ANALYSIS OF THE ADOPTION OF IMPROVED RICE PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES AMONG MEMBERS AND NON-MEMBERS OF RICE COOPERATIVES IN BAUCHI STATE, NIGERIA

The study was carried out to assess the Adoption of Improved Rice Production Technologies among Members and Non-members of Rice Cooperatives in Bauchi State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 342 respondents comprising of 171 members and 171 non-members. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that, the mean age of the respondents was 41years for the members and non-members in Bauchi State, with the mean farming experience of 7 and 12 years for both the members and non-members respectively. The results showed a significant difference (P<0.05) between the mean household size among members and non-members in Bauchi State as the calculated Z-value (2.94) is higher than the tabulated Z-value (1.96). The results showed no significant difference (P<0.05) between the mean farm size among members and non-members in Bauchi State as the calculated Z-value (0.63) is lower than the tabulated Z-value (1.96). All the members (100%) adopted all the improved rice production technologies at various level of adoption, which include, using best varieties (0.69), field preparations (0.92), improved planting techniques (0.78), weed management (0.77), fertilizer application (0.84), pests and disease management (0.75) and storing (0.84) were highly adopted by the members. High cost of inputs (98.8%), poor participation in to groups and associations (95.3) and inadequate tractor hiring service (92.9%) were among the major constraints faced by the respondents in the study area. The study concluded that members of rice cooperatives in the study area were better than non-members in terms of overall adoption of improved rice production technologies. The study therefore recommends that, farmers should form formidable cooperative societies so as to enjoy economies of scale in pooling their resources to purchase farm inputs.