Abstract:
The study investigated the improved tomato hybrids cultivated and sustainable agricultural
practices in southwest Nigeria. Specifically, the study aimed to examine the socio-economic
characteristics of tomato farmers, describe the main improved varieties available and cultivated
by the farmers; examine the SAP adopted by the farmers and determine factors affecting the
varieties cultivated and number of SAP adopted by the farmers. The first stage involved
deliberate selection of Osun and Ekiti States due to their large populations of tomato producers
while the second phase also required the intentional selection of three (3) LGAs from each state
according to the density of tomato farmers. A total of thirty (30) villages were included in the
study by purposefully selecting five (5) villages from each LGA identified in the second phase.
In the final phase, three hundred (300) tomato farmers were surveyed, which involved randomly
selecting ten (10) farmers from each village. Descriptive statistics and Poisson regression
analysis were used to analyze the data. The study discovered that among the numerous tomato
hybrids available in southwest Nigeria, fourteen varieties were identified, with Platinum F1
being the most preferred at 24.2%, followed closely was Padma F1 at 22.3%, both of which are
from the same brand (East West Seed International). The perceptions of the respondents
regarding the characteristics of improved tomato varieties were assessed and the results revealed
that tomato size (9.7%) is the primary attribute valued by the farmers in the study area. The
findings from the statements about sustainable practices, categorized under ten (10) SAP
indicators, indicated that Soil Health (% Mean = 26.0), Soil Loss (% Mean = 31.8), Integrated
Pest Management (% Mean = 37.8), and Biodiversity (% Mean = 25.5) were adopted to some
extent, while the Value of the Product (% Mean=61.2), Social and Human Capital (% Mean =
70.0) , and Local Economy(% Mean = 55.7) were fully embraced by the participants in the study
area. There was minimal to no adoption concerning Nutrients (% Mean = 0.3), Energy (% Mean
= 3.6), and Water Conservation (% Mean = 7.5). The results of the Poisson Regression model
showed that education (p < 0.10), farm labourers (p < 0.05), income status (p < 0.05), access to
credit (p < 0.05) and planting time (p < 0.05) were statistically significant and had a positive
correlation to the number of improved tomato hybrids cultivated revealing a unit increase in
these factors will increase the likelihood of cultivating more improved hybrids in the study area.
Similarly, out of the fourteen variables analysed as factors that influence the number of SAP
adopted, soil quality, tenancy status, gender and access to extension agents had a negative
relationship with the number of SAP adopted, meaning they were less likely to have an impact
on the number of SAP adopted in the study area. In contrast, factors like farmers' education,
family size, access to credit, period of planting, and farm size which were significant at 5% probability level cum farm workers and income status (P < 0.01), had a positive correlation with
the number of SAP adopted, suggesting that an increase of one unit of these factors would likely
affect the number of SAP adopted in the study area. |
