Adoption of Integrated Rice-fish Farming Technology in Ebonyi State Nigeria: Sources of Information and Level of Use

Background: Integrated rice-fish farming is one of the most viable, reliable and profitable of any farming enterprise. It contributes immensely to the economic empowerment of many families especially in the rural communities. It enables the farmer to be productive all year round and fully maximize its production.

Aim: To identify the sources of information available to farmers on integrated rice-fish farming and assess the level of use of integrated rice-fish farming technologies by the farmers in the study area.

Study Design: This was a cross-sectional study. 243 farmers were assessed to ascertain their sources of information and level of use of integrated rice-fish farming technologies in the study area.

Methodology: Primary data were obtained from the field using structured questionnaire. The questionnaire contained questions that address the objectives of the study. Farmers were asked to identify the sources of information and the level of use of integrated rice-fish technology on a 4- Likert scale.

Results: The result revealed that 78.2% of the farmers got information on integrated rice-fish farming technology using phone, 75.0% said they heard about it on radio, 70.0% got theirs from friends /relatives while 67.9% indicated getting their information from co-operatives. It revealed that the farmers used the following technologies: use of net guard (M = 3.17) skills in harvesting of fish before rice (M=3.17) stocking of carp fish (M=3.09) use of organic fertilizers (M=3.05) transplanting the rice seedling (M=2.95) and use of pest and disease resistant varieties (M=2.85), while technologies like use of bamboo guard (M=1.97) skills in harvesting of rice before fish (M=1.96) stocking of tilapia fish (M=1.93) construction of trenches (M=1,88) and use of terracing (M=1.86) are not used.

Conclusion: Most of the farmers (78.2%) got their information from the electronic media such as mobile phones and radio. Use of net guard (M= 3.17) skills in harvesting of fish before the rice (M= 3.17), stocking of carp fish (M= 3.09) and use of organic fertilizers (M= 3.05) were the technologies mostly used by the farmers.

Recommendations: For effective communication and information dissemination to be sustained on rice-fish farming, the Federal and State governments should support the farmers by providing mobile phones and radios because farmers will always prefer information channels that are cheaper, accessible and convenient.