Effectiveness of Gender Participation in Agricultural Productivity in Zuru Southern Guinea Savannah of Nigeria (Published)
The research was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of gender participation in agricultural productivity in Zuru southern guinea savannah, kebbi state. Simple random sampling technique was used to select one hundred and twenty (120) farmers in all while proportionate sampling was used to select 70 males, 50 females from four local government areas (LGAs) of the emirate. Descriptive and inferential statistics (chi-square analysis) was used to analyze the data collected. Results showed that majority (70%) of the female and 37.1% of the male were between 26 – 47 years of age, 90% (male) and 70% (female) had one form of education or the other, and cultivated less than 2 acres of farmland. The female respondents were more effectively involved in marketing of agricultural produce (78.8%) and processing (60.2%) while male respondents were more actively involved in land clearing (55.7%), planting (67.1%) and thinning (77.1%). Lack of credit facilities, lack of government support and lack of access to input were some factors identified to be affecting gender participation in agricultural productivity in the emirate. Chi-square analysis recommended that government should come up with a policy to support agricultural activities in the emirate so as to reduce the problem of food insecurity and hunger in the study area.
Keywords: Agricultural Productivity, Effectiveness, gender participation, guinea savannah
Accessibility and Relevance of Extension Methods and Information and Communication Technologies among Farmers in Mauritius (Published)
The study aims to address the accessibility and relevance of different extension methods and information and communications technology (ICT) tools among farmers in Mauritius. A quota sample of 100 farmers was interviewed across the four extension zones of the island. The most efficient extension methods of farmers were firstly visits by extension officers (25.2%), followed by phone calls (19.8%) and video films (13.1%). The respondents claimed that training, short message service (sms), exhibitions and mass media were useful in providing beneficial information to them. Mobile phones were the main ICT device used by farmers (65%) to retrieve agricultural information. The access of smartphone (p= 0.009) and computer (p=0.001) was significantly associated with income rate. ICT needs to be integrated to agriculture to improve the livelihood of farmers. Extension methods such as visits, training and exhibitions should be intensified to allow accessibility to useful information. These extension methods should be reinforced to enhance agricultural productivity.
Keywords: Agricultural Productivity, Agricultural information, Extension methods, ICT tools