WhatsApp or Call Us
WhatsApp or Call Us
07030248044CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The majority of developing countries in the globe still rely heavily and strategically on the agriculture sector for their development(Ayenew, Lakew & Kristos, 2020). Above all, its significance as a provider of sustenance, raw materials, and jobs cannot be overstated. Over 60% of people live in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Asia, and the Pacific, but the percentages are expected to be approximately 18% and 4%, respectively, in Latin America and high-income nations (World Bank, 2006). Thus, via raising smallholder farmers' productivity, the agricultural sector promotes economic growth and development, fights poverty, and improves food security. To this purpose, governments and development organisations throughout the world have focused on raising agricultural production. However, without creating and distributing yield-boosting technology, agricultural productivity and development would not be achievable. Recently, in particular, it has become impossible to extend the area under cultivation in order to fulfil the demands of a rising number of people(Asfaw et al., 2012).
Over 70% of Nigerians are said to be employed in agriculture or activities connected to it, making the agricultural industry a significant part of the country's economy (Obasoro, 2015). The wellbeing and agricultural productivity of rural households are highly dependent on improved technology utilisation (Mekonen & Karelplein, 2014). Using more advanced agricultural technology can increase agricultural production (Maertens and Barrett, 2013). According to Kassie et al. (2011), it significantly contributes to the reduction of hunger, poverty, and production costs per unit. It also boosts earnings in rural areas. Adoption of technology by low-income farmers might increase output for domestic use and increase crop sale earnings(De Janvry & Sadoulet, 2002). Similarly, increased use of agricultural technology may increase the market share of agricultural production, hence increasing the resource efficiency and output diversity of smallholder farmers. Adopting production-enhancing technology and farmers' inventiveness are key to raising agricultural output(Awotide et al., 2016).
Previous research has demonstrated the beneficial effects of technology adoption on wellbeing, productivity, and the fight against poverty worldwide (Awotide et al., 2016; Nwibo, 2012). Similarly, research in Ethiopia showed that better agricultural technologies have a favourable impact on wellbeing and productions (Asfaw et al., 2012; Mekonen & Karelplein, 2014) and improve the food security of smallholder farmers (Shiferaw et al., 2014). Mekonen and Karelplein (2014) claim that Nigerian agriculture productivity will rise by 7.38 and 6.32% year, respectively, if better seeds and chemical fertiliser are used. In Nigeria, a significant portion of rural agricultural households live in appalling conditions, despite the adoption rate growing and its beneficial effects on productivity and production.
Along with poor productivity, there has been an increasing trend in the demand for wheat in Ethiopia and other rural and urban African countries. The people in these countries cannot afford to meet this growing demand, which would worsen the already dire socioeconomic condition in the nation(Mekonen &Karelplein, 2014). Many studies have shown that great efforts have been made to create and spread a lot of contemporary agricultural technologies, but there hasn't been much systematic research done on how these technologies affect livelihoods and how widely they are adopted. The majority of research in the literature has examined how other crops, such as groundnuts, pigeon peas, and rice, and cereal crops, including maize, teff, and sorghum, affect family welfare and agricultural output (Asfaw et al., 2012; Mekonen& Karelplein, 2014; Jaleta et al., 2015; Awotide et al., 2016). Researchers Shiferaw et al. (2014) and Tesfaye et al. (2016) attempted to examine how enhanced wheat cultivars affect wellbeing in Ethiopia. As the fourth-largest staple food crop, wheat is the focus of government and agricultural development organisations' efforts to create and disseminate better wheat varieties as well as provide farmers with timely and reasonably priced seed.
Since rice is the most important staple food crop in Nigeria, for example, the government has given priority to developing and distributing IRVs (such as NERICA 1, 2 and 8, Faro 52, 54, etc.) and providing rice farmers with abundant seed in a timely way at a reasonable price (Awotide et al. 2013). A shorter development time, higher yield, greater resistance to main stressors, enhanced protein content, and superior taste to traditional cultivars/varieties are just a few of the distinctive qualities of these upgraded varieties that present new options for farmers. Since it is becoming clear that conventional subsistence smallholding agricultural techniques cannot satisfy the demands and expectations of Nigeria's growing population, the adoption of these enhanced cultivars is imperative.
Literature on the benefits of IRV adoption for productivity, poverty alleviation, and welfare is abundant (Mendola, 2007; Diagne & Demont 2009; Dontsop-Nguezet et al. 2011; Awotide et al. 2012). However, it is also noted that, in Nigeria, even with the adoption of improved varieties and the ensuing boost in productivity, farmer poverty remains highly endemic, and rural areas continue to be marked by appalling living conditions. According to the World Bank (2007), increasing smallholder rural farmers' market involvement can raise the net returns on agricultural output, which is a key strategy for reducing poverty in rural regions. Intensification and commercialization are essential if smallholder agriculture is to achieve a sustained gain in production and an improvement in farm profit.Nonetheless, data indicates that smallholder farmers' total market participation is still rather low and they do not now frequently engage in staple food markets (Jayne et al. 2005). According to Jayne et al. (2005), for example, the top 2% of commercial farmers sold over 50% of the maize that was marketed in Zambia, Kenya, and Mozambique.
Ellis (2005) also showed that farmers in semi-arid areas of Africa are able to market only a very low proportion of their output. Numerous studies have been carried out to evaluate the factors that influence the adoption of agricultural technology and its intensity, as well as its effects on welfare and the reduction of poverty (Adesina, 1996; Awotide et al. 2012), Dontsop-Nguezet et al. 2011; Amare et al. 2012; Diagne and Demont, 2007; Diagne et al. 2009; Wu et al. 2010; Awotide et al. 2011). The favourable effects of adopting better seed types on family livelihoods are highlighted by these research.
