Ijsrmjournal, Journal Manager, 24 Ijsrm
Ijsrmjournal, Journal Manager, 24 Ijsrm
||Volume||5||Issue||12||Pages||7765-7771||2017||
Website: www.ijsrm.in ISSN (e): 2321-3418
Index Copernicus value (2015): 57.47, (2016):93.67, DOI: 10.18535/ijsrm/v5i12.24
Abstract
This study identified capacity building needs of farmers in rearing and marketing of duck in Benue State,
for sustainable food security. The study was carried out in Benue state. Three research questions and
three hypotheses guided the study. Questionnaire survey research design was used for the study. A
population of 96 respondents was studied. A 36-item structured questionnaire named Duck Rearing
Capacity Building Needs Questionnaire (DRCBNQ) was used for data collection. The instrument was
validated by three experts. Cronbach Alpha reliability method was used to determine the internal
consistency of the instrument and a coefficient of 0.81 was obtained. 96 copies of the questionnaire were
administered but only 95 were retrieved and data collected were analyzed using mean Improvement
Need-Performance Index (INPI). It was found out that poultry farmers needed capacity building in all the
9 items on feeding of duck, needed capacity building in all the 11 items on management of duck and
needed capacity building in all the 16 items on marketing of duck. It was therefore recommended that
Agricultural extension agents should utilize the findings of this study on the capacity building needs of
farmers to organize training and re-training programmes for improvement of capacity of poultry farmers
in the entire production operations of duck. Farmers could be motivated to attend training and re-training
programmes organized for their capacity building in duck production to be effective and efficient in duck
production to meet the demand for duck in Benue State.
Background
Duck rearing is a simple, interesting and lucrative venture. Central Poultry Development Organization
(2014) reported that, the domestic ducks are water-fowls. They are raised mainly in region of high rainfall,
deltas, riverine areas and coaster districts of the tropics. A number of advanced countries in temperate
climates also keep ducks in commercial quantities for meat, eggs and other products.
Meat and eggs of duck (waterfowl) have high nutritional value as human food (animal protein). People eat
meat of ducks not only because they like the taste, but also for its high nutritional value in terms of optimal
composition of essential amino acids as well as favourable composition of fatty acids, with a high
percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids and a favourable ratio of omega 6 to omega 3-fatty acids (Pingel &
Germany, 2011). Duck meat has a unique flavour and a delicious taste. It is economical, quick and easy to
prepare and serve.
In Nigeria, local ducks are mostly raised on free range along side with the domestic chickens. Although
ducks are hardier and more resistant to diseases and environmental hazards, they are fewer than the chickens
basically due to cultural beliefs which tend to portray duck as mystique bird. Ducks does not require
elaborate house for their production, they are comparable in meat qualities to chickens and are able to digest
fibre protein food relatively more efficiently than chickens (Central Poultry Development Organization,
2014). This is an advantage considering recent emphasis on non-conventional feedstuffs to bring down cost
of feed inputs in duck rearing thereby encouraging farmer’s participation.
Rearing according to Hornby (2006) is the process of breeding animals or birds and caring for them as they
grow. It is the act of taking care of young animals. In this case, rearing is the process of caring for ducklings
and growing them to market size. Rearing is an essential aspect of animal production which involves all
Dr T. O. O. Agbo, IJSRM Volume 5 Issue 12 December 2017 [www.ijsrm.in] Page 7764
activities, resources and efforts geared towards producing a table sized animal for either personal
consumption or marketing.
Marketing as opined by Alabar (2007) is a human activity directed at satisfying consumers’ needs and wants
through exchange transaction in a market. Whalley (2010) maintained that, Marketing is the management
process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably. It
comprises of activities directed at ensuring the flow of goods and services from producer to consumer or
user. Marketing in this study, is ensuring that duck products reach the users in the right proportions, safe
condition and at the right time. This can be done by the farmers at the farm gate or can be taken to a
particular place for marketing. It was observed by the researchers that, in spite of the ease in the rearing of
duck, many farmers do not engage in its rearing.
