ABSTRACT
The declining output and worsening food insecurity among rural fish farming households is of great concern to government and other developmental partners. This study analyzed the adoption of improved fish technologies and food security statues of fish farmers in Rivers State Nigeria. It specifically investigated the types of fish production technologies available, the adoption level of the fish production technologies, the determinants of adoption level and the determinants of food security among the farmers. Purposive and random sampling techniques were used to select 120 respondents for the study. Data were collected by means of questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using qualitative and quantitative measures. The determinants of adoption level and food security were analyzed using the tobit regression and probit regression respectively. The results showed that males (80%) dominated fish farming in the area. The fish farmers were mostly married (85.83%) and had high level of literacy (76.67%). The three most important fish production technologies adopted by the farmers were floating feed (96.67%), stocking density (83.33%) and water management (81.67%). Majority of the fish farmers had adoption index of between 41 – 80%. The result of the tobit regression showed that educational level (significant at 5% level), access to credit (significant at 1% level) and membership of cooperative societies (significant at 5% level) increased the probability of the farmers adopting fish production technologies. The converse was the case for age. The result also showed that the adopters of fish production technologies were more food secured (64.06%) than the non-adopters (51.76%). The result of the probit regression showed that household size (negatively significant at 10% level) reduced the probability of non-adopters being food secured, while fishing experience (significant at 5% level) and membership of cooperative society (significant at 5% level) increased that of adopters. Educational level (significant at 10% level) and number of fish stocked (significant at 10% level) increased the probability of food security among non-adopters. The result also showed that fish farming experience, number of fish stocked and cooperative membership (significant at 5% level respectively) positively influenced the food security status of all the farmers. Education, income, extension service and adoption (significant at 1% level) respectively positively influenced the probability of food security of fish farmers in the area. The study recommended that there should be the provision of free and quantitative education to enable the farmers access and process information on improved fish production technologies. Fish farmers should be encouraged to form cooperatives. This will confer on the fish farmers immense benefits that such organizations provide for their members, and the extension service should be strengthened to make it more vibrant and responsive to the needs of the farmers. Government should look into the extension services and meet up with their needs so as to give special attention to the fish farmers.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Tittle
Page
i
Declaration
ii
Certification iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgements
v
Table
of Contents
vi
List
of Tables
ix
Abstract x
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
Information
1
1.2 Problem
Statement 4
1.3 Objectives
of the Study
6
1.4 Research
Hypotheses
7
1.5 Justification
of the Study
7
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE
REVIEW
2.1 Concepts
and Definitions 9
2.1.1 Improved
production technology
9
2.1.2 Technology
transfer and adoption 10
2.1.3 Smallholder
fish farmers
11
2.1.4 Food
security
12
2.1.5 Food
insecurity in Nigeria 14
2.1.6 Improved
Fish production technologies 16
2.2 Theoretical
Framework
20
2.2.1 Theories
of adoption 20
2.2.2 Theories
of food security
22
2.3 Empirical
Literature Review
25
2.3.1 Socioeconomic
characteristics of fish farmers 25
2.3.2 Index of
adoption of Improved fish production technologies 26
2.3.3 Food
insecurity Status in Nigeria 30
2.3.4 Determinants
of Food Security 32
2.4 Analytical
Framework
33
2.4.1 Measurement
of adoption level
33
2.4.2 Determinants
of the level of adoption
36
2.4.3 Measurement
of food security
37
2.4.4 Measurement
of effect of adoption of food security 38
CHAPTER 3:
METHODOLOGY
3.1 The
Study Area
40
3.2 Sampling
Procedure 41
3.3 Data
Collection
42
3.4 Analytical
Techniques
42
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS
AND DISCUSSION
4.1
Socioeconomic Characteristics of the
Respondents
50
4.1.1
Gender
50
4.1.2
Age
51
4.1.3
Marital status
52
4.1.4
Educational attainment
53
4.1.5
Household size
54
4.1.6
Fish farming experience
55
4.1.7
Membership of cooperatives
56
4.1.8
Number of extension visits
57
4.1.9
Credit access
58
4.1.10
Number of fish stocked
59
4.1.11
Income
60
4.2
Analysis of Improved Fish Production
Technologies and Adoption
Levels among Fish Farmers in the Study Area
61
4.2.1
Improved Fish Production Technologies
used by Farmers
61
4.2.2
Level of Adoption of Technology
62
4.3
Adoption Index of Improved Fish
Production 65
4.4
Determinants of Levels of Adoption
of Improved Fish Technologies by
Farmers 65
