INFORMATION SKILLS NEEDED BY CATFISH FARMERS TO ACHIEVE FOOD SECURITY IN DELTA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated the information skills needed by catfish farmers to achieve food security in Delta State. The study used a descriptive research design and focused on all catfish farmers in Delta central senatorial district. A total of 171 catfish farmers were purposively selected as the sample size. Four research questions were raised, and two hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Analysis of data was done using mean to answer the research questions and t-test was used to test the stated hypotheses. The findings revealed that catfish farmers need planning skills such as setting goals and identifying sources of finance. Breeding skills like dissecting male fishes to expose testes for milt collection, spreading milt over eggs, and thorough mixing of milt-eggs are important for catfish production. Relevant marketing skills, including identifying consumers’ appreciation behaviour and keeping sales records, are also necessary for catfish production. The study recommended that the government and other stakeholders in aquaculture should design more extensive interventions to assist catfish producers in raising their yields.