Adoption of Soil Management and Conservation Technologies by Small Scale Crop Farmers in South Eastern Nigeria: Implications for Sustainable Crop Production

摘要

The study assessed the adoption of soil management and conservation technologies by farmers in Southern Eastern Nigeria using Enugu State as a case study. A sample of 126 farmers, were selected from the area for the study. The study revealed that majority of the farmers (40.4%) were 50 years old and above. A large majority of the respondents (75.4%) had formal education, an important factor necessary for the adoption of these practices. The study further revealed that majority (68.3%) of the respondents did not have access to adequate land, while 56.3% depended on their personal savings as their major source of finance. Most of the respondents were small scale farmers. The study also showed that about 70% of the farmers adopted organic manuring, mulching and improved cropping. High cost of some recommended technologies, inadequate finance and inputs for demonstration as well as inadequate motivation of extension personnels were identified as constraints to adoption of recommended soil management and conservation technologies. A significant relationship (p< 0.05) was observed between farmers’ educational level and adoption of fertilizer application and improved cropping system as well as between their annual income and mulching, fertilizer application and terracing. Implication are that food crop production will not be sustainable, since the soil management and conservation technologies are not designed to suit the needs, conditions and farming systems of the study area to encourage farmers’ participation and adoption.