Effects of Sharp Practices on Rural Dwellers' Cultural Integrity in Oyo State

Sharp practices especially in the rural areas had been deviling agricultural development at an alarming magnitude. The study therefore examined the effects of sharp practices on rural dwellers’ cultural integrity in Oyo State, Nigeria. The study specifically described various sharp practices related to cultural integrity and cultural integrity status of the rural dwellers. The study employed multistage sampling technique to select 101 rural dwellers from Oyo States. The data for the study were obtained through the use of semi structured interview schedule. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics such as frequency count, percentage, mean and standard deviation while Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test the null hypothesis.             Financial inducement for leadership position (WMS = 2.80) was the most common sharp practices in political terrain of the rural settings as examination malpractices (WMS = 2.63) was most common in the educational sector while appreciation and reward for wealthy individuals irrespective of their dubious origins and unscrupulous circumstances underlining their riches as well as favouritism (WMS = 2.48) were the major occurrences in religious circle. Political sharp practices (r = 0.282***, 0.004), educational sharp practices (r = 0.241**, 0.015) and religion sharp practices (r = 0.280**, 0.004) were significant and positively related to rural dwellers’ cultural integrity status. Conclusively, it was concluded that ripening of fruits using chemical products was most common sharp practices in the economic institution of the society while keeping of virginity was the least cultural integrity item under moral commitment among the rural dwellers. Propensity of safeguarding cultural integrity status increases with a unit decrease in the level of sharp practices especially in the economic, political, family and educational institutions of the rural communities.  Therefore, rural dwellers should desist from unscrupulous practices such as using chemicals for fruit ripening and also, encourages keeping of virginity among younger ones as a way of sustaining cultural integrity.