Socio-Economic Determinants of Insecticides Usage in Cowpea Production in Kaduna State, Nigeria

This study investigates the socio-economic determinants of Insecticides use among cowpea farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 150 cowpea farmers who used insecticides in controlling pest in cowpea production in the study area. Information collected includes those of socio-economic characteristics of the famers and the quantity of insecticides they used. A regression model was used to estimate the relationship between farmers’ socio-economic characteristics and the insecticides use level. The study showed that family size, farm size level of education and years of farming experience were the major socio-economic determinants of insecticides use level among the cowpea farmers in the studied area. It was recommended that training and efforts to get farmers educated are intensified while strategies that will prevent migration of educated youths away from active areas of farming be put in place. Keywords : Cowpea, farmers, socio-economic, determinant, insecticides Journal of Agriculture and Social Research (JASR) Vol. 11, No. 1, 2011