Assessment of Cassava Processing Technologies Usage Among Rural Women in Kwara State, Nigeria
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DOI: 10.46909/cerce-2020-027 Original Article Available online: www.uaiasi.ro/CERCET_AGROMOLD/ Print ISSN 0379-5837; Electronic ISSN 2067-1865 Cercetări Agronomice în Moldova Vol. LIII , No. 3 (183) / 2020: 314-320 ASSESSMENT OF CASSAVA PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES USAGE AMONG RURAL WOMEN IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA A.O. AWOYEMI1,*, O.J. ADESOKAN1, A.O. KAYODE1, K.F. OMOTESHO1, K.K. OSASONA2 *E-mail: awoyemi.oa@unilorin.edu.ng Received: Apr. 25, 2020. Revised: June 30, 2020. Accepted: July 13, 2020. Published online: Oct. 16, 2020 ABSTRACT. Technology usage has been among rural women in the study area is identified as a major driver of increased moderately high. Major constraints to the productivity, waste management and adoption of cassava processing economic efficiency. However, there technologies includes: high cost of seems to be some barriers to technology machines and maintenance, low level usage among rural women cassava awareness and training, as well as processors Nigeria. This study therefore inadequate finance. PPMC analysis analysed the characteristics and showed that educational level and cassava constraints to technology usage among processing experience was significantly rural women processors in Ifelodun local related to the usage of improved cassava government area of Kwara State, Nigeria. processing technologies in the study area A two-stage sampling technique was used with p≤ 0.05. Based on findings, training to randomly select 120 respondents from and effective monitoring by relevant six districts, namely Igbaja, Idofin, Oke- stakeholders, adequate financing, Ode, Omupo, Ora and Share. Primary sensitization and enlightenment data were used for the study and the data campaigns will further boost cassava were collected by means of an interview processors knowledge and attitude schedule. Descriptive statistical tools, towards cassava processing technologies such as precision counts, frequencies and and automatically increase usage by the percentages, were used in analysing the respondents. data, while Pearson Product Moment Keywords: increased productivity; Correlation (PPMC) analysis was used to characteristics; adoption, constraints. test the hypothesis. The findings revealed the level of usage of cassava processing 1 Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria 2 Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria 314 CASSAVA PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES USAGE AMONG RURAL WOMEN IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is INTRODUCTION the third most important food crop in the tropics after rice and maize, and it Technology adoption and usage is consumed daily by up to one billion have positive connotations among people, mostly in sub-saharan Africa policy-makers and the public at large. (Terry and Otim-Nape, 2012). Cassava It is often associated with waste is a major staple food widely management, time management, cultivated in the lowland humid tropic speed, higher income and efficiency. and it is capable of providing very Access to the extension service high yields of energy per hectare. delivery (ESD) has been identified as Cassava is a versatile crop; all parts of one of the major driver of the plant including its root have been technological usage. However, in most processed into a number of products. rural settings, especially in Sub- These include food for human Saharan Africa, access to sufficient consumption, animal feeds and knowledge, improved technology, industrial based products. Cassava financial services and other important based diets are main sources of dietary social services remain a critical issue energy. Cassava food products include (Mbo’o-Tchouawou and Colverson, garri, lafun, fufu, flour, tapioca and 2014). There are still significant chips. Dextrins, starch, syrups, challenges in providing adequate alcohols and dextrose are products extension and advisory services (EAS) from cassava. Some of these serve as in these areas. These range from raw materials in different industries insufficient fund for supporting public (Ashaye et al., 2007). It has extension, poor resourcing. contributed significantly to alleviation Agriculture in Nigeria is of food crisis in Nigeria because of its dominated by small scale farmers, who efficient production of food energy all produce about 80% of the total food year round, availability, tolerance to requirement (Fayinka, 2004). These extreme stress conditions, and farmers are characterized by strong suitability to peasant farmers who are dependence on agricultural labour the mainstay of food systems in the market, little or no form of savings or country. Nigeria currently produces storage facilities and cultural practices about 54 million metric tonnes per adopted are highly labour intensive annum (FAO, 2013), making her the (Idachaba, 1995; Festus, 2005; highest cassava producer in the world, Fakayode, 2008). The goal of producing a third more than Brazil and agricultural extension services in almost double the production capacity Nigeria is to facilitate farmers of Thailand and Indonesia. However, acceptance, while the ultimate goal of Nigeria is not an active participant in agricultural extension is to improve cassava trade in the international standard of living through the transfer markets because most of her cassava is of improved farming practices to the targeted at the domestic food market. rural people. 