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This study analyzed factors influencing poultry farmers’ participation in agricultural insurance in Calabar Municipal Area of Cross River State, Nigeria using 136 poultry farmers in a multistage sampling strategy to choose respondents. Questionnaire administration and interview schedule were used to gather primary data. The study's findings indicate that 67% of the poultry farmers were men, with an average age of 43 years. Ninety (93) percent were married, with an average household size of five people. The survey also revealed that the mean stock size of the farmers was 1795 birds, 9 years of mean farming experience, and 50% of the farmers had postsecondary education. The results also indicate that 71% of respondents did not contact extension services, and 73% did not hold membership in any farmer's associations. The results also indicate that 79% of respondents had no access to loans for their farming business. Regarding knowledge of and participation in agricultural insurance programmes, 70% of respondents were aware that such programmes existed. However, only 31% of farmers took advantage by participating in the insurance scheme. According to the results of the logit regression, farmers' participation in agricultural insurance was found to be significantly influenced by age (-.0538), sex (-.7837), availability to credit (1.2366), and association membership (-1.2068). Among the difficulties poultry farmers encounter while attempting to enroll in agricultural insurance include; rigorous procedure in indemnity payment (79%), high cost of premium (74%), delay in assessment of losses (70.5), inadequate knowledge of insurance (40%), disbelieve in insurance companies (29%) and low compensation (26%). The study suggested that insurance schemes should ensure payment of indemnity (compensation) in a timely and efficient manner. In doing so, it will increase the trust and confidence of farmers who are unsure about the insurance plan.

The objective of the study was to determine socio-economic factors influencing the use of information and communication technology (ICT) for accessing agricultural information among cowpea farmers in Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria using using structured questionnaire. The result of the study showed that 83.33% of the respondents were males and about 77.50% of the cowpea farmers were married. Findings from the study also revealed that the mean age of the respondents was 39 year while the mean farming experience of the cowpea farmers was 18.60 years. Findings on educational status show that majority of the farmers had one form of formal education or another. The result also reveals that 70% of the cowpea farmers had no contact with an extension services. The co-efficient of gender and education were both positive and significant at 1% level and the co-efficient of farming experience was significant at 5%. Some of the major problems identified include unstable power supply, unaffordable cost of ICT tools, and lack of technical know-how and lack of confidence to operate ICTs. It was concluded that education, gender and farming experience were the socioeconomic variables that determine the use of ICTs for agricultural information on cowpea production among small holder farmers in the study area. It was recommended that trainings should be organized to help small holders cowpea farmers acquire the skills needed to operate ICTs tools, help them gain confidence on how to use ICTs, thereby facilitating adoption and use of ICTs for agricultural information.

This study evaluated the socioeconomic factors determining rural households' reliance on forest resources, a case of forested communities in Quan’Pan Council Area of Plateau State, Nigeria. Using a multistage sampling process, 150 household heads were chosen for the study. Descriptive statistics, five point Likert scale and binary logit regression analysis were used to achieve the objectives of the study. The study's outcome showed that the heads of the households were averagely 40years. About 71% of the selected persons were men with a greater (89%) number married. Majority (58%) of them had only primary education. Findings from the study also revealed that 82% of the heads of the households were into farming as their major occupation. They practice farming on average farm sizes of 1.6hectares. All (100%) interviewed household heads collected and utilized a variety of forest products throughout the year for their daily subsistence and income generation. The respondents showed high level of dependability on resources from the forest to support themselves such as firewood (4.7), timber (4.0), charcoal (4.0), fruits and nuts (3.8), bush meat (3.7), honey (3.7) and medicinal herbs (3.0). Forest products contributed the second largest proportion of income in the home by 27.0% after income from agriculture (51.0%). Gender (0.944), education status (-0.385), household size (0.432), farm size (-0.581) and farm income (-0.024) were significant determinant of households reliance on the resources of the forest. Gender (0.944) and household size (0.432) had positive and significant relationships with households dependence on forest resources while education status (-0.385), farm size (-0.581) and farm income (-0.024) showed a significant inverse relationship with the reliance of households on forest resources.

This study assessed non-timber forest products utilization and its contribution to household income among farmers in Quan’ Pan Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was used in the selection of 150 respondents for the study. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis were used to achieve the objectives of the study. Findings from the study revealed the mean age of the farmers to be 40years. About 71% of the respondents were males with greater number (89%) of them married. Majority (58%) of the respondents had primary education as their highest level of education. Findings from the study also revealed that 82% of the respondents had farming as their major occupation having average farm sizes of 1.6hectares. All (100%) interviewed farmers agreed that they collect variety of NTFPs throughout the year for their daily subsistence and income generation. Income from NTFPs contributed the second largest share of household income with a share of 27.0% after income from agriculture (51.0%). Firewood (100%), charcoal (39.0%), fruit nuts (37.0%), bush meat (27.0%), bamboo (26%), medicinal herbs (22%), honey (11%), fodder (67%), mushroom (7%) etc. were the major NTFPs extracted and utilized in the study area. The result of multiple regression revealed that gender (0.944), household size (0.432), educational status (-0.385), farmland size (-0.581) and non-farm income (-0.024) were significant determinant of income from NTFPs. The study recommended that, in recognition of substantial contribution of income from NTFPs to household income, stakeholders and policymakers should consider the NTFP sector in forest conservation measures that could meet the needs of forest-dependent communities.