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This study investigated extent of use of mobile phone applications among farmers in North-West Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 385 respondents for the study. Data were collected through the use of pre-tested structured questionnaire and summarized using frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation. The Tobit regression model was used for inferential deductions. The results show that the majority (96%) owned a mobile phone; awareness of the call app and SMS app were100% and 97% respectively; while all other mobile phone apps recorded very low awareness and use. The prominent call and SMS mobile phone apps were used to contact family members and friends, respectively; whereas only 70% used call app to facilitate the purchase of farm input and 65% used it to get market-related information. Tobit regression analysis results showed that years of farming experience, awareness and knowledge of apps usage positively influenced the use of the mobile app. Farmers' awareness of mobile apps was low and they minimally used these apps for farming activities. Agricultural extension agencies and other relevant stakeholders should facilitate avenues to encourage the use of mobile phone apps for agricultural purposes among farmers and be circumspect in the bang-wagon effect of eextension approaches.

Sunflower is a crop with high oil and economic values which portends its great potential for enhancing agricultural productivity and poverty alleviation among smallholder farmers. These notwithstanding, optimum benefit of the sunflower value chain have not been adequately harnessed. Conceived with the backdrop of lack of awareness about the commercial, nutritional and medicinal potentials of sunflower among the rural farm families, the study assessed the utilisation of sunflower among smallholder farmers in two southwestern states (Ogun and Ekiti) of Nigeria, and two districts (southeast and Kgatleng) of Botswana in sub-Saharan Africa. A total of two hundred smallholder farmers were randomly chosen from four purposively selected farming communities in southwestern Nigeria and Botswana districts. Results showed that 49 and 84% of the respondents were aware about the sunflower crop in Nigeria and Botswana, respectively, while only 10 and 25% cultivated the crop, respectively. The results further showed that all those (25%) who cultivated the crop in Botswana utilised it as animal feed only, while their Nigerian counterpart utilised it for variety of purposes. While 6 and 7% utilised it as animal feed and manure/fertiliser production, respectively, in Nigeria, 2, 5 and 8%, respectively, used it for cake/snack production, and traditional and ornamental purposes. Yet, another 6% cultivated the sunflower crop for seed oil extraction. The study concluded that, although, higher proportion of smallholder farmers from Botswana knew about and cultivated the sunflower crop, yet, their Nigeria counterpart utilised the crop more. The need for continuous popularization of the production and utilisation of sunflower crop among smallholder farmers was therefore recommended in both Bostwana and Nigeria.

The study identified development projects instituted under the CSDP, ascertained extent of community participation at every critical stage of the project and determined whether perceived sustainability of CSDPs was significantly related to community participation in Kwara State. Multistage sampling procedure was used to select 120 respondents for the study. Structured interview schedule was used for data collection while percentages, mean scores and the Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) were used for data analysis. Community participation in organization of and attendance at meeting and financial contribution was high with weighted mean scores of 1.62 and 1.50, respectively, but low in most other project components. There was significant but positive relationship between age (r = 0.25), estimated monthly income (r = 0.26) and perceived sustainability (r = 0.31) and community participation at p ≤ 0.01. In contrast, there was significant but inverse relationship between community participation and number of project executed (r = -0.25). In conclusion, extent of community participation was low in most project components and community participation tended to increase with higher monthly income, fewer number of projects individual participated in, and higher perceived sustainability of the projects. Stakeholders of the CSDPs at government’s and grassroots’ levels should allow for more engagement of the people at all components of the CSDPs and the local communities should take on fewer projects at a time so as to enhance community participation.Keywords: Community participation, CSDP, participatory development, perceived sustainability, gender balance

This study was designed to measure the technical efficiency and its determinants in cotton production in North West, Nigeria. The study used primary data generated during the 2013/2014 cotton production season. Data were collected through the use of structured questionnaire administered to 355 cotton farmers. The data were analyzed using stochastic frontier production model. Multi stage purposive sampling technique was used to select the States, the Agricultural Development Project zones, the Local Governments and the villages, while random sampling was used to select the respondents from which input-output data were collected. The result of the overall elasticities of production which give the level of return to scale derived from the Cobb-Douglas equation was 0.68. The result of the study further shows that 30% of the farmers had technical efficiency of 0.81 and above while 70% of the farmers operate at less than 0.8 efficiency level. The farmers with the best and least practice had a technical efficiency of 0.99 and 0.10, while the average technical efficiency index was 0.65 respectively. This implies that on the average, output fall by 35% from the maximum possible level due to inefficiency. The result of the determinants of technical inefficiency shows that the coefficients for age and farming experience were significant at 1%.level of probability, while educational level, household size and marital status were negative and not significant.

The study investigated whether farm practical training (FPT)

The study was carried out to examine the effect of agricultural transformation on the beneficiary’s productivity and poverty of rice farmers in Kano State Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling method was employed to select 571 respondents for the study. Data were collected through structured questionnaires on respondent’s income, input and output quantities as well as their expenditures. Data were analysis using descriptive statistics, Foster-Greer-Thorbecke (FGT), Propensity score matching and LATE model. Results from the study shows that respondents productivity revealed a significant difference of about 127 kg/ha in rice productivity between participants and non-participants. Also, the LATE estimates revealed an average treatment effect ATE0 of about 222.98kg/ha. Furthermore, the project had a significant effect N11, 321.4 on the participant’s consumption expenditure than the non-participants N9980.60. Moreover, participants were, able to increase their household total expenditures by N34780 per annum. Fluctuations of input/output prices insect pests and inadequate extension visits were all the major constraints faced by the farmers. It was recommended that farmers’ information and sensitization system should be overhauled and improved. Also, attention should be given to well organize extension visits for the farmers from stake holders