Empowering Agriculture: Mitigating Postharvest Losses in Tomatoes and Peppers among Male and Female Farmers in Ekiti State, Nigeria with Indigenous Technology

Abstract

This research focused on the application of local technologies to minimize postharvest losses of tomatoes and peppers in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Utilizing a two-stage sampling method, 138 male and 138 female vegetable farmers were randomly chosen for the study. Data collection involved questionnaires, Focus Group Discussions (FGD), and In-depth Interviews (IDI), with factor analysis employed for quantitative data and transcription according to FGD and IDI reporting standards for qualitative data. The study found that sack bags (86.2% of male and 61.2% of female farmers) and woven cane baskets (97.1% of male and 100% of female farmers) were the primary technologies used. Other methods like sun-drying, drying under fire, and blanching were less popular. Factors influencing the choice of local technologies included community (26.9%), cost/economic considerations (15.9%), education (12.9%), proximity to major towns (10.0%), and access to inputs/resources (8.4%). These factors collectively accounted for about 74.35% of the variation in technology utilization. The study concluded that reinforcing community beliefs and practices could promote the use of these indigenous technologies to reduce losses, while also encouraging farmers to adopt more of these available local methods.