Impact of farmer field business school on maize productivity of smallholder farmers in Northwest, Nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed the impact of Farmer Field Business School (FFBS) on maize productivity of smallholder farmers in Northwest, Nigeria. Using multistage random sampling procedure, 496 maize farmers comprising participants and non-participants were selected. Data were collected through structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including Endogenous Switching Regression (ESR) model. Results showed that the majority of participated FBBS maize farmers were male (86.9%), married (82.7%), and in their active age (−𝑋 =42 years), about 80.1% had formal education with farm size ( −𝑋 ) of 1.3 ha. In the same vein, the bulk of non-participated maize farmers were also male (80.1%), married (89.5%), and in their active age (−𝑋 =41 years), with farm size ( −𝑋 ) of 1.5 ha. The Endogenous Switching Regression (ESR) results revealed that the coefficients of years of experience (3.600), cooperative membership (8.210), and extension visit frequency (6.870) were statistically significant at 1% and influenced FFBS participation. Contrary to a priori expectations, the Average Treatment Effect on the Treated (ATT) and Untreated (ATU) were −150 kg and −50 kg, respectively, indicating that FFBS participation was associated with reduced maize productivity. It is recommended that the FFBS program be critically reviewed to align with farmers' practical needs through improved monitoring and evaluation.