Survey of Farm Machinery Utilisation Among Cereal Farmers in Kano State

Agricultural mechanisation is a key pathway to reducing drudgery, improving timeliness of farm operations, and increasing productivity in cereal production systems. In Kano State, the most populous state in Nigeria's North West geopolitical zone and a major cereal producer, machinery utilisation patterns among smallholder farmers provide important insights for mechanisation policy. This study surveys the utilisation of farm machinery by cereal (maize, sorghum, and millet) farmers in Kano State. A structured questionnaire was administered to 155 cereal farmers selected through multi-stage random sampling from five local government areas. Questions covered ownership, hiring, and operational use of machinery types including tractors, power tillers, threshers, and shellers. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the chi-square test of association. Results show that tractor-based land preparation is the most commonly used mechanised service, accessed by 61 percent of respondents through hiring from mechanisation service centres. Ownership of any farm machinery was very low (9 percent) due to high purchase costs and limited financing options. Post-harvest machinery including threshers and shellers had the lowest uptake at 14 percent, despite having demonstrated capacity to reduce losses significantly. Distance to mechanisation service centres was negatively associated with utilisation frequency. The study recommends decentralisation of mechanisation service centres to ward levels in Kano State and introduction of hire purchase schemes for machinery acquisition by farmer cooperative societies. Keywords: farm machinery, mechanisation, cereal farmers, Kano State, agricultural technology