FARMER COOPERATIVES AS INFORMATION AND INNOVATION NETWORKS: IMPLICATIONS FOR TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION AMONG SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN KADUNA STATE

This study examined farmer cooperatives as information and innovation networks and their influence on the adoption of improved agricultural technologies among smallholder farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 303 respondents comprising cooperative members and non-members across 12 communities. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics, and binary logistic regression. The results show that cooperative membership was fairly distributed across socio-economic groups, with female farmers accounting for 63.5% of members compared to 36.5% of non-members, while males represent 46.99% of members and 53.01% of non-members. Mean age is similar for members (45 years) and non-members (45 years). Members also recorded higher proportions in primary (59.04%), secondary (52.17%), and tertiary (56.52%) education levels. In addition, members had slightly larger farm sizes (5.59 ha) than non-members (5.01 ha) and higher mean annual income (₦433,999.5 compared to ₦413,895.8), while farming experience remains comparable (20 and 20 years). Findings also indicated that cooperatives play a moderate role in providing agricultural information and facilitating innovation dissemination, with a grand mean score of 2.95, suggesting a supportive but not dominant role. The logistic regression results revealed that access to information through cooperatives (OR = 2.864, p < 0.01) and participation in training (OR = 2.319, p < 0.01) significantly increase the likelihood of adoption, while access to extension services shows a weak negative effect. The study concludes that adoption is driven more by cooperative-based information access and training than by membership alone. Strengthening cooperatives and extension systems is recommended to enhance technology uptake.