A farmer is a person who owns, works on or operates an agricultural enterprise, either commercially or to
sustain himself and his family. According to Christopher (2010), a farmer is an individual whose primary
job and function involves livestock and/or crop production. A farmer, according to the Central Bank of
Nigeria report (CBN 2009) is a person who engages in Agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw
materials. In the context of this study, farmer is somebody who owes and operates a poultry farm with the
primary aim of making money and achieving food security.
Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and
nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Food
security focused on adequate supply of food and ensuring stability of these supplies through food reserves
(FAO 2006). Sustainable food security therefore, is ensuring that all people, at all times, have physical and
economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for
an active and healthy life which returns on duck production are made to be continuous even for future
access. These needs can only be met when farmers possess skills needed for duck rearing.
The level of skills possessed by farmers can be measured only when matched with the standards at which the
skills are needed. The standards of performance needed by farmers can be provided by professionals in the
poultry production such as lecturers. In the statement of Asogwa, Okoye, and Nongugwa, (2016) a lecturer
is a person who has acquired training in teaching methodology and technical aspects of a programme in a
university and renders services to students in agricultural education for effective learning. In this study, they
are individuals who have acquired training and teaching methodology and technical aspects of animal
production and are currently teaching in higher institution.
The recent increase in the demand and consumption of birds (chicken, turkey, duck) in Benue State is a
matter of concern. This trend may be as a result of the crises between herdsmen and farmers in Benue State
which made the price of beef to rise astronomically beyond the reach of many people. This situation has
given rise to the consumption of chicken, turkey and even duck which was neglected for some reasons such
as; it is a mystique bird, a dirty animal among others. Duck in Benue State is not commonly reared in large
quantities because of low patronage; even those who rear them do on a free range as such farmers did not
border to possess skills in its rearing (feeding and management). The raise in the consumption of poultry
meat has made consumers go in search of duck to make up for the shortage in supply of poultry meat.
The results of this work could prompt extension workers, government and non-governmental organizations
to organize workshops, training seminars for farmers. This can motivate farmers to improve on the current
way they rear duck (that is, free range) by switching to either intensive or semi-intensive system of duck
rearing; where ducklings can be more secured and better be cared for to grow to maturity. It is therefore
necessary to determine the capacity building needs of farmers in rearing and marketing of duck in Benue
State, for sustainable food security. Specifically, the study sought to identify capacity building needs of
farmers in feeding of duck; management of duck and marketing of duck.
The study attempted to answer the following research questions:
1. What are the capacity building needs of farmers in feeding of duck?
2. What are the capacity building needs of farmers in management of duck?
3. What are the capacity building needs of farmers in marketing of duck?
Methodology
The study adopted questionnaire survey design. This design is suitable for this study because data was
collected from a representative sample of the population using questionnaire and the findings were
generalized on the entire population of the respondents in Benue State. The population of the study is 96. This is
Results
The results of this study are based on questions answered and hypotheses tested and presented in table 1 to
3.
Research question 1. What are the capacity building needs of farmers in feeding of duck?
Data for answering research question one are presented in table 1.
Table1: Need-Performance Gap Analysis of Mean Ratings of the Reponses of Respondents where farmers
needed capacity building in feeding of duck.
Data in table 1 showed that need-performance gap values of all the 9 items and grand mean ranged from
0.48 to 2.70 and were positive. This indicated that the farmers needed capacity building in all the 9 items on
feeding of duck. Generally, the overall mean of needed minus performance responses is 1.51 and was
positive. This indicated that the poultry farmers needed capacity building in feeding of duck in Benue State.
Research question 2. What are the capacity building needs of farmers in management of duck?
Data for answering research question two are presented in table 2.
Table2: Need-Performance Gap Analysis of Mean Ratings of the Reponses of Respondents where farmers
needed capacity building in management of duck.
Research question 3. What are the capacity building needs of farmers in marketing of duck?
Data for answering research question three are presented in table 3.
Table3: Need-Performance Gap Analysis of Mean Ratings of the Reponses of Respondents where farmers
needed capacity building in marketing of duck.
Data in table 3 revealed that need-performance gap values of all the 16 items and grand mean ranged from
0.15 to 2.88 and were positive. This indicated that the farmers needed capacity building in all the 16 items
on marketing of duck. Generally, the overall mean of needed minus performance responses is 1.18 and was
positive. This indicated that the poultry farmers needed capacity building in marketing of duck in Benue
State.
