ABSTRACT

The study was conducted to analyze the Commercial Agriculture Development Project on maize farmers in Kano and Kaduna States of Nigeria.Combinations of purposive and random sampling techniques were used for this study.The data for analysis was based on 2014/2015 cropping season and were collected through the use of a structured questionnaire administered to 140 beneficiaries and 150 non-beneficiaries; making a total of 290 respondents.Tools of analysis used were descriptive statistics, multiple regression analysis and chow test analysis. Results revealed that the mean ages of maize farmers‟ cooperative group beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries were 40 years. Majority (77%) and about 92% of the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries had between 1-30 years of farming experience respectively, while about 7% and approximately 51% of maize farmers‟ cooperative groups‟ beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries respectively, do not have some formal education. It was found that the level of awareness of CADP among the beneficiaries was highest for seed treatment by (26%) and lowest for pest and diseases control by 16%. On the other hand, It was also found that the most adopted recommended practices of CADP by the beneficiaries was ridging, fertilizer application and storage, which was indicated by (23%) of the beneficiaries. The most adopted recommended practices of CADP by the non-beneficiaries was storage, which was indicated by (16%) of the non-beneficiaries.The results from the multiple regression analysis revealed that age; farm size, education, amount of credit received, household size and extension contact were the factors influencing the adoption of maize recommended production practices at 1% and 10% levels of significance.The results from chow test analysis revealed that commercial agriculture development project had significant impact on beneficiariesoutput,income, yield and level of living at 5% levels of significance.High cost of farm inputs was ranked 1st by 32% of maize farmers‟ cooperative groups‟ beneficiaries and 2nd by about 25% of non-beneficiaries as the foremost constraints in the implementation of the maize recommended production practices in the study areas.It is recommended that Government and other stakeholders should also invest in extension service in sensitizing maize farmers‟ cooperative groups of CADPin the study areas of production practices as this have the potential to increase the level of awareness and adoption as well as farmer‟s productivity and income, output and level of living.