A triple hurdle model of organic vegetable awareness, adoption, and production among smallholder farmers in Ekiti and Oyo states of Nigeria

Organic agriculture is still in its early development stage in Nigeria. As a result, its awareness and participation are still in development. Hence, the study identified factors influencing awareness, adoption, and quantity produced of organic green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, and peppers in Ekiti and Oyo states of Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was employed to sample 384 vegetable farmers. Primary data was collected using a structured survey questionnaire instrument. The data was analysed using the triple hurdle model, which consists of three stages of decision-making. Probit was used to model the first and second stages of the triple hurdle for awareness and adoption, respectively. The third stage for adoption intensity was modelled using log–log multiple regression. According to the findings, farmers who were members of cooperatives and received extension services were more likely to be aware of and adopt organic vegetables. However, the use of radio was lowly used to promote organic agricultural awareness. On the other hand, the amount of labour used, and total revenue increased the quantity of organic vegetables produced. As a result, we conclude that the use of extension agents was pivotal in engineering the development of organic farming in Nigeria. Therefore, establishing an organic information hub would be an appropriate strategy for increasing awareness, adoption, and intensity in organic green leafy vegetable, tomato, and pepper production. This would help foster extension activities, and information transfer, as well as connect producers with buyers.