Determinants of Famers' Willingness to Participate in Surghum Value Chain Innovation Platforms: Case of Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Program Phese-1

Abstract

This paper tends to examine the determinants of farmers’ willingness to participate in value chain innovation platforms and ascertain the factors influencing their willingness to invest in adopting improved technologies in the value chain. Structured questionnaire was used to elicit response from 235 sorghum farmers registered under the program in Kano and Niger states. Responses were analysed using the probit regression and multiple regression analysis. The result showed that for any increase in age of the farmers, they were 43% less likely to be willing to participate in VCIPs. It was also shown that for an increase number of the farmers’ household members in active labour force, they were 20% more likely to be willing to participate, while for an increase in the farmers’ access to Extension services and improved technologies, the were 142% more likely to be willing to participate; an increase in the amounts farmers were willing to invest to adopt improve technologies, increase likelihood to be willing to participate in VCIPs. It showed that the factors that influence farmers ‘decision to invest to adopt improved technologies included: age, their Income from the value chain activities and the number of trainings they received. It follows that younger farmers were more willing to participate in VCIPs but were less willing to make all their investment into other ventures but the older farmers, who were willing participate tended to be willing to invest more in one value chain.