Agricultural Extension Service and Technology Adoption for Food and Nutrition Security of Smallholder Farmers in Benue State, Nigeria

*Ogebe Ozoko Francis, Weye Angbiandoo Emmanuel and Nnama Ugochukwu Christopher

Department of Agricultural Economics, Federal University of Agriculture, PMB 2373 Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria.

*Corresponding Authors’ Contact Details: E-mail Address ✉: frankozoko@gmail.com; Phone Number ☎: Tel: + 2347035945500

Accepted November 05, 2023

The paper investigated the adoption decisions and the complementarities among four labor-intensive technologies and the comprehensive use of four modern inputs that have been frequently adopted by smallholder farmers in Benue State, Nigeria. The study also investigated whether the technologies that farm households adopted three and five years ago have effects on the food and nutrition security of the adopters. The study employed a multivariate probit model on a sample of 399 farm households in Benue State, Nigeria. It was found that all eight technologies that households adopted the technologies in previous years continued adopting the technologies in 2021, reflecting the profitability of agricultural technology adoption. More so, findings showed that there are statistically significant correlations among the eight technologies and between modern and labor-intensive technologies. The complementarities among the technologies imply that the (perceived) productivity of one technology depends on the adoption of another technology in that the farmers have to adopt the technologies together. For instance, the results indicated a strong complementarity between improved seed adoption and the three labor-intensive technologies including seeding in a row, (0.422), organic fertilizer use (0.137), and irrigation (0.084). The study found that the major determinants of adoption decisions of multiple technologies were the total value of crop harvest and livestock owned, experiencing natural shock, market shock, access to fertilizer credit, participation in meetings/trainings, distance to market, and timely access to inputs. In addition, it was found that the adoption of multiple technologies reduces food insecurity in households and increases dietary diversity. Specifically, the results revealed that the households who adopted improved seeds, chemicals, irrigation, organic fertilizer, extension service, and soil conservation mechanisms are less likely to experience food insecurity and are more likely to have higher household dietary diversity score (HDDS). In other words, the higher the number of technologies that the households adopted, the more likely that they are food secured and have a diversified diet. The study, therefore, concluded that agricultural extension services and technology adoption have a statistically significant and positive impact on food and nutrition security.

Key words: Extension service, input complementarity, food and nutrition, agricultural technology adoption.

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