article · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
Arable crop farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria, show low overall adoption of renewable energy technologies, despite holding slightly favourable to neutral attitudes towards them. A survey of 180 farmers revealed that general attitudes and socioeconomic characteristics were not significantly linked to the extent of technology adoption. However, approximately 27 percent of surveyed farmers had reached the final adoption stage for at least one renewable technology. Farm size positively influenced adoption, while years of formal education and farm income exhibited negative associations. High installation costs and poor access to credit emerged as the primary barriers preventing farmers from taking up these solutions. While direct impacts on food security were not measured, the findings point to potential broader implications for food systems. Suggested interventions to increase uptake include targeted financing, agricultural extension services, and dedicated technical assistance.
Adopting renewable energy technologies can meet crucial energy needs in agriculture and influence food systems, but uptake among smallholder farmers remains constrained. Understanding the disconnect between farmers' perceptions and their actual uptake demonstrates that financial and institutional hurdles, rather than farmer resistance, form the principal bottlenecks. This knowledge guides policymakers and development organisations in designing targeted financing schemes, technical assistance, and extension services to improve rural energy access.
Commercial providers of renewable energy technologies targeting smallholder arable crop farmers face significant customer adoption barriers, primarily due to high equipment installation costs and limited credit availability. The findings represent applied field research examining market uptake rather than laboratory development. Commercialisation pathways for technology vendors will require business models that incorporate targeted asset financing, flexible credit options, or partnerships with technical extension services to make clean energy products accessible to rural producers.
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Introduction Renewable energy technologies (RETs) can support agricultural energy needs, yet their uptake among smallholder farmers remains uneven. This study examined attitudes, adoption stages, socioeconomic correlates, information access and perceived constraints relating to RETs among arable crop farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria. Methods A multistage sampling procedure selected 180 farmers from four Local Government Areas. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire/interview schedule and analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, fractional-logit regression and binary-logistic sensitivity analysis. Results After reverse-coding negatively worded items, the composite attitude score was 3.05 (SD = 0.45), while overall adoption remained low (grand mean = 1.11; adoption index = 0.22). Attitude was not significantly related to adoption extent ( r = 0.018, p = 0.806), and socioeconomic characteristics were not jointly associated with the fractional adoption index (Wald χ ( 12 ) 2 = 13.86, p = 0.310). In the sensitivity analysis, 49 farmers (27.2%) had reached the final adoption stage for at least one RET, and the binary-logistic model was significant overall (likelihood-ratio χ ( 5 ) 2 = 16.99, p = 0.0045). Farm size was positively associated with actual adoption, whereas years of education and farm income showed negative associations requiring cautious interpretation. High installation cost and limited access to credit were the leading constraints. Discussion RET adoption remained limited despite approximately neutral to slightly favourable attitudes. Since food-security outcomes were not directly measured, the findings indicate potential food-system implications rather than demonstrated effects on food security. Targeted financing, extension support and technical assistance may help address the identified adoption barriers.
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DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2026.1895797
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