Determinants of improved maize varieties planting in Ondo and Ekiti states, Nigeria

Abstract

Maize is one of the most important staple foods in Nigeria; hence, improved varieties are developed to boost its production. The study was carried out to determine the factors influencing the production of maize in Ondo and Ekiti states, Nigeria. Precisely, the study ascertained the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents, sources of seeds, sources of information and the factors influencing the production of maize in the two states. A multi-stage sampling procedure was employed to select 160 maize farmers from Ondo and Ekiti States, while a well-structured interview schedule was used to elicit information from them. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and linear regression. The findings revealed that most of the maize farmers in Ekiti and Ondo States were male and within their active age ranges of 43 and 46 years, they were married with an average household size of five and six persons respectively, most of them were literate. They belong to one or more social associations and depended exclusively on family and hired labour for their farming activities. The improved seeds varieties planted were obtained mostly from the agro-allied stores, while friends, radio programmes and extension personnel were their primary source of information across the two states. The regression analysis revealed that the most important variables that determine the planting of improved maize varieties in the two states were similar, (educational background, farming experience, extension contact, farm size and gestation period) with slight variation in age and marital status. The study recommends effective input supply to agro allied stores and effective information dissemination of information on improved seed varieties to farmers to enhance its utilization and enhance maize production.