Land Tenure, Land Property Rights and Adoption of Bio-fortified Cassava in Nigeria: Policy Implications

Abstract

This study investigated land tenure, land right and rental system, as it relates to adoption of bio-fortified cassava in Nigeria. The study was conducted in three states in Nigeria where bio-fortified cassava technology was first released in Nigeria including Oyo, Benue and Akwa Ibom. Multistage sampling techniques were used to select 360 bio-fortified cassava farmers. Descriptive statistics, t-test and Cragg’s double hurdle model were used to analyse the data collected. The land tenure system practised in the bio-fortified cassava-producing areas in Nigeria is governed by inheritance (23%), purchasing (19.7), gifting (31.7) and temporary arrangements through rentals (25.6%). The tenant bio-fortified cassava farmers pay about ₦31,000 per acre per year in land for cash agreement or 4%–7% of the actual yield of the bio-fortified cassava in land for cassava outputs agreements. However, this agreement between the landlords and tenant bio-fortified cassava farmers is verbal where both parties try as much as possible to honour the agreements. Variables such as access to credit, landownership status, access to bio-fortified cassava stems and extension contacts influenced the decision to adopt bio-fortified cassava technology, while age, perception and training influenced the intensity of adoption of bio-fortified cassava technology. The result of the t-test analysis showed that there was a significant difference in the farm sizes (34739.467 at 1%) and yields (0.593 at 1%) of the landlords and tenant bio-fortified cassava farmers. The findings of the study indicated that tenant bio-fortified cassava farmers were being faced with the problem of insecure land access, thus the need to implement policies that will increase access to land resources among the tenant farmers in Nigeria.