A Tobit Analysis of Fertilizer Adoption by Smallholder Cassava Farmers in Delta State, Nigeria

作者：Christopher O Chukwuji; Oraye D Ogisi

来源：Agricultural Journal, 2013.

The study was conducted to determine the level and extent as well as the factors which influence fertilizer adoption decision of cassava farmers in Delta State, Nigeria. A tobit model was used to analyse the cross sectional data collected from a random sample of 496 farmers selected by means of systematic random sampling technique. The results indicate that currently the average amount of fertilizers applied by the farmers is about 284 kg per hectare representing 61% of recommended dosage and that there is about 58% chance that an average cassava farmer would adopt the use of fertilizers. The expected level of adoption of fertilizers by those farmers on the limit E(Y) is 40.84, which means that new adopters are expected to use about 41% of the recommended dosage of the appropriate fertilizer grades. Also, for farmers above the limit, the expected level of adoption E(Y*) of the recommended dosage is about 71%. A number of factors significantly influenced the fertilizer adoption decision of the farmers, namely, Distance to fertilizer purchasing depot (p%26lt;0.05), Fertilizer price/50 kg bag (p%26lt;0.01), Farmer s level of formal education (p%26lt;0.05), number of contacts with Extension agents (p%26lt;0.10) and Age of farmer (p%26lt;0.01). These imply that policies that would make fertilizers affordable by the farmers at close distances as well as those that would encourage young people into cassava production and bring about more education of farmers would encourage increased adoption of fertilizers to boost output.

• 出版日期2013