Influence of farmers' socio-economic and technology characteristics on soybean seeds technology adoption in Southern Borno State, Nigeria

Soybean is one of the most important sources of protein known to man. It is the cheapest source of protein in terms of accessibility, especially in the developing countries. The importance of the crop informed its introduction to Borno State in 2004. This study examined the determinants in likelihood of improved soybean seeds adoption among farmers in southern Borno State. Data for the study were obtained from 360 respondents selected through multi-stage sampling procedure. The purposive and random sampling techniques were employed at the various stages of selection. Inferential statistical technique, the logit model, was used to estimate the likelihood of technology adoption among the respondents. The results of the study revealed that farm size and expenditure on hired labor were the most important socio-economic factors that significantly (rho <= 0.05) influenced the likelihood of adoption of improved soybean seeds among the respondents; while yield, household utilization and maturity period of soybean were the significant (rho <= 0.05) technology characteristics that influenced the likelihood of adoption of improved soybean seeds by farmers in the study area. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that: labor-saving technologies be made available to farmers in order to cushion the effect of their expenditure on hired labor, and farmers should also be linked to sources of financial support so as to enable them afford hired labor. Improved soybean seeds should be provided to farmers, while extension service should educate and encourage farmers on the utilization of soybean as a nutritious household food item.