Factors Influencing Farmer’s Participation in Agro-Forestry in Igabi Local Government Area, Kaduna State, Nigeria

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VI, Issue VI, June 2019 | ISSN 2321–2705

Factors Influencing Farmer’s Participation in Agro-Forestry in Igabi Local Government Area, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Ayodele, J.T.

Federal College of Mechanization P.M.B. 2273, Afaka, Kaduna, Nigeria

Abstract:-The study examined the factors influencing farmer’s participation in agro-forestry practices in Igabi local government areas of Kaduna State. Random sampling method was used to select 100 agro-forestry farmers and structured questionnaire administered on them. Descriptive statistics, and Probit Regression Analysis, were used to analyze the data obtained. The result revealed that male (72.00%) dominated the agro-forestry farming enterprise; 96.00 % of the respondents are in their working age group of 21-60 years. The greatest percentage (71.00 %) were married. 41.00 % had tertiary education, while 13.00 % never attended school. Majority (90.00 %) of the respondents had farming as their primary occupation while the remaining 10.00 % had farming as their secondary occupation. The probit model shows that farmers status has a direct and significant (p<0.1) relationship with the probability of farmers willingness to participate in Agro- forestry practices in the study area while the land tenure system in the area had negative impact on farmers willingness to participate in agro forestry practices. The study therefore recommends that Government should consider making promulgations on land tenure arrangements that give farmers sense of belongings on lands (i.e. to own more lands of theirs), which have the potentials to make the farmers more willing to plant Agro- forestry trees in the area.

Keywords: – Factors, Farmers, Agroforestry Practices, Probit Regression, Participation

I. INTRODUCTION

Agro- forestry is a land use management system in which trees or shrubs are grown around or among crops or pasture lands (ICRAF, 2007). It combines shrubs and trees in agriculture and forestry technologies to create more diverse, productive, profitable, healthy, and ecologically sound and sustainable land use system. On the other hand, Agro- forestry is a collective name for all land use system and practice where woody perennial plants are deliberately grown on the same land management unit as agricultural (and) or animals, either in spatial mixture or in temporal sequence.

Read More