Author(s)

Benjamin Ahmed¹, Candidus Alichenu Echekwu², S. G. Mohammed³, Chris Ojiewo⁴, Hakeem Ajeigbe⁵, Micheal Bobboh Vabi⁵, Hippolyte Affognon⁶, Jourdain Lokossou⁶, Ogechi Cordelia Nwahia¹

¹Department of Agricultural Economics, Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
²Department of Plant Science, Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu, Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
³Center for Dryland Agriculture, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria.
⁴International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), East African Regional Office, Nairobi, Kenya.
⁵International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Kano, Nigeria.
⁶International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Bamako, Mali.

Agricultural technologies and innovations play a great role in increasing productivity, alleviating and reducing poverty and contributing to economic development and this is made possible through adoption of improved technologies and innovations. This study centered on analysis of adoption of improved groundnut varieties in the Tropical Legume (TL III) States of Nigeria. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to select 1476 groundnut farmers in the project States and from whom primary data were collected using electronic data capturing instrument containing the questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Average Treatment Effect (ATE) framework. The results showed that the breeding and promotion of improved groundnut varieties in Nigeria under the Tropical Legume Project and with the synergy of USAID groundnut up-scaling Project in Nigeria resulted in very high level of awareness of improved varieties, more than average level of access to the improved variety seeds, moderate level of utilization of the improved varieties among the groundnut farmers and the adoption rate of improved varieties increased from 8% at based line to 57% at the end of the project. The study recommends extension of the project to facilitate further access to these varieties and for state governments to take ownership of the projects in terms of financial commitments to promotional efforts for mass adoption by farmers.

Adoption, Improved Groundnut Varieties, Tropical Legume (TL III) Project

Ahmed, B. , Echekwu, C. , Mohammed, S. , Ojiewo, C. , Ajeigbe, H. , Vabi, M. , Affognon, H. , Lokossou, J. and Nwahia, O. (2020) Analysis of Adoption of Improved Groundnut Varieties in the Tropical Legume Project (TL III) States in Nigeria. Agricultural Sciences, 11, 143-156. doi: 10.4236/as.2020.112009.