Analytical Assessment of the Constraints to Adoption of Herbicide-Tolerant Soybean Varieties in the North Central Zone

Herbicide-tolerant soybean varieties that enable broad-spectrum herbicide use for weed control offer potential labour and cost savings for Nigerian soybean farmers, but the constraints to adoption of these varieties in the North Central zone, where soybean production is most concentrated, have not been analytically assessed. This study analytically assessed the constraints to adoption of herbicide-tolerant soybean varieties in Benue, Niger, and Nassarawa States, North Central Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey of 180 soybean farmers (60 per state) combined with key informant interviews with 12 seed system specialists, 8 extension officers, and 6 regulatory officials was employed. Adoption constraint analysis used the technology adoption analytical framework of Rogers combined with structural equation modelling to examine relationships among varietal attributes, institutional factors, and adoption intention. Results showed that herbicide-tolerant variety adoption was 24.4 percent overall, significantly below expectation given the labour-saving potential. Key structural constraints included lack of awareness of variety availability (56.7 percent), concern about herbicide cost and access (62.8 percent), regulatory uncertainty about transgenic variety approval status (48.9 percent), and absence of complementary herbicide extension messaging (72.2 percent). Favourable attitude toward labour saving was high (81.7 percent positive), confirming demand-side motivation without supply-side infrastructure. The study identifies three priority constraint categories and recommends seed distribution infrastructure strengthening, herbicide input co-promotion, and regulatory clarity communication as the highest priority adoption enablers.

Keywords: herbicide-tolerant soybean, technology adoption, North Central Nigeria, adoption constraints, analytical assessment