Factors Influencing Levels and Intensity of Adoption of New Rice for Africa (Nerica) Among Rice Farmers in Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study determined the levels of New Rice for Africa (NERICA) technology adoption and identified the factors influencing the levels and intensity of technology adoption among the NERICA rice farmers with a view to improving NERICA production among rice farmers in the study area. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 200 NERICA rice farmers for the study. Primary data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and technology adoption index. Results showed that there were two main levels of NERICA technology adoption among the farmers based on the mean adoption index 0.9547. These were partial adopters with an index of 0.9547. Partial adopters of the NERICA technology accounted for 50.5% of the farmers while full adopters accounted for 49.5%. The levels of adoption of NERICA technology was influenced by factors such as age, farming experience and quantity of fertilizer used while intensity was influenced by factors such as number of labour used, farming experience and quantity of fertilizer used. The study concluded that the adoption rate of NERICA technology in Ogun State could be improved by increasing the quantities of seed, number of labour and appropriate use of fertilizer.