Assessment Of Use Of Innovative Technology On The Productivity Of Smallholder Farmers

The Global Masters in Development Practice based at the Earth Institute of the University of Columbia New York, United State in collaboration with International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) commenced a graduate Win-Win Field Practicum Grant for student undergoing a study in development practice at all the Partner University of which University of Ibadan is the only partner university in Nigeria. In pursuit of strategic and sustainable development planning for the agricultural sector, the FGN and IFAD conducted the Country Programme Evaluation (CPE) in April, 2009 which recommended that IFAD‟s intervention be focused on agriculture using a value chain approach. The Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) design which emerged from the IFAD Country Strategic Opportunity Programme (COSOP) covering the 2010-2015 period is consistent with the CPE recommendations and builds on other value chain interventions supported by government, development partners (DPs) and the private sector in Nigeria. It focuses on enhancing market access and productivity increases along commodity chains. Therefore this study is aimed at assessing the innovative technology use on the productivity of smallholder farmers: A case study of VCDP farmers Ebonyi State of Nigeria. using descriptive and inferential statistics. Four specific objectives were developed to guide the study. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were employed in selecting 354 farmers who VCDP beneficiaries from the two benefitting local government areas. 354 out of the 360 copies of the questionnaire administered were retrieved and used for the study. Data for the study were obtained from primary source using interview schedule guided by structured questionnaire. Descriptive and relevant inferential statistics such as frequencies, percentages, mean, were used for data analysis.