FACTORS INFLUENCING ADOPTION OF IMPROVED RICE PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES BY WOMEN IN CHANCHAGA AND BOSSO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS IN NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

1.0       INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background Information

Agriculture is the mainstay of Nigeria economy accounting for nearly 40 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and providing employment for the bulk of the labour force (Akande,2000). However, the slow growth of agriculture and food production has resulted into growing food import and food insecurity. This is because, it is dominated by small scale resource poor farmers living in the rural areas with farm holding of 1-2 hectares which are usually scattered over wide areas (Ojo, Mohammed, Olaleye and Ojo, 2009).

The world is technologically driven and it is generally accepted that the remedy to the problem of low food production lies on the adoption of improved technologies by farmers. Technologies in this context refer to the collection of techniques and skills. It is the current state of humanity’s knowledge of how to combine resources to produce desired products to solve problems, fulfill needs, or satisfies wants; it includes the technical methods, skills, processes, techniques, tools and raw materials (Wikipedia, 2011).

Rice is one of the oldest, celebrated and primary foods for more than half of the population of the world and the only cereal that is grown across most regions of the world (Issaka, Buri and Wakatsuki 2008). It is among the world’s leading staple food crops and the sixth major crop cultivated after sorghum, millet, cowpea, cassava and yam in Nigeria (Misari, Ojehomon, and Singh 1997) but if placed on a social scale can as well rank first because it is no longer a festive food but the staple for the urban and the rural homes (Langtau, 2003). Domesticated rice comprises of the species in the Poacease (true grass) family, Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima. Rice is a complex carbohydrate, that is, it has more of starch and insoluble fibre which reduces the risk of bowel disorders and fight constipation. Complex carbohydrates are digested slowly, allowing the body to utilize the energy released over a longer period which is nutritionally efficient.  It  has  low  sodium  content  and  contains  useful  quantities  of  protein, potassium, the B-vitamins, thiamine and niacin. Rice is a gluten free food, easily digested and wonderful for the very young and elderly (Oshaduma, 2010).

Food products from rice include; cooked rice, breakfast cereal, dessert rice flour and tuwo. Rice is also used in beer and in sake (saki), a Japanese fermented brew.  Rice hull is used as fuel, fertilizer and insulation while the bran contain lipid of 14-17 percent oil.  Straw from the leaves and stems is used as beddings for animal and for weaving roof, hats, basket and scandals. Because of its pure starch and free from allergens, it is the main component of face powders and infant formulas. Its low fibre content has led to an increase use of rice powder in polishing camera lenses and expensive jewelry (The Cambridge World rice history, 2011).

Rice processing is the post production aspect of the rice. It is the primary processing of paddy rice into end product for consumption. It involves all handling, conditioning and hydrothermal treatment given to paddy in order to convert it to edible product (NCRI, 2008). A survey conducted by National Cereal Research Institute (NCRI)(NCRI, 2008) revealed that Nigerian consumers show preference to quality rice. The Institute has developed improved technologies for processing rice such as:

i        rice thresher: It dislodges rice seeds from the panicle and has the capacity of 3,000kg.

ii       reciprocatory winnower: this equipment performs the function of cleaning the threshed rice seeds

iii      wet cleaners: It is used in separating lighter impurities that float on water from rice.

iv      rice parboilers: It is used to heat-treat rice in order to properly gelatinize the starch in  the kernels.

v       rotary steam dryer: It dries about 1.5 tonnes of parboiled rice per day. It also has provision for condensation discharge and sets of screens that permits exit of moist air from the drying rice.

vi      rice mills: It has a capacity to mill 3.5-4.0 tonnes of the paddy to 2.5-2.8 tonnes of    paddy.

It is made up of a frustum hopper, milling chamber, husk aspirator, spout and power unit.

vii  Pneaumatic cleaner: This machine cleans milled rice to ensure that fine sand and bran that still accompanies the rice after the initial winnowing and wet cleaning operations are removed.

Studies have shown that three methods of rice milling can be identified in Nigeria; the hand pounding or traditional,  the small mill processing and the large mill processing enterprises (Ezedinma and Atala, 2002). The hand pounding is still used by some village rice processors especially in northern Nigeria and the small rice mills are the most predominant of the three rice processing method. About 85 percent of Nigerian rice is processed through small mills (Akpokodje, Lancon and Erentein 2001).

Despite all government policies to boost rice production the gap still persists because of non availability of adequate facilities for processing of rice properly to meeting local demand both in quality and in quantity as well as international standard (Deanhanger, 2010). For Nigeria to attain the level of self sufficiency, food processing technology must command a greater interest.

Women have been found to be involved in agricultural production practices. Studies have shown that women are responsible for 100 percent of the work in food processing and 50 percent for marketing. Egunjobi (1991) reported that over 90 percent of economically active women engaged in one form of agriculture or the other.