4.5
Food Security of Fish Farmers in the
Study Area 69
4.5.1
Food insecurity depth and severity
70
4.6
Determinants of Food Security Status
among Adopters and Non
Adopters of Fish Production Technologies
71
4.7
Effect of Fish Technology Adaptation on
the Food Security of the
Farmers 75
CHAPTER 5:
SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION
5.1
Summary
79
5.2
Conclusion
80
5.3
Recommendation
81
5.4 Contribution to Knowledge 81
References 82
Appendix 102
Questionnaire
LIST
OF TABLES
3.1 Agricultural
zones with their LGAs
41
4.1 Distribution
of respondents according to gender 50
4.2 Distribution
of respondents according to age 51
4.3 Distribution
of respondents according to marital status 52
4.4 Distribution
of respondents according to educational attainment 53
4.5 Distribution
of respondents according to household size 54
4.6 Distribution
of respondents according to fish farming experience 55
4.7 Distribution
of respondents according to membership cooperatives 56
4.8 Distribution
of respondents according to extension visits 57
4.9 Distribution
of respondents according to credit access 58
4.10 Distribution
of respondents according to number of fish stocked 59
4.11 Distribution
of respondents according to income 60
4.12 Distribution
of respondents according to fish production technologies
used 61
4.13 Rating
scale analysis of level of adoption improved technologies used
by fish farmers 63
4.14 Distribution
of respondents according to adoption indices of
improved fish production
Technologies
65
4.15
Determinants of probability adoption
of improved fish production
technologies 66
4.16
Hypothesis table for probability of
adoption of improved fish technologies 69
4.17
Distribution of respondents based on
food security indices
69
4.18
Distribution of respondents according
to food insecurity depth and
severity. 70
4.19
Probit result for the determinants of
food security status of adopters and
non adopters in the Study area
71
4.20
Hypothesis for adopters 74
4.21 Hypothesis
for non adopters
75
4.22 Hypothesis
for pooled
75
4.23 Determinants
of probability of food security of the fish farmers 76
4.24: Hypothesis
table for determinants of probability of food security 78
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Food and Agricultural
Organization of United Nations (FAO) (2008) showed that Africa had much
agriculture potentials indicating an opportunity to improve food security, nutrition
and generating of income by the poor. Food security generally means having at
every time an adequate level of basic product to handle increasing consumption
demand and mitigate fluctuations in output and prices (Idrisa et al., 2008). According to Maharjan and
Chhetri, (2006), nourishment security is generally observed as access by all
individuals at untouched to enough sustenance for a functioning life, while
sustenance weakness is the powerlessness of a family or individual to meet the
required utilization levels notwithstanding fluctuating creation, cost and pay.
At the national dimension, sustenance security exists when all individuals
consistently have the physical and financial access to adequate, protected and
nutritive nourishment to meet their dietary needs and sustenance inclinations
for dynamic and sound lives while at little scale family level, nourishment
security implies physical and monetary access to sustenance that is
satisfactory as far as amount, wellbeing and social openness, to address every
individual's issue (Ingawa, 2002).
A country is said to have food security when its people have enough to eat and
the most vulnerable group (women and children) in the rural areas have access
to adequate quality of food they needed.
In the case of
Nigeria, an average Nigerian is said to be undernourished, taking less than
13.5g/caput/day of animal protein recommended by the world health organisation
(Ekelemu and Olele, 2010). To achieve this 13.5g/caput/day of animal protein
recommended by the World Health Organisation, fish being one of the cheapest
sources of animal protein has become a major item in the diet of Nigerians and
livelihood security in the developing countries (Shalini et al., 2012). According to Ekelemu, (2012) aquaculture can be
defined as the rational rearing of fish in an enclosure and fairly shallow body
of water, where all its life processes can be controlled. ICLARM (2001),
reported that aquaculture appears to be one of the last frontiers to increase
contribution to food security in the developing world and it now represents the
fastest growing agricultural industry in some countries, with fresh water
aquaculture dominating total aquaculture production. In the world aquaculture
is seen as a means of meeting future demands for fish at a time when stocks
from the wild are showing signs of depletion.
However,
aquaculture as generally practiced in Africa is in a small scale, simple, low
input and fresh water pond culture economic activity hardly producing enough to
cater for the ever increasing demand for fish product. The continent produces
very little, accounting for only about 0.5% of the world aquaculture output.
About 80% of this is produced by just two countries viz: Nigeria (Tilapia, carp
and catfish) and Egypt (Tilapia, crap and Mullet) (Sverdrup-Jensen, 2000; FAO,
2011).
