Knowledge and attitude of farmers and extension agents to Bambara nut production in North-central Nigeria

Abstract

A functional Bambara nut (Vigna subterranea) value chain requires an efficient production system built on stakeholders’ in-depth knowledge and positive attitude towards production. However, there is a dearth of empirical information on the knowledge and attitude of farmers and extension agents towards Bambara nut production. Therefore, this study assessed the knowledge of and attitude to Bambara nut production in North-central Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 428 respondents, comprising both extension agents and Bambara nut farmers. Data were collected through questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Multiple Regression Analysis. The results show that only 14.2% of extension agents and 77.5% of farmers possessed high knowledge level of Bambara nut production. A mere 16.2% of extension agents have undergone training on Bambara nut, and exclusively on agronomic aspects only. Extension agents had a negative attitude (x̄=2.86) towards Bambara nut production while farmers had a positive attitude (x̄=3.06). Age of extension agents (β=1.548, p=0.042) and farmers (β=.140, p<0.01), source of information of extension agents (β=.605, p=0.040) and farmers (β=.039, p<0.01) together with years of experience of farmers (β=.046, p=0.038) contributed significantly to their knowledge of production. Both extension agents (x̄=3.28) and farmers (x̄=3.32) identified poor governmental/private sector interest as a constraint to production. Other constraints were low research on the crop for extension agents (x̄=3.25) and low level of industrialization for farmers (x̄=3.25). The study recommends building the capacity of extension workers for the production of the crop through training and workshops. Public-private partnerships to increase industrial utilization and the provision of information on the production and potential of Bambara nut are also recommended.