Analysis of Agricultural Innovation and Decision Making among Maize Farming Household in Nigeria: A Gender Approach

Abstract

Food crop production in Nigeria is mostly at subsistent level from small holding farms yet; the World Bank (2007) reported that agriculture accounts for over 70% of the active labour force, and more than 23% of the Gross Domestic Product in Nigeria (GDP). Agriculture is the mainstay of the majority of Nigerian rural poor, producing major food crops comprising cereals such as sorghum, maize, rice; tubers which include yams, cassava; legume such as groundnut and cowpea. Maize is one of the worlds’ three primary cereal crops. It occupies an important position in world economy and trade as a food, feed and industrial grain crop. The importance of maize in Nigeria cannot be over emphasized, with the country producing 43% of maize grown on West Africa (Olarinde et al. 2007). However, increase in maize production in Nigeria has been achieved greatly by expansion in area harvested rather than increase in yield (Olaniyan 2015). Transformation lies in using innovation to improve the products and services delivered by actors in the production process (Ayinde et al. 2013a). Technological innovation refers to a process driven by an intention of imposed changes, managed, accompanied, collaboratively or individually elaborated in view of introducing, suppressing, restructuring or displacing an element or system within an established context (Adamczewski 1996).