Stage-Contingent Information Efficacy: Disaggregating the Impact of Advisory Channels on Cocoa Management Practices in Southwest Nigeria
Stage-Contingent Information Efficacy: Disaggregating the Impact of Advisory Channels on Cocoa Management Practices in Southwest Nigeria
PDFAuthors: James Kehinde Adigun, Kehinde Adewole Adeboye, Remi Aduradola and Oluwatoyin Oso
Volume/Issue: Volume 29: Issue 1
Published online: 18 Jun 2026
Pages: 9–14
Abstract
This study addresses the critical knowledge dissemination gap impeding sustainable cocoa production in Southwest Nigeria, where yields have declined by over 70% since the 1970s despite the availability of improved cultural management practices (ICMP). Using a mixed-methods approach (survey of 283 farmers, focused group discussion and Tobit regression), we investigated the stage-contingent efficacy of information sources on ICMP adoption across four production stages: nursery, on-farm, harvesting, and post-harvest. Results reveal farmer-led channels (Farmer Field Schools: 95.8%; Associations: 92.5%) dominate knowledge access, while institutional sources (CRIN, government agencies) are critically underutilised (< 5%). Adoption rates varied significantly by stage: nursery (38.3%), on-farm (73.8%), harvesting (77.4%), and post-harvest (88.1%). Tobit regression confirmed extension agents significantly increased nursery (β = 0.18, p < 0.01) and on-farm adoption (β = 0.05, p < 0.01), but paradoxically reduced harvesting adoption (β = −0.012, p < 0.10) due to contextual misfit (e.g., unaffordable tool recommendations). Tertiary education amplified adoption across stages (nursery: β = 0.30; post-harvest: β = 0.06), while institutional sources negatively impacted harvesting. Post-harvest practices relied solely on experiential learning (β = 0.001/year, p < 0.01), with no information-source effects. We propose a stage-targeted Agricultural Knowledge and Information System (AKIS) framework: farmer-led channels for nurseries, co-designed tools for harvesting, and digitised indigenous knowledge for post-harvest. Policy must prioritise context-adapted dissemination to reclaim Nigeria’s cocoa sector.
Keywords: cocoa production, ICMP, stage-specific adoption, AKIS, information source
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