Dr T. O. O. Agbo, IJSRM Volume 5 Issue 12 December 2017 [www.ijsrm.in] Page 7768
Discussion of Findings
The findings of the study in table 1 revealed that the poultry farmers needed capacity building in all the 9
items on feeding of duck in Benue State, Nigeria. The items on feeding of duck include: construct a
swimming pool for duck, provide water for drinking and bathing of duck regularly, provide for duck
roughages like napier and carpet grass, clean the feeding trough regularly refill the swimming pool with
water for drinking and bathing among others.
The findings of the study in table 2 revealed that the poultry farmers needed capacity building in all the 11
items on management of duck in Benue State, Nigeria. The items on management of duck include: treat sick
animals with recommended doses of drugs, observe duck for response to treatment, remove and bury
diseased duck to avoid further infection, debeak duck to avoid pecking of others and destruction of items on
the farm, separate chicks from mothers after 2-3weeks to prepare for mating among others.
The findings of the study in table 3 revealed that the poultry farmers needed capacity building in all the 16
items on marketing of duck in Benue State, Nigeria. The items on marketing of duck include: ensure regular
supply of duck products to buyers, keep good relation with customers, review all the marketing strategies to
meet the present condition, seek out new relationships to meet high demand, keep appropriate records of
sales for expansion and sustainability among others.
The findings of the study were in line with the view of Isiwu, and Ibeh (2014) in a study on capacity
building needs of lecturers of agricultural education in colleges of education in teaching farm land survey
and farm stead planning in South East Nigeria, where it was found that lecturers of agricultural education in
southeastern Nigeria needed capacity building in 24 items on planning for farm survey and farm stead
making, 20 competencies in the use of facilities in teaching the content of climate change, 6 competencies in
teaching pedagogy to students.
The findings of this study were also in conformity with the submission of Usoro and Ufot (2013) on capacity
building needs of TVET lecturers in collaborative technique for teaching pre-service teachers: A case study
of college of education Afaha Nsit, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, where it was found that, TVET teachers
need re-training in all identified maintaining relationship techniques but less emphasis will be given to the
four maintaining relation technique that were negative, TVET teachers need retraining in all the achieving
the task technique but less emphasis to the only negative items identified among others. The findings of the
study were also in agreement with those of Umar, Ishaya and Yaduma (2013) on improving capacity
building of electrical and electronic education students for sustainable development through school-
industrial cooperation in technical institutions in North Eastern Nigeria, where it was found that, the
respondents agreed on all the items on school-industrial activities that will improve school-relation for
capacity building, the respondents strongly agreed on all the items on electrical and electronic base skills
that can link school and industry for capacity building among others.
The findings of the study were also in line with the report of Mojekwu (2010) in the study on work skills
required by secondary school graduates for success in yam production and processing enterprise in
Anambera State where it was found that 9 skills were required for planning for yam production, 18 skills in
planting of yam, 14 skills in management of yam field, 10 skills in harvesting and storage of yam, 54 skills
in processing of yam into various forms and 9 skills in marketing of yam and yam products. The findings are
also in conformity with the submission of Ukonze (2010) on the identification of vegetable production skills
needed by instructors in University for effective teaching of vegetable crop in Enugu State where it was
found that, 16 vegetable production skill items in planning, 18skills in vegetable production management
and 7 skills in marketing were identified as needed by instructors.
The implication of this finding is that the professional experience of the respondents did not influence their
responses on the capacity building needs of farmers in rearing and marketing of duck in Benue State. The
findings of the authors cited above help to add validity to the result of this study.
Therefore, the researchers added capacity building needs of farmers in rearing and marketing of duck to the
existing body of knowledge in duck production.
Conclusion
The rise in the consumption of chicken, turkey and even duck which was neglected for some reasons such
as; it is a mystique bird, a dirty animal among others. Duck in Benue State is not commonly reared in large
1. Agricultural extension agents should utilize the findings of this study on the capacity building needs
of farmers to organize training and re-training programmes for the capacity building of poultry
farmers in rearing and entire production of duck.
2. Farmers should attend training and re-training programmes organized for their capacity building in
duck production to be effective and efficient in duck production to meet the demand.
References
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