Abstract: This study analyzes the farmers’ attributes and farm structural factors influencing adoption of farm management practices in Southern part of Kaduna State, Nigeria. Questionnaire was administered among purposively selected 286 respondents who were members of Fertilizers’ Association in the study area. Descriptive statistics such as frequency count, and percentages was used to summarize the data. Also, Logit regression was used to examine the strength of the factors influencing farmers’ adoption of farm management practices. Some (44%) of the farmers are between 60 and 74 years while 49.0% of the farmers has family size of 6-10 persons. Majority (94.4%) had some level of education. More than 50% of the farmers cultivate between 1 and 3 hectares of land. Majority (74.8%) of the farmlands are located on relatively flat plains. Almost all (94.8%) the farmers grow annual crops on their primary plots. Some farmers (58.8%) have farm plots located from 1½ to 2 km from their homestead. The Logit regression results shows that age of farmer positively and significantly influence the adoption of intermittent short fallow, surface irrigation and mixed cropping practice at P<0.05. Education attainment of farmers and type of crop grown were found to have positive and significant influence on only mixed cropping practice respectively. Household size has positive and significant influence on the adoption of minimum tillage/mulching, animal manure and mixed cropping. Distance of plot from homestead has positive and significant influence on the adoption of minimum tillage/mulching, mixed cropping and a negative influence on surface irrigation practice. Level of soil fertility varies. The study concludes that some farmers’ attributes and the farm structural factors had positive influence on the adoption of management practices. The study recommends that agricultural extension workers be proactive in sensitizing farmers on the relationship between these attributes for better crop yield.
Key words: Farm factors, Management practices, Socio-economic, Southern Kaduna