 tonnes per ha after adoption, mean income level from
N13,875.41per ha before adoption to N16,412.92 per ha after adoption and mean
scale value of contentment from 2.43 before adoption to 3.20 after adoption.
Given that 91.67% of the farmers expressed dissatisfaction with lack of access to
inorganic fertilizers, 75.00% of the respondents complained of lack of tractors for
hiring and 62.50% of the farmers protested shortage of improved maize seeds and
cassava stems, among others, the study recommends that a concerted effort be
made by ENADEP and Enugu State Government to address the problems of the
farmers in the area. Such intervention will no doubt enhance adoption potential of
improved maize and cassava technology packages in the area and beyond.