Agroforestry-based technology’s adoption: A case study of small-scale farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria

The study examined the adoption of agroforestry-based technology among small-scale farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional data of 200 respondents were randomly selected with the aid of a well-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and Tobit regression model were used in the analysis. Results showed that the mean age of the farmers was 49years and that majority (87%) was male. The main occupation (92%) of the respondents was farming, and only 12% of them had not received any form of formal education. The majority (73%) of the farmers cultivated farmland that was less than 2ha. Apart from the farmers' age, farm size, household size, income, and off-farm income, all socioeconomic variables of the farmers are positively associated to adoption decisions. Adoption demonstrated inelastic responses to changes in the socio-economic factors studied, according to the estimated elasticity estimates. The most important factor influencing adoption and use intensity is financing availability. Farmers' adoption behaviour was also positively influenced by cultivated farm size, loan availability, extension contact, cooperative membership, product distance to market, and tenurial status, according to Tobit analysis. Except for the age of the farmers, minor changes in their socio-economic variables enhance the chance of adopting agroforestry practices more than they increase use intensities, according to the estimates from the computed elasticities. The study, therefore, recommends that effort should be intensified in identifying preferred agroforestry-based technology by the farmers to boost participation as well as evaluate the cost of effective potentials of such technology.