Knowledge of watermelon production practices among rural farming communities of emergent watermelon production in Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined farmers’ knowledge of improved watermelon production practices among rural farming communities of emergent watermelon production in Delta State, Nigeria. Emphasis was on the farmers knowledge of watermelon production technologies and the association between farmer socioeconomic characteristics and knowledge of watermelon production practices. Data obtained from 163 respondents using a multi-stage sampling procedure involving snowball sampling were analysed with descriptive statistics and chi-square. The chi-square tests showed significant (p ≤ 0.05) associations between age (χ2 = 7.85), marital status (χ2 = 10.25), educational level (χ2 = 44.25), farming experience (χ2 = 17.64), household size (χ2 = 22.42), membership of association (χ2 = 14.41), output (χ2 = 57.58), income (χ2 = 45.01), and their knowledge of improved watermelon production. The chi-square test of proportion (χ2 = 7.52; df = 1; p ≤ 0.01) showed that the farmer’s knowledge of appropriate watermelon production technologies was significantly low; 60.7% had low knowledge of improved production practices while 39.3% had high knowledge. It was concluded that the farmers’ knowledge of watermelon production technologies was low and recommended that the state extension agency should expose watermelon farmers to information on its recommended production practices.