Jiggins, Sananta and Olawoye 1997 also confirmed the high level of involvement of women in agriculture. In Minna (Alhaji, 2009) also reported that about 98 percent of rice processors are women and are actively involved in rice processing.

1.2       Statement of Problem

Rice is a strategic commodity in Nigeria economy. It contributes a significant proportion of the food requirements of the population yet the production capacity is below the national requirements. In order to meet the increasing demand, Nigeria has over the years resorted to importation of milled rice to bridge the gap between demand and supply (Akande, 2000) thereby placing Nigeria as the second largest importer of rice in the world. Studies conducted shows that most Nigerians has preference for imported rice owing to the fact that imported rice is of a higher quality, grade, better taste, polished, not broken and is free of debris (Bamidele, Abayomi and Esther 2010). The non competitiveness of local rice could be as a result of poor processing resulting in the final product with high percentage of broken rice, stone and debris (FAO, 2002).

The quality and quantity of rice is a major concern for the future of rice sector. In spite of this, the Nigerian government has not been intervening as expected so as to meeting increasing demand. Lack of adequate intervention into rice processing thereby abandoning this aspect into the hands of rural  women  without skill  and  appropriate technologies  has  led to  low  adoption  of full innovations of improved rice processing giving rise to slow growth of this product compared to population.

The bid to accomplish the task of self sufficiency in food and improvement in the quality of life of rural area necessarily entails the shifting from the drudgery of age long use of traditional physical labor to the utilization of technological innovation (Adeniji, 2002). It is worthy of note that, rice processing is dominated by women using traditional method especially in cleaning and parboiling that is full of drudgery and lots of constraints as well as small mills with processing capacity of 150  kilogramme per hour resulting  to  not  producing  enough  to  meet  domestic consumption and poor quality to meet market specification.

Quality and quantity of rice is a prime factor for self sufficiency in rice production however, small rice mills are the most predominant of the four rice milling machines. Presidential Rice Initiatives (2002) indicated that, there has been 3500 small/medium scale rice mills scattered all over Nigeria. Moreover, studies confirmed that about 85 percent of Nigerian rice is being processed through small mills (Akpokodje et al., 2001). Based on this, the need to increase the level of adoption of improved technologies has become very necessary.

It is against this backdrop that this study sets out to determining the level of adoption of improved rice processing technologies such as rice thresher, wet cleaner, recipocatory winnower, rotary steam heater, pneaumatic cleaner and rice mills in Chanchaga and Bosso Local Government Areas.

Based on the aforementioned, the study seeks to answer the following research questions:

i.          what are the personal and socio-economic characteristics of rice processors in Minna metropolis?

ii.         what are the levels of awareness and sources of awareness of improved rice processing technologies by the processors?

iii.       what is the level of adoption of the technologies?

iv        what are the factors influencing the adoption of improved rice technologies in  the study area?

v          what are the constraints associated with the adoption of improved technologies in the study area?

1.2      Justification of the Study

Niger state has a total area of 8.6 million hectares out of which 7.0 million hectares are arable. Similarly, the State has a total irrigated land of 632,000 hectare out of which 220,000 hectare is used for rice production. The product at present comes from about 106,000 hectare spread across the state (Deanhanger, 2010).  It has been observed by the recent studies that there is a wide gap between consumption and production of local rice. This is so because of non availabilities of adequate facilities for processing of rice properly to meet local and international standards (NCRI, 2008).

i           This  study  is  undertaken  to  provide  data  and  analytical  guideline  that  will  help  in sharpening policy focus including formulation, evaluation and implementation by relevant organs of government. It will aid in resuscitating our hitherto ailing Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) of rice processing operation.

ii          The findings will also serve as a handy guide in Extension teaching and learning by enabling the change agents address critical areas hampering the adoption of improved technologies.

iii         The design of technologies will also take into account the peculiarities that will improve on the adoption process by practice.

vi         Result of the study may be directed to other places where socio-economic and institutional factors are similar.

1.3      Hypotheses of the Study

The following null hypotheses (Ho) were to be subjected to empirical validation:

1.   There   is   no   significant   relationship   between   the   personal   and   socio-economic characteristics  of women  rice processor  such  as  age,  experience,  labour availability, education, extension contact, income, access to credit and the rate of adoption of improved rice processing technologies

2.   There is no significant difference between income realized by women before and after adoption of improved rice processing of technologies.

1.4     Objectives of the Study

The general objective of the study was to determine the level of adoption of improved rice processing technologies by women in the study area. The specific objectives were to:

i.         describe socio-economic characteristics of the processors

ii.         describe the level of awareness of the technologies by the women and identify the sources of awareness of improved rice processing technologies

iii.       determine the level of adoption of the technologies

iv.        determine the factors influencing adoption of improved rice processing technologies in the study area

v.         identify constraints associated with adopting the technologies

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