Despite studies have reported the significance of technology adoption in the agricultural sector globally and most African countries, there is still a dearth in literature about the awareness and adoption of technology in the Nigerian agricultural sector. Based on this backdrop, this study is aim to examine the awareness and adoption of technology in Osun State, Nigeria.
Although 60% of Africa's workforce works in agriculture, the continent is home to 25% of the world's undernourished and hungry people. Many Africans still experience food insecurity despite the continent's remarkable economic development rates. Africa is expected to have 2.4 billion people by 2050, which means that food insecurity there will only become worse. Given the size of the continent, malnutrition and hunger ought to be a thing of the past. The primary cause of this state of affairs is the continued employment of antiquated and unproductive farming techniques.Worldwide, the practices of agriculture have undergone significant transformations for both non-agricultural cooperative farmers and agricultural cooperative farmers due to issues with illnesses, irregular rainfall, and a climate that causes floods and droughts.
Utilising cutting-edge, contemporary technology is vital in order to maximise yields and boost output. Nigeria's agricultural production is low compared to other parts of the world (Obasoro et al., 2013). As a result, there is now more focus on utilising agricultural innovation to improve agriculture.The realisation that agricultural productivity remained low despite stronger national research systems was the catalyst for this shift towards an innovation systems orientation. This was due to a combination of factors, including gaps in knowledge and skills that prevented rural producers from effectively utilising and adopting technologies, as well as a lack of appropriate technologies and access to inputs, credit, markets, and rural infrastructure (Sanginga et al., 2009).
The qualities of farm practices, the adopters, the change agent, and the socioeconomic, biological, and physical context in which the technology is used are some of the variables that may affect how widely farm practices are adopted. Farmers' sociopsychological characteristics are also crucial in the acceptance of new technologies. Adoption is often positively correlated with age, income, family size, tenure status, level of education, usage of credit, values, and beliefs(Farid et al, 2014). It is clear from the literature currently under publication that a number of factors influence the adoption of new technology in farming operations (Ziervogel et al., 2005; Hansen et al., 2007; Salehin et al., 2009). The primary issue these farmers deal with in their rural farming is productivity, which is also the primary issue our study seeks to solve in order to boost the nation's food output.The agricultural goods of our nation are no longer as competitive on international markets due to low production. Due to the consequently poor productivity, there has been little investment in all the components that go into agricultural production and the efficient use of the resources that are available.Investment in agriculture must be greatly increased in order to solve the issue. This can be accomplished by teaching farmers about new ways to adopt these improved farming practices, addressing and resolving the factors influencing farmers' adoption of these practices, and finally introducing and improving the sources of information about these improved farming practices that are passed to the farmers. Due to the limited study on the awareness and adoption of digital tools among mechanized farmers in Osun State, Nigeria.
1.3 Research Questions
The following questions guided this study;
Research Objectives
The main objective of this study is to examine the awareness and adoption of digital tools among mechanized farmers in Osun State, Nigeria
The following were hypothesized;
Hypotheses One
H0:There is no significant impact ofawareness and adoption digital tools on agricultural production among mechanized farmers in Osun State, Nigeria
H1: There is a significant impact ofawareness and adoption digital tools on agricultural production among mechanized farmers in Osun State, Nigeria
Hypotheses Two
H0: There is no significant relationship between awareness and adoption digital tools on agricultural production among mechanized farmers in Osun State, Nigeria
H1: There is a significant relationship between awareness and adoption digital tools on agricultural production among mechanized farmers in Osun State, Nigeria
The results of this study will contribute to knowledge growth and enhanced agricultural productivity in the following ways: farmers will recognise the need of forming and maintaining cooperative societies, and the advantages of doing so will encourage farmers to do so.
Attention will be paid to the various needs of educators, students, and policymakers. Together, these projects will give students access to a variety of scholarly resources and a comprehensive understanding of rural development.
The results of this study will improve scholarly knowledge and add to the discussion on agricultural development for academics.
The results of this study will add to the body of knowledge and academic paths for successful agricultural development policy and action, which will benefit policy makers and development authorities. Because it provides information on how to enhance their economic activity, the cooperators will gain from it. This work will contribute to the body of literature for future research.
This study is limited to the awareness and adoption of digital tools among mechanized farmers in Nigeria. The participants in this study were farmers and was gotten from were gotten from Osun State, Nigeria.
The researcher encountered several challenges during the data gathering procedure, which limited the amount of information available. The following were the most notable issues the researcher ran into:
The results of this work would have been severely limited by all of the aforementioned factors, but the researcher made a significant effort to overcome them and produce valuable academic contributions.
Awareness: Awareness can be defined as a state wherein a subject is aware of some information when that information is directly available to bring to bear in the direction of a wide range of behavioral actions.
Adoption: Adoption is the process of accepting things and put in to use.
Digital Tools:Digital tools in agriculture are technologies that help farmers and other stakeholders in the agri-food sector to improve their productivity, efficiency, and sustainability.
Mechanized farmers:Mechanized farmers are farmers who use machinery and equipment to perform agricultural operations, instead of relying on human or animal labor.
Can't find what you are looking for?
Call (+234) 07030248044.
OTHER SIMILAR AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS PROJECTS AND MATERIALS