315 A.O. AWOYEMI, O.J. ADESOKAN, A.O. KAYODE, K.F. OMOTESHO, K.K. OSASONA The production methods are primarily describe the socio-economic subsistence in nature and therefore characteristics of the women cassava unable to support industrial level processors in the study area, examine demands (FAO, 2013). More than the cassava processing technologies 248 million tons of cassava was available and their level of usage produced worldwide in 2012 of which among women cassava processors in Africa accounted for 58% (IITA, 2012). the study area, identify the effect of Women play a central role in agricultural extension information on cassava production, harvesting, cassava processing technology usage processing and marketing contributing in the study area, and identify the about 58% of the total agricultural constraints of the rural women cassava labour in the southwest, 67% in the processors to usage of the available southeast and 58% in the central zones cassava processing technologies. (FAO, 2004; Onyemauwa, 2012). Never before in the Nigerian history MATERIALS AND METHODS has the necessity for educating and raising the productive capacity of our The study was conducted in Ifelodun farmers been of such importance than local government area of Kwara State, Nigeria. A two-stage random sampling it is today. Increased agricultural technique was used to select productivity depends primarily upon 120 respondents for the study. The first the acceptance of cultural and stage was a random selection of two technological changes at the rural farm communities each from six out of the level. It has been observed that the eight districts of the Local Government farmers have mostly found it difficult Area which are Igbaja, Idofin, Oke-Ode, to respond to the new technologies due Omupo, Ora and Share. The second stage to the fact that the technologies are involved a random selection of 10 women costly to acquire and maintain and also cassava processors in each of the selected that they are not properly educated and communities of the Local Government Area to make a total sample size of this has been a very big constraint, 120 women cassava processors as especially for the rural women. This respondents. Data collected was automatically affects the level of usage organized and analysed through tables, of the extension service delivery percentages, mean and frequency counts available to them and in turn barring and Pearson Product Moment Correlation them from maximally enjoying the (PPMC). benefits of these new technologies. The broad objective of this study RESULTS AND DISCUSSION was to assess the characteristics and constraints to cassava processing Table 1 shows the socio-economic technologies usage among rural characteristics of the respondents with women in Ifelodun local government their mean age to be 45 years. This area of Kwara State. The specific suggests that they belong to the objectives for this research were to economically active population category. They can therefore put more 316 CASSAVA PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES USAGE AMONG RURAL WOMEN IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA effort into cassava processing in order was also observed that more than half to increase their output. Furthermore, (69.1%) of the respondents have the study shows that majority (93.3%) between 11-30 years of cassava of the respondents have some forms processing experience with a mean of education. This implies that the value of 18.3 years. It suggests that processors are likely to readily adopt the processors are not new to the new technologies and innovations. It business of cassava processing. Table 1 - Distribution of the respondents by their socio-economic characteristics (n=120) Variables Frequency Percentage (%) Mean Age (years) 21-30 3 2.5 45.1 years 31-40 36 30.0 41-50 50 41.7 51& above 31 25.8 Marital status Married 96 80.0 Separated 3 2.5 Divorced 3 2.5 Widowed 18 15.0 Educational status Non formal education 8 6.7 Primary education 60 50.0 Secondary education 52 43.3 Household size 1-5 34 28.3 6 person 6-10 84 70.0 11-15 2 1.7 Cassava processing experience 1-10 29 24.2 18.3 years 11-20 52 43.3 21-30 31 25.8 Table 2 shows that the pressing very much available to almost all the (100%), grating (100%), dewatering cassava processors. This ultimately (92.5%) and milling (99.2%) implies that with the availability of machines are the cassava processing these various machines, processing of technologies available to majority of cassava will be enhanced and with the respondents. It implies that both less stress and labour. the pressing and grating machines are available to every cassava processor in this area. It also shows that both the dewatering and milling machines are 317 A.O. AWOYEMI, O.J.