Perceived Effect of Agricultural Waste on the Productivity of Degraded Land for Efficient Crop Production in Cross River North, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the perceived effect of agricultural waste on the productivity of degraded land for efficient crop production in Cross River North, Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted for the study. Two objectives, two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated for the study. The population for the study was 30,874 comprises of 30,848 registered arable farmers and 26 agricultural extension agents across the Northern Cross River State. Sample size of 395 was determined using the Taro Yamane Formula. The study adopted proportionate sampling techniques and simple random sampling. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire titled "Perceived effect of Agricultural Waste on the productivity of degraded land Questionnaire (PEAWOPDLQ)”. The instrument was subjected to face and content validity by three experts, all from Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi. The instrument was trial tested using 25 farmers and 5 extension agents in Benue State. Data collected were analysed using the Cronbach Alpha reliability method, which gave a coefficient of 0.82. Three hundred and ninety-five (395) copies of questionnaires were administered to the respondents with the aid of (3) research assistants who are familiar with the study area. At the point of retrieval, only 380 were returned, which were used for data analysis. The instruments used were based on a four-point rating scale of Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D), and Strongly Disagree (SD) with corresponding ratings of 4, 3, 2 and 1, respectively. Mean and Standard Deviation were used to answer the research questions, while t-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Based on the findings of the study, it was therefore concluded that agro-industrial wastes and crop residues positively affect the productivity of degraded land for efficient crop production in the study area. It was therefore, recommended that farmers should adopt integrated soil fertility management practices by using agro-industrial waste as a means of enriching the soil for increased production.