Preference for water sources and agricultural utilisation among rural households: a case of Akoko district of Ondo State, Nigeria

The increasing challenge of freshwater scarcity amid rising demand and diminishing availability has led to a critical issue threatening sustainable development, especially in rural areas of developing countries like Nigeria. Despite the abundance of studies on rural water use, gaps remain in understanding the interplay between socio-economic factors, and agricultural practices in shaping these preferences and utilisation. Thus, the study investigates the preference for water sources and their utilisation in agricultural activities among rural households in the Akoko district of Ondo State, Nigeria. Cross-sectional data from randomly sampled 240 rural households were collected with the aid of a questionnaire, and employed for the data analysis. Descriptive statistics, logit, and multinomial regressions were used for the data analysis. The findings revealed a dominant preference for rainwater and well water. Factors such as access to safe water sources, time spent, extension service, technology adoption, soil type, experience, and proximity to water sources significantly influence the choice of water source utilization in the area using multinomial logit regression. Again, the results from logit regression revealed that water source, technology adoption, soil type, fish farming, crop farming, farming experience, and distance to water sources significantly affect the use of water for agricultural purposes. Therefore, the policy should enhance water access, consider soil characteristics in agricultural planning, and facilitate knowledge transfer among farmers for optimal water use, recognizing the symbiotic relationship between water access and agricultural sustainability.