Perceived Benefits of Neem Trees (Azadirachta Indica) among Youth Farmers in Dutse Local Government Area of Jigawa State, Nigeria
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Date
2016-10
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Publisher
Children and Youth in Agriculture Programme in Nigeria (CYIAP-Network Publishing)
Abstract
Desertification in the Northern part of Nigeria has claimed hundreds of hectares of farmland has been successfully combated in recent years by planting of Neem trees. The study therefore assessed the youths' perceived benefits of Neem trees in Dutse Local Government Area of Jigawa State, Nigeria.Three stage sampling technique was used to collect data from 120 youth Neem farmers and analyzed using frequency counts, percentages ,means ,standard deviation and Charts. The study revealed that majority(74.2%) of the respondents were married, 95.8 % Muslims,with mean age of 30 years, farm size of 4 hectares ,12 years farming experience, monthly income of # 21,904.18 and 23.4 % having formal education. The major source of awareness of Neem tree was through family, friends and neighbours (91.7 %). Major Perceived benefits of Neem tree were firewood and charcoal making (99.2%),making cow haulage transport system (98.3%), cover and shade tree (94.2%), erosion control and burial tool (92.5%). Respondents' indigenous knowledge of Neem tree uses include skin diseases and gastrointestinal infections in ruminants (57.5%), for grains and cowpea storage (92.5%). Constraints on Neem use were lack of subject matter specialists(100%), poor extension contact (97.5%), dosage knowledge (85.8%). In conclusion, Neem tree was however perceived with a wide range of usefulness among the respondents. It is therefore, recommended that extension service delivery in utilization of Neem tree in the state.
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Keywords
Percieved,, Benefits,, Neem Trees,, Youth,, Farmers