Community Knowledge-Based Assessment of Smallholder Farmers' Perception of Cluster Farming and its Potential Role in Sustainable Accessibility to Farmer-Centric Support in Nigeria
Date
2023-02-26
Authors
Hamzat, Azeez Adewale
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Abstract
This study aimed to understand the views of smallholder farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria, towards cluster farming as a means of promoting sustainable farmer-centric support. Cluster farming is an economic approach for small, limited resource, and socially disadvantaged farmers to increase productivity, reduce risk, and improve community growth by organizing smallholder farmers into a collective unit through a participatory approach. Data was collected from 300 smallholder farmers through a combination of structured questionnaires and deliberative surveys. The study evaluated the farmers' views on cluster farming using five key frameworks: productivity, knowledge, collaboration, efficiency, and support. The closed-ended questions were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while the open-ended questions were analyzed through natural language processing. The results showed that only 9% of the farmers had participated in cluster farming, despite 85% of them being aware of its existence. 79% believed that cluster farming can be an efficient solution for crop farmers, but 83% thought that the lack of investors could limit its effectiveness. Additionally, 25% of the farmers felt that legal documentation between cluster members and stakeholders may be necessary in case of conflicts of interest or to ensure uniformity and genuine support. The results also revealed that access to cluster markets, finance, yield improvement, participation in extension training/services, and engagement were factors significantly impacting the farmers' positive perception of cluster farming. This information can be used by policymakers to understand the challenges faced by smallholder farmers, predict their actions and demands, and provide high impact support programs through cluster farming.
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Cluster Farming, Smallholder Farmers, Collaboration