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The study assessed the use of ICTs among extension agents in Kano State Nigeria. Two hundred and twenty-one (221) extension agents were randomly selected from the 44 local government areas. Data for the study were obtained with the aid of structured questionnaire administered to extension agents. Majority of extension agents were in the age range of 41-50 years. Majority (87.3%) of them were males and married (100%), with family sizes of 5-14 (53.95%). The entire extension agents had formal education including HND (35.8%), OND (33.3%) and secondary school certificate (27.2%). Most of the extension agents had an annual income of N100,000-N300,000, with N376,984 as mean. They were aware and had access to radio, television, telephone, DVD, video, camera, computer, satellite and printer. They however recorded a low usage of the Web, satellite, e-mail, CD-ROM, search engines, scanner, fax and Web publishing. The result also indicates a positive correlation between ICT use and socioeconomic characteristics of the agents; including age, work experience, membership of agricultural associations (p<0.05). It was concluded that the benefits of the ICTs were not fully utilized by extension workers in the state due to some factors associated with low income, ICTs training, awareness and access.

This study investigated the socio-economic factors influencing adoption of dual-purpose cowpea production (DPC) technologies among farmers in Bichi Local Government Area of Kano State, Nigeria. Data were collected with the use of questionnaire administered to 200 farmers selected randomly. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and step-wise multiple regression were used to analyze the data. Findings indicated that 35.7% of the farmers were within 41-50 years. The largest percentage (24.5%) had a family size within the range of 11-15, with a mean of 8. Majority of the farmers had formal education, ranging from primary to post-secondary. They had more than 1ha of land, with a mean of 2.2ha. They all participated in one form of farmers' organization or the other. The mean adoption rate was 77.5%. The use of improved seeds and insecticides had the highest adoption score (100%). Result of the correlation analysis indicated that level of education, household size, farming experience; number of ruminants owned, social participation and

The study aimed at: (i)estimating the rates of adoption and application of inorganic fertilizer; and (ii)determining the farmer-and farm-characteristics conditioning the adoption of inorganic fertilizer in two selected States in the northwest zone of Nigeria, namely, Kano and Katsina States. A two-stage sampling procedure was adopted in the survey, First, two Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) zones were purposively sampled in each State on the basis of relative climate. In Kano State, Rano and Danbatta zones were chosen, while in Katsina State, Funtua and Ajiwa zones were selected. Second, 60 farmers were randomly selected from each of the four ADP zones giving a total sample size of 240. The results of the survey showed that the mean rates of adoption of inorganic fertilizer were 85.85% for Kano, 98.35% for Katsina, and 92.10% for both States. These rates of adoption were illustrative of a long history of exposure to fertilizers. The mean rates of application of inorganic fertilizers of 41.49kg ha-1 for Kano, 67.24kg ha-1 for Katsina and 54.36 kg ha-1 for both States were, however, short of the recommended nutrient levels for the staple food crops grown in the two States. The result of the analysis of the socioeconomic factors conditioning adoption of inorganic fertilizer showed that all the factors included in our model influenced the adoption of inorganic fertilizer, but there were locational differences in the significance of these factors. Recommendations made included: the complementary applications of inorganic and organic fertilizers; the adoption of integrated soil fertility management practices; training extension educators and other technical assistants to understand the factors conditioning adoption for more effective targeting and delivery of programmes; the education of the rural populace, encouraging membership of farmers' associations; the expansion of farm sizes; improved access to production credit; and the strengthening of existing extension systems.