Effects of Agricultural Programmes and Land Ownership on the Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Practices in Nigeria

Abstract

Many countries promote food security through agricultural policies to boost agricultural productivity without looking at the effect of such policies on sustainability. This study investigates the effect of agricultural policies and land ownership on the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices in Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection from a survey of 288 smallholder farmers in November 2018. The results of the Logistic Regression Model revealed that programs affected the adoption of SAP. Farmers that participated in E-wallet were more likely to adopt fertiliser trees and use animal manure and were less likely to adopt planting basins than non-users. Farmers who participated in Fadama were less likely to adopt crop diversification. Participation in Farmers’ Field School (FFS) contributed to a greater likelihood of farmers adopting crop diversification and cover crops. Landowner farmers were found to be more likely to adopt mulching and less likely to adopt fertiliser trees. This study provides practical implications to foster sustainability through effective agricultural policies and land ownership to facilitate sustainable agricultural practice adoption rates.