Adoption of Agroforestry Practices among Farmers in Gwaram Local Government Area of Jigawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed the adoption of agroforestry practices among farmers in Gwaram Local Government Area of Jigawa State, Nigeria. The multistage sampling procedure was used to select 120 farmers from four (4) out of the six (6) districts in the Local Government Area for the study. Primary data were collected through the use of questionnaires and oral interview and were subjected to both descriptive and logit regression analysis. Findings from the study revealed that the mean age of the farmers was 39 years. Majority of the farmers were male and mostly married. The study also showed that majority of the respondents had at least one form of education with a mean farming experience of 7 years and a mean farm size of 3.5 hectares. A greater percentage of the respondents acquired their farmlands through inheritance. The greater proportion of the farmers affirmed to have had contact with extension agents three times in a year and the majority of them aware of agroforestry. The average number of agroforestry practices adopted by the farmers is approximately 2 with home garden adopted by the majority of the farmers. The results also revealed that the mean annual income of respondents is N113,529. The logit regression result showed that educational level, income, membership of cooperatives and land tenure had a significant relationship with the adoption of agroforestry practices at different levels of probabilities. The major constraints to agroforestry practices as opined by the respondents include; land and tree tenure rights,  long gestation period to obtain benefits, lack of knowledge and skills in agroforestry, low awareness of agroforestry practice and the high cost associated in adopting agroforestry. The study recommended the formulation of a good land use policy so that farmers can acquire land titles to guarantee the security of their land.