A grounded theory describing factors in the adoption process of the alley farming technology by Yoruba women in Nigeria

Dissertation

This study aimed to discover a theory from data on rural Yoruba women in southwestern Nigeria. The theory deals with farmers exposed to an agroforestry technology called "alley farming." A theory of agricultural change was developed to provide a framework for alley farming research and extension. Grounded theory is an inductive system for generating theory from empirical data. The constant comparative method, which alternates between data collection and data analysis, was used during fieldwork in 1984-86. Before propositions and hypotheses were defined, data were collected, coded, and analyzed to develop concepts or premises. According to Reynolds' description of theory construction, the axiomatic theory of farming women and agricultural innovation consists of four basic premises, each independent of the others, from which the propositions of the theory were logically derived.

Several major factors that inhibit or facilitate the diffusion of alley farming were identified, including

• clarification of Yoruba women's role in farming
• crucial, but less visible, reasons for specifically targeting women in alley farming outreach
• socio-cultural conflicts and congruence factors
• the undermining of local realities by ignoring indigenous, land tenure norms that give women usufruct rights to farmland
• power exerted from outside the cultural system
• compromises negotiated through change facilitators.

Examples, grounded empirically, demonstrate that the theoretical framework provided both a diagnosis of farmers' needs and a prescription for further action. (author)