ANALYSES OF ADOPTION OF WATER YAM VALUE ADDED TECHNOLOGIES AMONG RURAL WOMEN IN OKIGWE LGA, IMO STATE

The study assessed the adoption of new Water Yam value added technologies among rural women in Okigwe Local Government Area (LGA) of Imo State, Nigeria following participation in a training organized by the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike on Root and Tuber Crops. The study described the socio-economic status of trainees/respondents, and identified the problems the trainees (rural women) encountered before and after the intervention by NRCRI; ascertained the level of adoption of the Water Yam Technology packages; and estimated the determinants of adoption of the Water Yam Value Addition Technologies (WYVAT). Data for the study were elicited from 120 respondents. The major findings revealed that the level of adoption of the Technologies of processing into doughnuts (WYVAT IV) had the highest mean score of 3.89, followed by flour (WYVAT III =2.18). Important factors influencing the level of Adoption of Water Yam Value Addition Technologies include: education, income, household size, frequency of extension contacts, membership of cooperatives, and experience. Important constraints also militating adoption include: lack of electricity supply, inadequate funding, lack of transport facilities and lack of value-added products processing materials. The study therefore call for policies aimed at provision of free and affordable education for the girl-child, access to more extension contacts, encouraging the women to form/join cooperatives for increased adoption of these technologies. There is also need for provision of stable power supply, rehabilitation of rural roads and provision of simple processing tools to enhance adoption