Determinants of Compliance to Good Agricultural Practices among Cocoa Farmers in Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Cocoa is one of Nigeria’s most important agricultural commodities due to its status as a source of foreign exchange earnings. However, low quality and hence low patronage of cocoa beans of Nigeria origin has reduced this fortune in recent years due mainly to non-adherence to Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) among farmers. The study therefore identified the determinants of compliance to GAP among cocoa farmers in Ondo State, Nigeria. A three-stage sampling procedure was used to select 20% (150) of cocoa farmers across randomly sampled cocoa-producing communities in Ondo State. Information was sourced using a well-structured, validated questionnaire. Data were analyzed using frequency counts, mean and Ordinary Least Square (OLS). Majority of farmers had good knowledge of GAP. However, farmers were mostly faced with constraints such as high cost of agrochemicals and labor scarcity. Farmers rated economic benefits of GAP as high; while health and environmental benefits were rated low; with high acceptability of cocoa; utilization of soil organic matter and prevention of respiratory malfunctioning identified as top economic, environmental and health benefits, respectively. Although the general compliance was high across different GAP, practices to which farmers were least compliant were however of relatively high economic, health and environmental implications. Knowledge, perceived health and perceived economic benefits of GAP were important determinants of compliance. The extension unit of the Ondo State Ministry of Agriculture should prioritize sensitization and education of farmers on the economic, health and environmental benefits of GAP of cocoa in order to ensure profitability and sustainability of production.

Compliance with cocoa quality management practices in Ghana; To what extent are cocoa farmers complying?

“…In explaining the antecedents of farmers’ adherence to the 6 quality management practices ( Table 5 ), the significant positive effect of extension access on disease and pest best practices compliance is consistent with Olutegbe and Sanni [ 36 ] who argued that adherence to cocoa quality standards is at the heart of agricultural extension activities for cocoa farmers in West Africa. Further, the positive relationship between gender and the likelihood of compliance with disease and pest practices is reasonable because female farmers are resource constraints, which limit their capacity to purchase recommended pesticides to control diseases and pest incidences.…”

Transfer knowledge of organic agriculture for healthy horticulture cultivation on the Bengawan Solo River, Central Java

“…Sebanyak 95% keterampilan mereka meningkat dan mampu mencoba membuat pupuk sendiri dan 5% peserta merasa biasa saja dengan keterampilan mereka setelah mengikuti penyuluhan. Perubahan perilaku budidaya hortikultura secara konvensional ke organik memerlukan waktu yang panjang (Geissen et al, 2021), namun demikian sosialisasi pertanian organik ini menjadi awal yang baik dalam penerapan good agriculture practices (Olutegbe & Sanni, 2021) di Gambar 5. Kemampuan praktik peserta dalam pembuatan pupuk organik Gambar 6.…”

Pelatihan Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) Kakao pada Petani Binaan Koperasi Tani Masagena di Kabupaten Luwu Utara

“…GAP juga mampu membuat perkebunan kakao menjadi lebih berkelanjutan (Asogwa et al 2009, Olutegbe dan Sanni 2021. Implementasi GAP ke petani kakao dapat dilakukan dengan memberikan pelatihan (Akinmolafe 2022) dengan tujuan untuk meningkatkan pengetahuan petani (Orisajo et al 2019).…”