Abstract
Adoption of some indigenous vegetables that are grown and consumed by local farmers along with arable crops, to serve as means of nutrient sufficiency, especially small holder farmers in Nigeria was carried out using extension approaches with the aim of increasing food security, farm income and conserving vegetables. Multi-stage participatory extension approach was used first to purposefully select five states in the southwestern Nigeria. Data were collected through the use of structured interview scheduled consisting of open and close ended questions on personal socio-economic characteristics, the cropping system, available vegetables and other factors. In addition, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) guide was used to elicit qualitative data such as socio-cultural status, effect of community norms on the vegetables and factors influencing the production. Interview schedule and Focus Group Discussion guide were subjected to content validity. Simple descriptive statistical techniques such as frequency, percentages, means and standard deviation were used to analyze and summarize the data. The project revealed a high level of adoption due to the increase knowledge of the nutritional potentials of some of the vegetables. Agronomic performances of the vegetables in on-farm plots significantly showed the economic potentials of the vegetables and led to significant increase in the farmers’ income as more of the vegetables were produced and sold and the on-farm sites served as ex-situ means of conservation. Improved handling of the vegetables and thus reduced genetic disappearance. Key words: On-farm, adoption, under-utilized vegetables, conservation, smallholder farmers.
Highlights
Vegetables make up a major portion of human diet in many parts of the world and play significant role in human nutrition, especially as sources of Vitamins A, B, C, and E; minerals, dietary fibre and phytochemicals
Ojeniyi (2002) and Oladeji and Ayeye (2008) reported that vegetable production forms a substantial percentage (25%) in the major food crops cultivated in Nigeria, and is a source of livelihood for a considerable section of the population, mostly women
At first stage five Local Governments Areas (LGAs) were randomly selected per state after which three communities were again randomly selected from each of the five LGAs through the agricultural extension officers in the local governments headquarters to give a total of 75 farming communities
Summary
Vegetables make up a major portion of human diet in many parts of the world and play significant role in human nutrition, especially as sources of Vitamins A, B, C, and E; minerals, dietary fibre and phytochemicals. Many rural communities have developed sophisticated recipes based on the consumption of adequate amount of vegetables and fruits, which has been reported to enhance their immunity to diseases (Thomas, 2000) They are generally sold in local markets for economic empowerment; they could offer great opportunities for nutrient security and economic empowerment among the poor rural populace, especially the rural women. With increase in population and the need for nutritional security especially among the developing nations where their rate is at geometrical level, the vegetable industry is in a transitional period, changing from expanding to increasing in quantity and quality This is being acknowledged by the introduction of innovative production technology, and improvement for market competitiveness especially among the rural farming communities. The overall goals was to create awareness on the implication for economic empowerment and fostering resource conservation
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