Information and training needs assessment of women vegetable farmers on organic agriculture in Akinyele local government area of Oyo State

Organic agriculture (OA) is a production system designed to sustain the health of soils, ecosystems and people which relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of chemical inputs with adverse effects. This study considered information and training needs of women vegetable farmers on organic agricultural practice in Akinyele Local government area of Oyo state. Multistage sampling procedure was used to select a total of 120 respondents for this study. Interview schedule was utilised to gather information on respondents’ perception, information and training needs. Data collected were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. There was an unfavourable perception (51.7%) about organic agricultural practices. There was a low information need (57.5%) with a high training need (59.2%)A significant relationship existed between training need and age (r =0.23; p =0.01), then between training need and family size (r =0.25; p =0.01). Also there was a significant relationship between training need and respondents’ perception (r=0.34;p=0.00 ). The study therefore recommends latest training on organic agricultural principles and guidelines for women vegetable farmers in order to make organic vegetable production sustainable, hence improving income and food security