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The Role Of Agricultural Extension Worker In Educating Farmers In Plantain Production In Selected Local Government Areas
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Plantain
belongs to the family Musacea sp and the genus Musa. It is a perennial
herbaceous plant, 2 to 9 meter tall with an underground rhizome or corm.
The principal species are Musa paradisca (French plantain) Musa
acuminate and Musa corniculata (Horn Plantain).
The cultivars of
plantain are French plantain, French horn plantain, false horn-plantain
and horn-plantain. Plantain thrives on a wide range of tropical and
sub-tropical climates. It requires an optimum temperature of 300C, mean
monthly rainfall of 100mm, pH 4.5 and 7.5 and thrives on sandy loam
soils (Faturoti, 2006).
Plantain Originated in South India and moved
to South East Africa, from where it spread to Central and West Africa,
it is believed to be the oldest cultivated fruit in West Central Africa.
Plantain is grown as a staple food in 52 countries and world wide or
about 12.5 million acres (Food and Agriculture Organization. Agro stat
data base, 2004). World production of plantain was estimated in 1985 at
25 metric tons of this, 19.6 tons was projected for Africa, Latin
America was the second place producer at 4.1 million metric tons (IFAD,
2001). Annual production in Nigeria is 1, 855, 000 metric tones (RMDC,
2002).
In Nigeria, the false horned type is the most widely
distributed because of its ability to tolerate poor soil condition than
others (John & Marehel, 1995). In Nigeria, plantain is produced in
large quantities in Edo, Delta, Ogun, and Ondo States. Other producing
states are River State, Cross River, Imo, Plateau, Kogi, Abia and Enugu.
Plantain cultivation is not limited to big plantation but is often
grown in small orchards which sometimes go unnoticed (Jirgi and Baba,
2001).
Agricultural Extension worker plays an important role in
educating farmers on plantain production in the selected areas in Edo
State because plantain is important in the diet of many Nigerian
families, it is normally eaten in convenient form like “dodo†(fried
ripe pulp), chip (fried unripe pulp) and as plantain flour (Akinwumi,
1999), this plantain flour has an advantage over other starchy foods
because it contain protein, mineral & vitamins. Medicinally plantain
can be used to cure some ailment like sore throat, tonsillitis,
diarrhea and vomiting, due to its high nutrients, plantain is used in
the production of soymusa, which can be used in the treatment of
Kwashiorkor (Idachaba, 1995).
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]The study examined the role of extension workers in educating farmers and constraints farmers face in plantain production in some selected areas in Edo State, Nigeria. A total of 120 Plantain farmers were randomly selected from the study area. Farmers were interviewed using well structured questionnaire. Simple descriptive statistics and multiple regression were used to analysis the data collected. The likert scale techniques was used to identify the constraints faced by the farmers, the result ... Continue reading---
