ABSTRACT

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolo [L.] Moench) production has considerable socio-economic values in sub-Saharan Africa for food security and to serve the increased industrial demands due to high population pressure and climate change. However, the production and productivity of the crop are yet to be expounded in Nigeria for economic gains. Therefore, the objective of this study was to present the current opportunities and constraints to sorghum production in Nigeria. A participatory rural appraisal (PRA) study was conducted in three selected sorghum growing zones in northern Nigeria involving 250 farmers. Socio-economic data were collected through surveys and focus group discussions. Sorghum was cultivated mainly by males (80%) who had grade 6-12 level of education (31.3%), with the productive age of 21-45 years (75.7%) and a household family size of below five members (52.3%). Low yielding landrace varieties such as Kaura (37.4%) and Fara-fara (29.3%) were the most widely cultivated types across the study zones due to their good grain quality. The major farmers' preferred traits from a sorghum variety were high yield, drought tolerance and Striga resistance. The study recommends integrated sorghum technology development incorporating the described preferences of the farmers for sustainable production and economic gains of the cropble production.

摘要

高粱（Sorghum bicolo[L.] Moench) 生产在撒哈拉以南非洲对粮食安全和满足由于人口压力和气候变化而增加的工业需求具有相当大的社会经济价值。然而，该作物的产量和生产力尚未在尼日利亚得到说明，以获得经济收益。因此，本研究的目的是介绍当前尼日利亚高粱生产的机遇和制约因素。在尼日利亚北部三个选定的高粱种植区开展了一项参与性农村评估 (PRA) 研究，涉及 250 名农民。通过调查和焦点小组讨论收集社会经济数据。种植高粱的主要是男性（80%），男性为 6-12 年级（31.3%），生产年龄为 21-45 岁（75.7%），家庭人口在 5 人以下（52.3%） . Kaura (37.4%) 和 Fara-fara (29.3%) 等低产地方品种因其良好的谷物质量而成为研究区种植最广泛的品种。高粱品种的主要农民偏好的性状是高产、耐旱和独脚金抵抗。该研究建议综合高粱技术开发，结合​​农民对可持续生产的偏好和作物生产的经济收益。