Effect of the adoption of improved rice varieties on the productivity of small- scale farms in Badeggi, Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

The paper examines the effect of the adoption of improved rice varieties on the output of small scale farms in Badeggi, Niger state, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used in selecting respondents from the study area. Four villages each were selected purposively from the two districts areas in Badeggi and twenty farmers each were randomly selected from each of the 8 villages giving a total of 160 farmers. Data were collected using structured questionnaire and analyzed with the use of simple descriptive statistics and multiple regression. The result from the study revealed that the use of improved rice variety was significant at 1% and 5% level of significance and had positive effect on farmer’s output. The study also revealed that about 82.0% of the farmers used the improved rice variety and about 44.64% of the farmer’s sources of awareness was through listening to radios. It is concluded that the use of improved rice variety is an important innovation in boosting the output of rice farmers. It is recommended that farmers be advised to join cooperative societies to benefit from the opportunities it avails the farmers.