ABSTRACT
The adoption of agricultural technologies by urban farmers is significant especially as urban agriculture gains prominence in addressing food security and promoting sustainable livelihoods, understanding the factors influencing technology adoption becomes crucial. While previous studies have suggested that gender may impact technology utilization, this research examines whether such disparities exist in the utilization of technologies among urban farmers in Egor local government area, Edo state. Specifically, this research was; to determine the level of awareness, accessibility and usage of agricultural technologies, how effective these technologies are, and to examine the constraints militating against the apt utilization of agricultural technologies by urban farmers in Egor local government area, Edo state. A simple random sampling was used to select 120 urban farmers, 60 male farmers and 60 female farmers. Data for this study were sourced from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data were collected through questionnaire administered to respondents. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Pearson’s correlation and regression analysis. Results showed that urban farming in the study area is dominated by males between the age of 30-40years and females between the age of 40-50years that are married, have obtained secondary education as their highest form of education and are mostly involved in subsistence farming. Urban farmers are highly aware of agricultural technologies such as smart packaging for agricultural products, automated weeding machine, farming apps and software, improved fertilizers, crop varieties, pesticides and herbicides etc. Results on access level showed smart packaging for agricultural products (mean = 4.12, 4.12), improved pesticides and herbicides (mean = 4.25, 4.54), improved crop varieties (mean = 4.32, 4.51), improved fertilizers (mean = 4.16, 3.66), among others, are highly accessible agricultural technologies. Result on level of usage of technologies showed urban farmers uses improved pesticides and herbicides (mean = 3.63, 4.28), improved fertilizers (mean = 3.56 M), and improved crop varieties (mean = 3.18 F). This implies that urban farmers will only utilize technologies easily accessible and familiar to them. A high proportion of agricultural technologies are effective. The most serious constraints faced by urban farmers in adopting new technologies were; lack of education (mean = 3.32, 3.88), lack of access to information (mean = 3.58, 3.34), financial barriers (mean = 3.03, 3.24), among others. There was a significant relationship between the socioeconomic characteristics of urban farmers and their adoption of agricultural technologies. It showed that for the male urban farmers, there is a strong and negative correlation found between Age (r = -0.142), Household size (r = -0.106), and access scores (r = -0.115) and respondents’ adoption of agricultural technologies, while for female urban farmers, there is a strong and negative correlation found between Age (r = -0.08), income (r = -0.499), and awareness scores (r = -0.726) and respondents’ adoption of agricultural technologies. There is a significant relationship between socioeconomic characteristics of urban farmers and their adoption of agricultural technologies. There was no significant relationship between the socioeconomic characteristics of urban farmers and the perceived differences in technology utilization by male and female farmers. It goes to show that the sex/gender of an urban farmer does not significantly influence their views on the disparities between male and female farmers’ utilization of agricultural technologies. Based on the result of the study, it was concluded that despite societal norms and expectations that may suggest a huge difference in technology adoption between genders, the findings of this study indicates that gender, despite affecting both male and female farmers, affects the female farmers more, although, the margin is not significant. It was recommended that continuous fostering of inclusive urban agricultural environments and implementing policies that support both male and female urban farmers, ensuring both men and women have equal access to agricultural resources, awareness campaigns and educational programs are valuable tools in stimulating technology adoption and utilization in urban agriculture.
