Differentials in Adoption of Improved Ginger Production Technologies among Male and Female Farmers in South-East, Nigeria
Abstract
The study analyzed the adoption level of improved ginger production technologies by male and female farmers in South-East Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling and proportionate sampling techniques were used to select 250 ginger farmers (125 males and females each). Data were collected with a questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive (means, percentages; five-point Likert-type rating scale) and inferential (Z-test) statistics. The result of the descriptive statistics indicates that the improved ginger production technologies have actually been disseminated to the ginger farmers in South East Nigeria; although awareness level was higher for the male farmers compared to their female counterparts. The adoption level of improved ginger production technologies was pooled at 84%. The mean adoption index of the male adopters was 2.59, whereas that of their female counterparts was 2.43. This implies that male ginger farmers’ adoption level was 5.33% higher than the females which shows that adoption level was higher among male ginger farmers than their female counterparts. The result further shows that paucity of funds (4.73) male and (4.75) female, inadequate/lack of access to credits (4.72) male and (4.57) female, and inadequate storage facilities (4.68) male and (4.71) for female were the most severe constraints militating against the adoption of improved ginger production technologies by the ginger farmers in the region amongst others. The Z-test result showed that significant differences exist in the adoption levels of male and female ginger farmers, with a Z-value of 2.85 which was positive and significant at 5% level. This implies that gender had a significant effect on the adoption of improved ginger production technologies in South-East Nigeria, indicating that the male ginger farmers performed better than their female counterparts in terms of adoption. The study concluded that adoption of improved ginger production technologies was higher among male farmers than their female counterparts in South-East Nigeria. Therefore, the study recommends that the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) and other agencies interested in promoting ginger production should target female farmers and also concentrate on the constraints as well as technologies with low adoption in order to increase adoption.
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