Analysis of Adoption of Improved Cassava Varieties among Farmers in Benue State, Nigeria

The study assessed determinants of adoption of improved varieties of cassava among farmers in Benue State, Nigeria. A sample size of 321 respondents was used for the study. Primary data were generated through the use of a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean score and standard deviation were used for data analysis. Results of the study indicated that about 72% of the respondents were male, married (78.7%), most (56.3%) of them were within the age bracket of 31–40 years, 25.3% were within the age bracket of 41–50 years, 13.8% were within the age bracket of 21-30 years while only 4.0% were aged 51 years and above. Findings also showed that 39.3% of the respondents adopted TME 419 (farmer’s delight) while 34.9% adopted NR 8082 and TMS 30572 (BNARDA or AGRIC) respectively. Other varieties such as TMS 98/0505 (fine face), TMS 01/1363 (sunshine or vitamin A), TMS 98/0581 (Dixon) and TMS 98/0510 had a low percentage adoption of 18.7%, 12.5% and 11.2% respectively. The study revealed that the major determinants of improved cassava varieties in the study area include diseases and pests resistance (×̅=2.57), high yielding ((×̅=2.57), marketability (×̅=2.54), adaptability to harsh environment (×̅=2.48), high dry content (×̅=2.47), marketability/profitability (×̅=2.42), taste (×̅=2.27) and yield stability (×̅=2.22). The study inferred that there is a significant relationship between farmer’s level of education, farm size and farming experience and use of improved varieties of cassava in the study area. The study recommends that research institutions, extension agents, Government and non-governmental organizations should take the determinants of adoption of improved cassava varieties into consideration in policy discussions in order to increase the productivity of cassava in the study area.