Determinants of smallholder farmers' continuous adoption of Jatropha as raw material for biodiesel production: a proposed model for Nigeria

Despite the introduction of the Nigerian Biofuel Policy and Incentive in 2007, little is known about the impact of that policy for biodiesel development in Nigeria. The objective of this study is to explore the determinants of smallholder farmers' continued adoption of Jatropha as raw materials for biodiesel development in northern Nigeria, with Jigawa State as an area of study. Building on the literature, this paper proposes a model for Nigeria on determinants of smallholder farmers' continued adoption of Jatropha as raw material for biodiesel production. A pilot testing using few samples in Jigawa state revealed that the determinants composed in the proposed model are likely to influence farmers' decision on continued adoption of Jatropha as a raw material for biodiesel production. The proposed model if further validated using larger survey samples will guide policymakers towards the enhancement of farmers' participation and retention in the Jatropha project for biodiesel raw materials production. As a byproduct, implementing research findings from the larger sample will be employment generation, poverty reduction, combating desert encroachment, economic diversification to renewable energy sources and electricity generation using biodiesel.