Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

8-1981

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Major Professor

George W. Wiegers Jr.

Committee Members

Carroll B. Coakley, David G. Craig, David W. Brown

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to improve the effectiveness of smallholder decision-making in food crop production and marketing through education that helps local people to gather relevant information and to use simple budgets in assessing the alternatives available to them. The specific objectives of the study were:

1. To identify the smallholders' existing crop enterprises, farm practices and resource constraints,

2. To assess the feasibility of the different crop enterprises and farm practices when improved technology replaces the traditional methods,

3. To identify factors that are limiting the use of improved technology and the implications for designing local education programs, and

4. To suggest educational programs that would help improve smallholder skills in information gathering and analysis for rational decision-making in crop production and marketing.

The empirical components of this study focused on a random sample of 115 smallholders in four local government areas in Aba Division of Imo State, Eastern Nigeria. Data were collected from the farms for a period of 12 months during the 1980-1981 farming season. Questionnaires and personal interviews were used to obtain information regarding existing practices, farm resource constraints, input-output data on crop production practices, farm attitudes towards change, perceived obstacles to change, and other characteristics of the smallholder.

The data analysis centered around:

1. Descriptive tabulation of the survey results, and

2. Budgeted estimates of likely impacts of changes in cassava systems on representative smallholder production and incomes.

The results of this study showed that it would be preferable for the smallholder to grow cassava/maize mixture than cassava alone. The crop mixture is better grown on ridges or on mounds, using improved practices, than on flats with traditional methods. Specialization is not the answer for increasing cassava production and income. For the smallholder to grow cassava alone might require raising the present price of N60 per ton by more than three times as much. The low demand for cassava as a food item and the nature of its atomistic supply preclude such high prices in the foreseeable future, unless alternative processing and marketing outlets are developed.

The results indicated that growing cassava/yam/maize mixture gave the highest net increases in farm income. This was due to high yam prices. This crop enterprise mix may not be feasible and acceptable to the smallholder with limited resources.

While most farmers used improved cassava varieties, there was a strong prejudice against fertilizers. Low quality of processed cassava, low storage quality of crops, and the unacceptable taste of crops were among other factors responsible for the limited use of fertilizers.

Farmers depended on the local agricultural agents for information on improved technologies. Farmers' general and agricultural education were low. Not many belonged to farmers' organizations, and they were unaware of alternative crop processing methods and marketing outlets.

The results of this study necessitate do-it-yourself educational programs for the small farmer and the suppliers of farm inputs. The programs would include training in record-keeping, farm budget analyses, food crop processing, marketing processes, and the role of farmers' organizations in production.

Interdisciplinary research is needed in food crop storage quality, processing, and marketing alternatives. Further research in smallholder farming systems is vital to food crop production expansion.

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