Factors Militating against Pesticides use Among Farmers in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria (Published)
The study assessed the factors militating against pesticides use in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Primary data were collected with the aid of a structured questionnaire and responses recorded during focus group discussion sessions. A sample size of 240 farmers were randomly selected for the study. About 55.8% of the farmers were male, majority (50.8%) were aged range between 21 – 40 years and 65.4% were married. Majority (56.7%) had tertiary education, most of them (49.6%) take farming as their primary occupation while 65.4% earned monthly income around N50,000. Most of the respondents (92.1%) were Christian, (56.3%) had farming experience between 1 to 10 years. The empirical findings revealed that age, educational status, farming experience, farm size of the respondents as well as their access to extension services, access to modern farm inputs and access to credit facilities statistically are significant factors that influence pesticide use by farmers in Akwa Ibom State. Therefore, the study recommended that extension agent should have contact with farmers at all times to enable them acquire knowledge of various methods of controlling pest and diseases through the use of pesticides.
Keywords: Akwa Ibom State, Farmers, Pesticide, Production, crops
Barriers to Contraceptive Use among Rural Farmers in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria (Published)
The study ascertained the barriers to contraceptive use among rural farmers in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Data obtained from one hundred and sixty rural farmers, using multi-stage sampling procedure, were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, means and ranks. Results show that 51.3% of the respondents, with an average age of 40 years, were females and 73.1% were married; majority of the respondents (96.2%) had formal education with an average monthly income of N28, 500.50 and an average of 36 years of farming experience. Findings also show that the most utilized contraceptive methods by the rural farmers were barrier methods (condoms, diaphragm), hormonal contraceptives (pills) and abstinence; lack of information on effective use of contraceptives, perceived negative side effects of contraceptive use and lack of required skills for effective use of contraceptives were the most severe barriers to contraceptive use faced by the respondents. The State Government, Non-Governmental Organizations, Community-based organizations as well as other development agencies in Akwa Ibom State should organize enlightenment programmes on contraceptive use specifically targeted at rural areas of the State in order to help overcome the major barriers to contraceptive use faced by rural farmers in the State.
Keywords: Akwa Ibom State, Barriers, Contraceptive, rural farmers