Commercial
fisheries can contribute to food security directly by producing fish in large
quantities for food while also indirectly generating employment, income for the
purchase of food and acting as a source of foreign exchange. (FDF, 2005; 2008)
had it that Nigeria is the largest single consumer of fish and fish products in
Africa despite the abundance of fisheries resources. FAO (2004) noted that
Nigeria has the resource capacity to
produce 2.4million metric tons (MMT) of fish every year but yet the country is
a large importer of 648,000MT of fish annually while domestic fish production
is estimated at only 496,000MT from all source.
Nigeria has a fish
demand of 2.66million metric tons per annum and internal production of
0.7million metric tons per annum (CBN, 2007; FDF, 2008). The Country had to
import about 1.012million tonnes of fish worth 97million naira to meet up with
these demand (Ayinla, 2012 and Atanda, 2012). Fish production in Nigeria comes
from three sources and their contributions to Nigeria fish supply according to
FDF (2008) were; artisanal (Inland, rivers, lakes, costal and brackish water)
contributed between 2000 - 2007, 81.9% - 89.5%, industrial fishing (Inshore and
Offshore) contributed 4.3% - 5.0% and aquaculture (fish farming) 5.5% - 13.8%.
Despite the decreasing output in artisanal sector, this economic activity still
contributes the largest proportion of about 90% to the gross fish production in
Nigeria (Adepegba, 2007; FDF, 2008). Captured fisheries are not projected to
increase therefore aquaculture represents the best option to bridge the gap
between the demand and supply of fish product for the Country. The world
population of 6.91billion consumes about 118million tons/ year (an additional
34million tonnes/ year) and so aquaculture production should be increased by
50million metric tonnes by 2050 (Tarcon and Forster, 2001).
The development of
agriculture and aquaculture can be enhanced through introduction of modern
technologies (Nwachukwu and Onuegbu, 2007). Aquaculture growth and development
is not possible without yield enhancing technological options. Research and
adoption of technological improvement are crucial to increasing aquaculture
productivity and food security (IFAD, 2011). The adoption of improved
aquaculture technologies is a tool needed to improve aquaculture productivity
which serves as the key to global food security and fight against poverty
(Obisesan and Omonona, 2013). In Nigeria despite projects, programmes and policies
targeted at reducing the problem of food insecurity, the country ranked 18th
on the Global Hunger Index (GHI) of 81 countries with a GHI of 15.5 indicating
a serious hunger situation (IFPRI, 2011; UNDP, 2011).
In the efforts to
encourage culture fisheries in Nigeria, the fishery research institutions have
developed and distributed various fishery production technologies some of which
are integrated fish farming, pH test, water management, floating feed, flow
through system, stocking density, race-way, induced breeding, water
re-circulating system, transportation of fingerlings. The adoption of these
technologies is assumed to increase fish production, improve self-sufficiency
in production and contribution of fish to national food security (Agbamu and
Orhorhoro, 2007). Improving the adoption of these technologies, it is important
to develop sustainable financial options, use well trained and adequate staff
also, utilize participatory expansion approach under stable strategy and
reasonable institutional game plan (Koyenikan, 2008).
Rivers State,
which is one of the coastal states in the Niger Delta has large potential for
fish farming. It is characterized by various water bodies like rivers, fresh
and brackish water, creaks, estuarine and also marine bodies. With these there
are great opportunities for aquaculture in the State. Despite the introduction
and adoption of improved technologies to the State, aquaculture is not
developing at a fast rate (Amaniyie, 2006) because of the incidence of oil spillage
which has not only affected the fishing waters in the state but also farmlands,
economic crops and tress (Nnodim et al.,
2004).
1.2 PROBLEM
STATEMENT
There is high incidence of hunger, malnutrition and
poverty in Nigeria with about 86% of the country's population earning less than
two U.S dollars per day (World Bank, 2009). According to Otaha (2013) cases of malnutrition and under nutrition
are growing by the day such that the food intake requirements of majority of
Nigerians have fallen far below the international standard.
In
Nigeria, food accounts for a large and increasing share of family budgets for
poor and urban families. If prices of staple foods soar, poor people bear the
brunt. The search for adequate food supply in view of the
soaring population in Nigeria has been a serious source of concern nationally
and among international agencies.The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), an agency of
the United Nations (UN), have raised alarm that Nigeria, Morocco and Bangladesh
faced imminent food crisis (Eme et al.,
2014).
The search for
adequate and accessible food supply in view of the soaring population in
Nigeria has also been a serious concern for successive governments. Despite the
formulation of policies and the execution of programmes and projects aimed at
alleviating this anomaly the situation keeps getting worse. Nigeria with a
population of approximately 140.7million and 3.2% annual growth rate (National
Population Commission, 2006) is the most populated country in Africa. FAO
(2004) argues that Nigeria has the resource capacity including land and water
to produce 2.4 million metric tonnes of fish every year and yet imports 648,000
metric tonnes of fish annually. Furthermore, crude traditional technology being
used by the fish farmers limits the quantity of fish being produced. Another
challenge of fish production in Nigeria according to FAO (2008) is the hiatus
in technology transfer with fishermen being left to fend for themselves with
inherited, unwritten technology.
