Managing Education for Food Security in Nigeria: A Case Study of Sweet Potato Farmers in Obubra Local Government Area, Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigates constraints confronting sweet potato farmers in Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria Sweet potato is the third most widely used tuber crop after cassava and yam in sub-saharan Africa. The importance of sweet potato as a high-yielding and quick-maturing tuber appears to have been ignored in the quest for food security in Nigeria. The study aimed at discovering the challenges faced by farmers engaged in the cultivation of sweet potato in five communities in the study area. Two sets of questionnaires, the closed and open-ended were used to collect data from 104 respondent used for the study. Data were analyzed using simple averages and percentages from the values derived from the four-point Likert scale questionnaires containing eleven items. Results indicate seven critical challenges confronting the farmers under study. They include lack of formal as well as professional education, scarcity and non-application of instructural materials by extension agents, lack of improved crop varieties and virtual absence of farm inputs, lack of education on sources of credit and unstable food security policy of government. The study concludes that it is possible to expand the cultivations of sweet potato to other areas of the State and country and makes recommendation on how to improve its cultivation to ensure food security for Nigeria.