Assessment of Sustainable Agriculture Practices Among Rice Farmers in Kebbi State

This study assesses the adoption of sustainable agriculture practices among smallholder rice farmers in Kebbi State, North West Nigeria. Kebbi State is Nigeria's leading rice production state, and the intensification of rice farming under the Anchor Borrowers Programme has increased fertiliser and pesticide use, irrigation water extraction, and land under cultivation, with potential environmental implications for water resources, soil health, and biodiversity. A structured survey was administered to 200 rice farmers in Argungu, Birnin Kebbi, and Shanga Local Government Areas. The survey assessed current farming practices including fertiliser type and application rate, water management, pest and weed control methods, crop residue handling, and awareness of sustainable agriculture concepts. An environmental sustainability scoring rubric evaluated each farm against a set of agro-environmental criteria. Results show that mineral fertiliser use is nearly universal among surveyed farmers, with a significant proportion applying rates that exceed extension service recommendations. Only 11 percent of farmers practice any form of organic matter amendment. Integrated pest management awareness is low, with over 85 percent relying exclusively on chemical pesticide applications. Water management is primarily traditional, with limited awareness of water-saving irrigation techniques such as alternate wetting and drying. Crop residue burning is practised by 68 percent of farmers after harvest. Mean farm-level sustainability scores are low across the sample, with no farms meeting more than half of the assessed sustainability criteria. Recommendations include a Kebbi State sustainable rice farming extension package combining environmental training with access to certified organic inputs. Keywords: sustainable agriculture, rice farming, Kebbi State, environmental sustainability, smallholder.