Constraints and Attitudes to Agroforestry Practices among Farmers in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the constraints and attitude of farmers towards agroforestry practices in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 180 farmers. The mean scores and standard deviations of farmers‟ attitude towards agroforestry practices showed that the farmers expressed positive attitude towards 15 statements out of the 16 statements bordering on agroforestry practices. Specific issue which elicited most favourable positive attitude from the farmers is “engaging in agroforestry practice is necessary to achieve increased agricultural productivity”. However, the negative statement that farmers disagree with most on their attitude towards engaging in agroforestry practices is “most farmers are not willing to engage in agroforestry practices due to lack of fund”. The factor analysis revealed that the constraints faced by farmers in engaging in agroforestry practices are techno-information, cost and public policies constraint, technical/institutional support constraint, land, belief and risk taking constraint and agricultural extension/planting materials constraint. As verified through this study, farmers must be properly given needed attention through extension activities on agroforestry practices that can encourage them to plant agroforestry trees. Promulgations on land use should be farmers‟ friendly enough in order to encourage them to engage in agroforestry practices and make them to have the confidence to reap the benefits of planting trees that may still come to them several years later. Other technical support such as credit must be given by government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in other to encourage farmers to engage in agroforestry practices because of the benefits (both socio-economic and environmental) that can be derived by the farmers and the society at large.