Adoption of Improved Farm Technologies on Maize Production in Shaki Agricultural Zone of Oyo State, Nigeria

The study assessed the adoption of improved farm technologies on maize production in Shaki Agricultural Zone of Oyo State. A total of ninety (90) respondents were interviewed through the administration of pre-tested structured interview schedule. Data collected were analyzed with inferential statistics like frequency counts and percentages, while chi-square and Kendall coefficient of concordance was use to test the stated hypothesis. Various improved technologies adopted by maize farmers were evaluated and ranked based on the null hypothesis that there is no significant difference in farmers ranking of the importance of the different improved technologies in relation to profitability. The findings show that most of the maize farmers were yet to adopt fully all the improved technologies introduced in maize production, and that effect of extension service were not adequately felt by the maize farmers. Factor like shortage of cash, source of information, high cost of the technologies, low level of education and shortage of land limit the adoption of technologies. There is need to provide adequate information and training to farmers in order to increase returns on investment in maize production due to the facts that maize is the only grain crop that is use for many purposes like feed for livestock, food for man, raw materials for agro-allied industries, breweries many others base on country, region and tribes. The farmers’ are also use to local maize production which has became part of the crops produced, before the introduction of hybrid maize. Therefore it will be more expedient to adopt cost saving technologies by farmers in order to increase their net income to improve their standard of living and be food secure.