JAFE Vol. 4 (1): 21-30
Resource Management Practices and Challenges of FadamaUsers in Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria
Amusa, T. A and Isiwu, E. C
ABSTRACT
This study investigated resource management practices and challenges of Fadama users in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria. Data obtained from 387 Fadama users with the aid of a structured close-ended questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics and factor analysis. The study found that resource management practices utilized by the Fadama users included mulching, inorganic fertilizer use, multiple cropping, rain water harvesting and fallowing among others. Resource management practices not utilized by the Fadama users included organic manure application, cover cropping, soil fallowing, soil liming, construction of bonds, construction of terraces, drainage, afforestation, controlled logging and agroforestry practices among others. The result of the factors analysis identified three challenging factors facing Fadama farmers in resource management as: institutional/cultural factors(lack of extension visits to the farmers (0.537), poor control of farmlands by most of the farmers (0.427), insufficient knowledge of sources of credit to support farming (0.614) and lack of collateral security required to secure loans (0.647)), cost factor(low financial capacity of the farmers (0.682), lack of access to supporting facilities (0.437), low levels of farming experience (0.409), high costs of labour for resource management (0.466) and subsistence scale nature of production by farmers (0.570)), and input factors(high costs of farm inputs for resource management (-0.509), inadequate farm labour resource management (0.675) and poor technical know-how of the Fadama farmers (0.563). The study recommended that education and training of Fadama users be done for sustainability of Fadama resource (soil, water and vegetation) management.
KEYWORDS: Fadama, soil, water, vegetation, challenges, factor analysis, FCT, Abuja