Social Network and Innovation Dissemination among Farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2016-06-01
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Faculty of Agriculture
Abstract
Agricultural innovation has tremendous potentials to improve the welfare of the rural poor. Yet, many new technologies that seem profitable in demonstration plots are not widely adopted due to inadequate social groups linking the farmers to the researchers which result to non-effective information dissemination. There is no adequate link between the farmers and the social groups which are very pivotal to the adoption of innovation and it eventual usage. This study therefore looked at social network and innovation dissemination among farmers in Kwara state Nigeria. This research specifically examined the impact of social network on innovation dissemination among farmers, and how social network affect the decision making of farmers. A two stage approach was used in data selection, the first stage was purposive and second was random selection technique to collect data from 125 respondents in the study area. Descriptive statistic, Social Network Analysis (SNA), and Qap correlation were the tools employed. The result of the analysis showed that social network enhances innovation dissemination, farmers who are members of social group adopt innovation faster. There was no correlation between individual farmers’ choices and social group choices, when farmers are member of a social group, their decision tend to be different from when they were not and must is a need for adequate information link between researchers and the farmers. Female farmers should be encouraged to join social group as measure to enhance innovation adoption.
Description
Keywords
Social rk Analysis, Innovation