Determinants of climate smart agricultural practices adoption among maize farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the adoption of Climate Smart Agricultural Practices (CSAPs) among maize farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria. Specifically, it described the socio-economic characteristics of farmers, identified the major climate-smart practices adopted, analyzed the determinants of adoption intensity, and examined the constraints limiting adoption. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 262 maize farmers across selected farming communities in the state. Primary data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics, adoption intensity index, multinomial logit regression model, and a five-point Likert scale. The findings showed that the mean age of farmers was 46 years, while most respondents were male, married, and moderately educated. Intercropping, crop rotation, and the use of improved maize varieties were the most commonly adopted practices, whereas agroforestry, water harvesting, and soil testing recorded relatively low adoption levels. The adoption intensity index indicated that most farmers fell within the moderate adoption category. Results from the multinomial logit regression revealed that education, farm size, cooperative membership, access to extension services, climate information, improved inputs, and credit significantly influenced the likelihood of moderate and high adoption of CSAPs. Major constraints limiting adoption included inadequate access to credit, high input costs, weak extension services, and poor access to climate information. The study concludes that CSAPs can enhance sustainable maize production and resilience to climate variability, and recommends improved extension delivery, affordable credit, subsidized inputs, stronger farmer cooperatives, and wider access to climate information services.