Attitude of cocoa farmers on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in Ondo State, Nigeria
Akinmolafe A. O., Ajayi A. O., Ayodele O. V., Akagbosu B. E.
Abstract
Cocoa cultivation is a major activity in Nigeria agriculture, supporting the livelihood of millions of households in Nigeria. The study was conducted to determine the attitude of cocoa farmers on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in Ondo state, Nigeria. A total of 294 cocoa farmers were selected through the use of multistage sampling procedure. Interview schedule was used to elicit information on source of information gadgets possessed by cocoa farmers, sources of information on GAP, the attitude of farmers towards GAP in cocoa production and the challenges faced by respondents/. Data were analysed using mean, standard deviation, percentages, and Chi square. The study revealed that 74.1% of the farmers assessed information on GAP through radio. Majority (87.1%) possessed radio and mobile phone (86.4%) communication gadgets. Inadequate funding (x?=1.98), high costs of inputs and working materials (x?=1.93) and poor weather conditions (x?=1.92) were the major challenges encountered by farmers with GAP. The study revealed a positive association between cocoa farmers? attitude and sources of information on GAP (?2= 24.468, p ? 0.000). The study concluded that cocoa farmers had favourable attitude towards GAP and radio was the most prominent source of information on GAP and therefore recommends, radio as source of information should be more explored to disseminate information on GAP.
Keywords: Cocoa farmers, Source of information, Attitude, Good Agricultural Practices