ASSESSMENT OF THE ADOPTION OF ORANGE FLESHED SWEET POTATO AMONG FARMERS IN OSUN STATE

Abstract

Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato is a crop with lots of nutritional and economic benefits, which has great potential of curbing nutritional deficiency in young children and adult, while also aiding food security of farming households as well as providing needed financial strength to the farmers. OFSP has been well adopted in countries like Zimbabwe as a national food for infants, with result to show it potentials. It is easy to cultivate and its adoption comes with no technicality and therefore needs to become a household crop widely cultivated all and consumed across Nigeria. The study was carried out in Osun state, with the population of the study being all potato farmers in the state. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 121 potato farmers for this study. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistical tools such as percentages, mean and frequency distribution, while the hypotheses were tested using Chi-square and Pearson’s product moment correlation (PPMC). The study revealed that mean age of the respondents was 54 years, majority were male (79.3%), married (67.8%) and had no formal education (52.9%). Also, the main sources of information available to the farmers include; fellow farmers (x̅ = 1.793), friends and families (x̅ = 1.727) and Extension agents (x̅ = 1.314) and majority (56.7%) of the respondents had high knowledge about OFSP. Susceptibility to pests and diseases (x̅ = 1.78), perishability (x̅ = 1.63) and unavailability of ready market (x̅ = 1.61) were the main constraints affecting the farmers. The result on adoption of OFSP shows that, planting of sweet potato vines soon after cutting (x̅ = 1.12), select a site close to a water source (x̅ = 1.28) and ensuring moist soil conditions are maintained at all times but avoid water logging (x ̅ = 1.0) were the most adopted techniques, while majority (55.4%) of the respondents had low level of adoption of Orange Flesh Sweet Potato. The study concluded that majority of the respondents were male, married and in their middle age, but approaching old age, without formal education. Fellow farmers, friends and families and Extension agents were the main sources of information available to the farmers, while majority of the respondents had high knowledge on OFSP. Also, majority of the respondents had low level of adoption of OFSP. The study therefore recommends that government and research institutes should encourage farmers, researchers and relevant stakeholders aimed at developing OFSP varieties that are more susceptible to pests and diseases and better shelf life to curb the major constraints.