The Transformation From Agronomic Experiment to Practical Advice For Farmers: A Case Study with Maize in the Southern Guinea Savannah Region of Nigeria

The development of recommendations that are adoptable by farmers to meet their goals is key to the introduction of improved crop management practices to farmers. An on-farm experiment was conducted to evaluate maize production under farmers (M1) and improved (M2) cultivation and management in three locations (Kabba, Ejiba, and Anyigba) of the southern Guinea Savannah zone of Nigeria. A land suitability evaluation, an evaluation of the yield of maize, and an economic analysis of the two management practices were carried out. Kabba has a potential suitability index of 32.76 and was rated S3 (marginally suitable); Ejiba and Kabba are 84 and 95, respectively; they were rated S1 (highly suitable). The yield performance of maize is in the order of Ejiba>Anyigba>Kabba for location and M2>M1 for management practices. For every $1.00 invested in the adoption of improved cultivation and management practices, the farmer will recover the $1.00 and get an additional $0.4285, $0.6850, and $0.9349 in Kabba, Ejiba, and Ayingba, respectively. The improved management practices are recommended to farmers in the agro-ecological zone. This study established that agronomic experiments should not be limited to field experimentation levels, and the importance of the economic implications of agronomic research findings was emphasized.