EFFECTIVENESS OF INFORMATION SOURCES ON IMPROVED FARM PRACTICES AMONG COWPEA FARMERS IN OYO STATE.

Abstract

Cowpea is a legume that is extensively grown throughout the sub-Saharan Africa .It is one of the cheapest sources of plant protein to a majority of the people in Nigeria. The essence of this study is to examine the effectiveness of information sources on improved farm practices among cowpea farmers in the study area. Multistage sampling technique was employed to select respondents for the study. In all, one hundred and twenty respondents were sampled. A structured interview schedule was used to collect information on variables such as socio-economic characteristics, effectiveness of information sources on Agricultural production and problems militating against cowpea production. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive analysis such as frequency distribution and percentage, while Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used as the statistical tool. The result revealed that most of the respondents are in their active age, married with household size of 6 -10 members. Information from friends and mass media such as radio and television were ranked to be the most effective sources, and inadequate income was ranked first among the problems militating against cowpea production. The result of Pearson product moment correlation shows that a significant relationship was found between the socio-economic characteristics of the respondent Age (0.33), House hold size (0.22),years of experience (0.08) and effectiveness of information sources. It is therefore recommended that subsidy should be provided on inputs so as to enhance production and increase farmers' income.