ABSTRACT

 The study analyzed cassava farmers' awareness and use of recommended cassava production technologies in Imo State, Nigeria. Specifically the study described socioeconomic characteristic of the cassava farmers, ascertained farmers' information sources on production technologies, ascertained level of awareness of cassava production technologies; ascertained farmers' levels of adoption and utilization of cassava production technologies and identified constraints to use of these technologies by farmers in the study area. Purposive and multi-stage random sampling techniques were used to select one hundred and twenty (120) cassava farmers. Data for the study were collectecf through a structured questionnaire and analyzed with descriptive statistics such as: frequency counts, mean scores and percentages and inferential statistics (Tobit regression and Z-test analysis). The result revealed that a high proportion (60%) of the respondents were males, with mean ages of 51.2 years, 35% acquired secondary education, mean farming experience of 26.67 years, mean annual. farm income of N278, 275.00 and extension contact (3= 2.2) times in a month. The farmers sourced information on cassava production technologies from radio programme. extension visits and fellow cassava farmers. The farmers had high awareness (80.83%) of agronomic and technology components /intercrop of recommended cassava production technologies. Result reveals that farmers adopted recommended cassava production agronomic practices with adoption index of 86% indicating that formers adopted improved cassava cuttings (=4.7), ridge/mound making technologies practices (3=4.6), site selection /land clearing and weeding interval technologies ( =4.3), pest and disease control (=4.2) and planting dates and time of harvest (=3.9) with a grand mean adoption score of 4.3.The farmers also had adoption index of 68.3% on technology components/intercrop such as cassava/maize/egusi (=4.3) and Cassava/maize/elferia and cassava value addition ( =4.2) with a grand mean adoption of 3.4. The levels of utilization of cassava production technologies on agronomic practices indicate that the respondents had utilization index of 0.867 on site selection/land clearing and ridge/mound making (3=2.8). improved cassava cuttings, fertilizer application and weeding technologies ( X =2. 7) and pest and disease control and planting spacing (3=2.4) with grand mean utilization score of 2.6.The utilization index 7.11% shows the farmers utilized technology components/intercrop as, cassava/maize/egusi technologies (®=2.9), cassava value addition technologies (=2.5) with grand mean utilization score of 21. The result of Tobit regression showed that coefficients for age, gender, income. farming experience and extension contact influenced farmers' use of cassava production technologies in the study area. The results of Z-test analysis show that there was significant difference between the farmers· levels of awareness and use as well as use and adoption of recommended cassava production technologies at I %levels probability in the study area. High wage rate. lack of credit, technology attributes, inadequate land and pest and diseases infestation were serious constraints affecting use of recommended cassava production technologies in the study area. Programmes geared towards encouraging youth to engage in cassava production, extension access on improved varieties and subsidy on farm inputs were advocated for increased utilization of recommended cassava production technologies in the study area.