Utilisation of cassava waste among processors in Akoko Southwest, Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

There is a considerable gap in knowledge about cassava waste management among small-scale processors in Nigeria. This study investigated the utilisation of cassava wastes among processors in Akoko southwest, Ondo State, Nigeria. Two hundred processors were sampled in four communities, using a multistage sampling procedure. Data were analysed using frequency counts, and percentages and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (at α 0.05). The majority of the processors were males (53.5 %), married (49.0 %), Christians (49.0 %), and with secondary education (22.0 %). Most respondents had knowledge that cassava waste could be sold to generate income (81.0 %), used to produce chemicals (78.5 %) and utilised as a source of energy (78.5 %). The major constraints to cassava waste utilisation included high cost of cassava waste processing (82.0 %) and the lack of processing equipment (82.0 %). The correlation analysis shows a significant correlation between the ages of respondents and cassava waste utilisation (r = −0.538 p < 0.05), years of education, and cassava waste utilisation (r = −0.073, p < 0.05). However, marital status (r = −0.087, p < 0.05) and income (r = −0.048, p < 0.05) had hypothesised a positive relationship with cassava waste utilisation, but not significant. The study concluded that the majority of the respondents had a positive attitude towards cassava waste utilisation, but were constrained by inadequate finance, lack of processing equipment, high cost of hired labour, and high cost of processing. The biogas properties of cassava waste have transformational potential in addressing energy poverty in developing economies like Nigeria.