Use of Water-Saving Agricultural Practices in Imo State, Nigeria

The study examined the use of water-saving agricultural practices in Imo State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were identification of the agricultural activities, ascertainment of perceived causes of water scarcity, determination of the severity of water scarcity, identification of effects of water scarcity on agricultural production, ascertainment of water-saving agricultural practices used and identification of challenges to the use of the practices. A sample of 120 rural farmers selected using multistage sampling procedure participated in the study. Data were collected using interview schedule and analyzed using mean and percentages. The hypothesis was tested using multiple regression model. The result showed that population growth (94.2%), dilapidation of water infrastructure (83.3%), climate change (82.5%) and water pollution (75.8%) were the perceived causes of water scarcity by the farmers. About 41.0% of the farmers perceived water scarcity to be severe while 23% perceived it as not severe. Water scarcity was perceived to cause loss of agricultural crops and livestock (92.5%), violent conflicts (81.7%), decrease in soil fertility (80.3%) and not planting all year round (80.3%). Agricultural water-saving practices used by the farmers included growing water-efficient crops (x̄ =3.2), planting crops in mounds (x̄ =3.0), planting cover crops (x̄=2.8) and harvesting rainwater (x̄ =2.8). Challenges to the use of water-saving practices were poor government support (x̄ =3.0), environmental factors (x̄ =2.8), lack of infrastructure (x̄ =2.8) and poor access to extension service (x̄ =2.7). The multiple regression result showed that at p < 0.05 significance level, F-value of 8.4 and R2 value of 0.65, sex (t = 3.8, p = 0.03), farming experience (t = 3.8, p = 0.01) and annual income (t = 2.2, p = 0.05) influenced the use of water-saving agricultural practices. It was recommended that government should improve on its support to agriculture.

Keywords: Socioeconomic factors; Determinants; Use; Water-saving practices; Agriculture; Rural farmers; Climate change