Utilization of Agricultural Information by Dry Season Women Farmers in Lafia Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

The paper focused on the Utilization of Agricultural Information by dry-season women farmers in the Lafia Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. Four research questions guided the study. A descriptive Survey design was adopted for the study. The population of the study consisted of One hundred women purposively sampled in ten villages. One hundred questionnaires(100 were distributed, 97 representing 97%, were retrieved and used for the study. The findings of the study revealed that husbands, mass media and cooperatives were the major sources of agricultural Information. The respondents utilized agricultural Information principally through NADP, mass media and extension agents. The constraints faced by dry season women farmers in accessing and utilizing agricultural Information included ) a need for proper awareness of dry season farming from agricultural extension services, irregular power supply that prevent them from listening to news and other agricultural programmes and lack of improved seedlings. Based on the findings, among the recommendations made were that information centres should be established in rural communities in the area studied to provide the needed information to women on dry season farming and Agricultural information extension agencies should take into cognizance the agricultural information needs of dry season women farmers in the aspects of pesticide, fertilizer and improved farm implements.