SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND CONSTRAINTS ANALYSIS OF FARO-44 RICE FARMERS UNDER FADAMA III ADDITIONAL FINANCE II IN TARABA STATE, NIGERIA

The study examined the socio-economic and constraints analysis of faro-44 rice farmers under fadama III additional finance II in Taraba State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select the respondents. Data collected from 500 respondents were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentages, mean scores and standard deviation). The results showed that majority (83.80%) of the faro-44 rice farmers were male; 78.80% were married; 58.20% had informal education; 33.80% acquired land through inheritance; about half (52%) had access to extension agents and a few (47.80%) had no access. Frequency of extension agent visits showed that few (28.60%) had fortnightly visits, weekly (18.60%), monthly (20.00%), quarterly (18.00%) and none (14.80%). Some (28.60%) of the respondents revealed that own sources were their main credit. Results showed a mean age of 43 years for the faro-4 rice farmers. The respondents had mean household size of 9 persons per household. The faro-44 rice farmers in Taraba State, Nigeria had a mean farm size of 2.66 ha. Findings also revealed that faro-44 rice farmers had minimum and maximum of 1 year and 25 years experiences, respectively, with an average of 14.02 years farming experience. The major constraints faced by the farmers were pests and diseases (93.80%), inadequacy of information on improved rice production technologies (89.20%), farmer-herder conflicts (78.60%), inadequate capital (76.40%), high cost of farm inputs (70.20%), poor road network/transportation (66.20%), climatic factors, e.g., flood, ground water depletion, drought (66%), high cost of labour (64.60%), poor market outlet (44.20%), scarcity of improved seeds (39.60%), high cost of seedling (26.80%), land fragmentation (21.00%), inadequate extension services or contact (19.20%), price fluctuation (6.20%) and kidnapping/banditry (5.60%). It was concluded that faro-44 rice farmers under fadama III additional finance II in Taraba State, Nigeria is dominated by males and the major constraints faced by the farmers were pests and diseases, inadequate information on improved rice production technologies and farmer-herder conflicts. The study recommended that women farmers in Taraba State should form strong cooperative associations in order to benefit more from such laudable fadama AF-II intervention/supports taking cognizance also of the enormous benefit of the women in agriculture programmes.