EFFECTS OF THE USE OF DRAFT ANIMALS BY RURAL FARMERS IN JIGAWA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study assessed the perceived economic utilization of draft animals by rural farmers in Jigawa State, Nigeria. A 3-stage sampling technique was used to elicit information from 160 respondents with the aid of questionnaire and structured interview schedule. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to describe and analyze the data. Findings revealed that the mean age of the respondents was 42 years, 99.4% were males and 92.6% were married. A majority of the respondents had no formal education. The mean household size of the respondents was four and the mean farm size was 13.6 hectares. (About (94.4%) of the respondents had no contact with extension agent. The mean farming experience of the respondents was 11 years. Most of the respondents purchased the draft animals used on the farm.. The most economic utilization of draft animals includes: drawing traditional plough (mean= 3.99), harnessing animals (mean= 3.86) and for the conveyance of material to and fro the farm site (mean=3.69). The major information gap was in the area of withdrawal time for drug usage prior to consumption (mean=3.99) and optimum usage of draft animals (mean=3.98). Also, the most serious constraints to the usage of draft animals include lack of capital and current information on the animal (mean= 3.698). Results of Chi-square analysis showed a positive and significant relationship between farming experience, household size, farm size and education (p≤0.05). The study concluded that the farmers derived several values from the usage of draft animals. It is recommended that the capacity of farmers should be strengthened in the areas of drug usage and application and extension services delivery to enhance optimal usage of draft animals.