Despite the
abundant fisheries resources and the relatively high consumption of fish in the
country, Nigeria is a net importer of fish products in Africa (FDF, 2005;
2008). Its domestic output of
0.62million metric tonnes (FDF, 2008), a supply deficit of 2.04million metric tonnes
is required to meet the ever increasing demand for fish in Nigeria. This large
deficit between the local demand and supply of fish is augmented by massive
importation of frozen fish and the attendant effect on the foreign exchange
earnings of the national economy as well as caput consumption 9.8kg/head/year
(FDF, 2008). The vision of Nigeria to have physical and economic access to food
on a continuous basis has therefore continued to remain a mirage (Fakayode et al., 2009). Over 40% of households
across all agro-ecological zones in Nigeria face the problem of severe food
insecurity (Mariya-Dixton et al.,
2004). The 2010 MDG report states that the proportion of the Nigerian
population living below the hunger threshold increased from 29% to 72 33%
between 2000 and 2009, implying little prospect of achieving the 2015 target of
14.5%. These approaches classify farmers as either a food secure or a food
insecure farmer.
1.3 OBJECTIVES
The broad
objective of this study was to examine the adoption of improved fish production
technologies and food security status of smallholder fish farmers in Rivers
State of Nigeria.
Specifically, the
study
- examined the socio-economic characteristics of the fish farmers
- identified and examined the fish production technologies and
adoption levels of the improved fish production technologies
- estimated the indices of adoption of improved production
technologies among the fish farmers
- estimated the determinants of adoption of improved technologies by
the farmers
- derived the food security indices of adopters and non-adopters of
fish production technologies
- estimated the determinants of food security for adopters and
non-adopters of fish production technologies
- determined the effect of fish technology adoption on the food
security of the farmers
1.4 HYPOTHESES
OF THE STUDY
The following
hypotheses were tested;
H1: Age negatively influenced the level of
adoption of improved fish production technologies while gender, marital status,
educational level, household size, number of fish stocked, farming experience,
access to credit, membership of cooperatives, number of extension visits and
income positively influenced it.
Ho1:
Food insecurity is less severe among non-adopting fish farming households than
among adopting fish farming households
H2: Age negatively influenced the food
security status of the respondents while
gender, educational level, household size, fishing
experience, membership of cooperative, number of extension visits and income
positively influenced the food security status of the respondents,
H3:
Age and household size influenced food security status of the fish
farmers negatively while education, credit, fish farming experience,
cooperative membership, extension services, income and adoption influence the
food security status positively.
1.5
JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY.
The development
and dissemination of improved agricultural technologies particularly in Africa
is as a result of the need to improve the wellbeing of the rural poor farmers
and also to enhance national income. Consequently, several improved aquaculture
technologies have been developed and introduced by research institutes
including Nigeria Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research and National
Institute for Freshwater Fishery Research, with the financial support of
multilateral organization such as World Bank. In Nigeria, many improved fish
technologies are being disseminated to fish farmers through different programs
and policies. All these efforts are geared towards increasing fish productivity
to encourage the attainment of national and household food security. This is
based on the premise that the adoption of improved fish technologies could lead
to significant increase in aquaculture productivity in Nigeria. This can also
stimulate the transition from low productivity subsistence agriculture to a high
productivity agro-industrial economy. This study examined the available
technologies and their contributions to productivity and output among the
farmers.
Aquaculture is
generally practiced by smallholder farmers who use crude implements and
out-dated technologies. This study investigated the importance of the fishery
subsector to the national economy, especially as it pertains to the attainment
of self-sufficiency and food security necessitates the need for a cursory look
at the level of technology adoption in the sector. Some authors have looked at the subject from
the perspective of the outcome of food insecurity such as low weights and
extreme hunger, while others care more about dietary diversity. This study however
comes from the perspective of technology adoption in the fishery sector and its
effect on the food security status of fishing households. It therefore seeks to
provide a solution to the dilemma of actors in the fishery industry as it
pertains to high cost of production.
It is also imperative
to point out that this study is charting a new course in the sense that it
brings together the issues of technology adoption in the fishery sector. It is
therefore filling a critical gap in the body of knowledge.
Policy makers and
government officials will find this study useful in the formulation of
appropriate policy framework for the development and dissemination of
technology in the fishery sector. It will also become a resource material for
researchers and scholars who are interested in the fishery sector while filling
the obvious knowledge gap on the issue of technology adoption in the sector.
Login To Comment