Aged cattle rearers in northwest Nigeria and succession planning: Attitudinal analysis

Abstract

The cattle rearing industry in Nigeria is highly traditional and dominated by aged farmers, which has made the sector less productive and limited the adoption of modern technologies. This study was conducted in Northwest Nigeria to assess the aged cattle rearers' attitude towards succession and their willingness to transfer the industry to the next generation. Specifically, the socio-economic characteristics were described, their attitudes toward farm succession were examined, their transfer of farm assets was determined, and the correlates of their attitudes towards succession were established. Two hundred and forty respondents were selected using a multistage sampling procedure. The data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The results show that most (45.74%) of the respondents were aged 65 and above, with a mean of 67.17 +/- 5.46 years, and most (95.4%) were males. Many (63.3%) respondents had a herd size of at least 100 with an average of 112.32 +/- 106.46 heads. The findings reveal that most (90.8%) respondents had a favourable attitude toward succession. Correlations existed between respondents' attitudes toward farm succession and their age (r = 0.204), household size (r = 0.243), and herd size (r = 0.378). It is recommended, among others, that farm succession issues be legislated.