SOCIOECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS, ACCESS TO INFORMATION, AND PRODUCTION CONSTRAINTS AMONG CATTLE REARERS IN NASARAWA STATE, NIGERIA

The study examined the socio-economic characteristics, access to information, and production constraints among cattle rearers in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to describe the socio-economic characteristics of farmers in the study area, analyze farmers’ access to information on the control of tsetse and trypanosomiasis in the study area, and identify the constraints on the activities of farmers in the study area. A multistage sampling technique was used to sample 320 respondents. The findings showed that the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents are male-dominated in Nasarawa State, with 93.1% male and 6.9% female. The average age of farmers was 47 years. The majority of farmers in Nasarawa State (96.2%) were married. The results revealed that 52.0% had no formal education. The average farming experience was 28 years. The mean household size was 12. The average annual income was ₦ 2,282,368.75. The analysis further revealed that 99.7% used the radio, while 100% used the telephone. Institutional sources of information included extension agents (100%), cooperative societies (100%), and village heads (100%). The study revealed that the major constraints faced by cattle rearers in the study area were the conversion of cattle routes to crop fields, tsetse and trypanosomiasis diseases, and access to finance. The study recommended that the federal and state governments should improve literacy programmes for farmers. Extension agents and PATTEC should utilize radio and mobile-telephone-based advisory services alongside extension agents and community institutions to improve information dissemination.