Table 32: Effects of ATASPA on proc essors income Variables Income Before ATASP -1 Income after ATASP -1 ***P<0.005
Average 100385.42 207390.31
SD 105246.38 233642.20
CV 108.05 103.63
t-statistics 2.11**
5.4.5 Effects of ATASP-1 on Food security and the overall economic development of the country The objectives of ATASP-1 as conceptualized were to improve food and nutrition security, create jobs and enhance the income and shared wealth of the program beneficiaries on a sustainable basis through rice, sorghum and cassava value chains. From the analyses done in the previous sections, ATASP-1 is in line towards fulfilling these objectives. The program has delivered on considerable increase in yields of the three crops. Cassava is currently around 18.7 tons per ha as against the initial pre-project yields of 12 tons per ha, sorghum is currently around 1.5 tons per ha from the pre-project output of 1 ton per ha while rice is currently 5.6 tons per ha from the preproject yields of around 2 tons per ha. The considerable increases in yields of these staple crops have enhanced food and nutritional capacity of the households of farmers and their communities at large. More so, the annual income of farmers have been more than double the pre-project era making these farmers and their family to be economically better. It has also been realized that the increase in crop yields has have multiplier effects around the various crop value chain actors involved in the value chains including the marketers of crops, transporters, processors, middlemen and wholesalers of crops have increased their businesses in the program areas of the four SCPZs. The equipment fabricators for farm, processors have all increased their patronages and have now better income making their family to be better off than they were before their involvement in project. On the whole, jobs are being created for various actors involved in the production, processing, fabricating, transportation and marketing of these crops thus helping in poverty alleviation across the SCPZs where the project activities are domiciled and across the country in general. It is hoped that at the completion of the project cycle, the entire country would have noticed a remarkable improvement in food security and improvement in the economic benefits for all and sundry. 5.5 Factor Influencing Adoption of cassava Technologies Table 33 presents factors influencing adoption of technologies disseminated to cassava farmers under ATASP-1 project. From the table, there were ten technologies disseminated to cassava farmers under the project. The first technology labeled 'A' is improved crop variety and three of the variables fitted into the regression were found to have significantly influenced adoption of improved variety of crop. Age was found to be significant at xx% level of significance, and age a time is a measure of experience and so the more the age of the farmer the more they will be ready to adopt improved crop variety. Marital status was equally found to be significant at 1% level of significance. This is so because in our traditional culture, married people are considered to be more responsible and ready to ensure they succeed in whatever they do. So a married person will set his mind in realizing maximum yields and as such will be willing to use improved seed that 57
