An Assessment of Factors Influencing Adaptation of Special Rice Project Technology Package by Farmers under the Rice Value Chain in Niger State, Nigeria

The study was designed to identify “An Assessment Factors Influencing the Adaptation of Staple crop Special Rice Project (SRP) Technology among farmers in Niger State. The objectives of the study was to determine the level of awareness of the Staple Crop SRP technology, levels of adoption and adaptation of the technology, the socio-economic characteristics and the technology attributes that influenced adaptation of technologies, impact of adaptation on the yield of rice, and to identify the reasons why farmers adapted the recommended SRP technology package. The data that was used in this study was obtained by a field survey which was conducted on 100 rice farmers in each of the three agricultural zones of the State through the use of questionnaires in the study area. The analytical tools that were used in this study are distribution frequencies, percentages, mean, t-test, correlation and multiple regression models. The result and findings of this research shows that 8 percent of the farmers were aware of 3 and below of the technologies, 18 percent were aware of 4 to 6 of the technologies, 74 percent were aware of 7 to 8 of the improved technologies and more than half (63 farmers) were aware of all the 8 improved technologies, It was also found that 40 percent of the SRP participants adopted 5 out of the 8 technologies while 94 percent of the participants adopted 8 of the recommended practices. This indicates high level of adoption of the SRP technology package by participants.