Browsing by Author "Luka, E. G."

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    LEVEL OF ACCESS AND USE OF ICTS FOR AGRICULTURAL COMMUNICATION BY NGO WORKERS IN NASARAWA STATE, NIGERIA.
    (Department of Computer Science,Nasarawa State University, Keffi., 2014-01-01) Emmanuel, Salau S.; Agwu, A. E.; Luka, E. G.; Bello, B.
    The study ascertained the level of ICT usage for agricultural communication by NGOs in Nasarawa state, Nigeria using a well structured questionnaire; data for the study were generated from one hundred and twenty five NGO staff in Nasarawa state. The data obtained were analyzed using percentage, mean score and multiple regression. The findings show that some of the agricultural/rural development activities of the NGOs included microfinance/agricultural credit scheme (96%), women/youth empowerment programmes (62.4%) and agricultural extension services (49.6%). On the ownership of ICT facilities by the NGO staff majority (98.40%) of the respondents had mobile phones, followed by radio (93.60%), television (84%), video player (75.20%), audio player (68%) and personal computers (47.20%). Majority (M-1.82) of the respondents used radio for communicating agricultural information to farmers, followed by mobile phone (M=1.79), television (M=1.79), computer (M=1.64) and Internet (M=1.32).The major ICT channels for communicating agricultural messages by the respondents were telephone calls (M=1.76), text messages (M=1.75) and emails (M—1.17). The result of the regression analysis of the effects of respondents’ socioeconomic characteristics on their level of use of ICTs shows that gender, working experience, number of ICT facilities owned by a respondent, income level, length of computer training and membership of social organizations all had positive relationship with the level of ICT use. However, only one variable (Number of ICT owned) had a significant effect (p<0.05) on the level of ICT usage. The study therefore recommended that NGOs in Nasarawa state should focus more attention on agricultural activities such as farm inputs distribution, environmental management/climate change mitigation and conflict resolution/management. These critical needs of rural farmers were not given prominence in the activities of the respondents. The NGOs should equally provide on- the- job training on ICT applications for their staff to improve their capacity in the use of ICTs for agricultural communication, especially areas where such skills are lacking.
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    TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY IN CASSAVA PRODUCTION: A CASE OF SMALL HOLDER FARMERS IN WAMBA LGA OF NASARAWA STATE, NIGERIA.
    (2015-09-26) Onuk, E. G.; Salau, E. S.; Luka, E. G.; Biam, C. K.
    77ie study employed the use of the stochastic frontier production function to analyze the technical efficiency of cassava fanners in Wamba Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, Nigeria. A multi stage random sampling technique was used to select 150 cassava farmers from the five districts of the study area. The Data was analyzed using descriptive, inferential statistical techniques and stochastic frontier production function. The empirical estimates showed that an average cassava farmer in the study area had technical efficiency score of 0.879. This implies that cassava farmers in the study area are technically efficient. Non physical factors served as determinants of technical efficiency, they were Age, Education, Family size. Farming experience. Access to credit. Access to cooperative and Extension contact and were however not found to be significant. Majority of cassava farmers in the study area had no access to credit, no contact with extension agents, non formal education which affected the farmers ’ technical efficiency. It was recommended that government should provide adequate information on credit availability to rural farmers, extension agents should be posted to rural areas and farmers should be sensitized to patronize them and improve production of cassava in the study area, the state and the country as a whole