Factors Affecting the Use of Traditional Medicine Among Farmers in Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study accessed the factors affecting the use of traditional medicine among farmers in Osun State Nigeria. To achieve the study objectives, 3-stage sampling technique was used to randomly select 147 respondents for the study. Data were collected using questionnaire, complimented with interview schedules, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Probit regression model. Based on the findings of the research, it was discovered that farming was a male dominated enterprise (62.6%), with 87.8% of them been married and having a mean age of 34 years. Also, mean household size was 7 with 51.0% of them not having formal education. The result further shows that mean extension visit was 2, while family/friends and radio programmes where the leading sources of information among farmers on traditional medicine to use. The farmers also reported that traditional medicines where more affordable than the orthodox medicine while the most preferred reason for using traditional medicine among farmers, is its effectiveness in treating aliment and lack of time to see physician. More so, farmers prefer traditional medicine because it is sourced from nature which makes it safe for the body while malaria and cough where the leading ailment which farmers in Osun State use traditional medicine to cure. Results from the Probit regression model shows that level of education, relative advantage of traditional medicine, household size, knowledge level on traditional medicine, level of cosmopolitan, perception on traditional medicine and access to extension services where all positively significant at different levels of significance. The study therefore recommends that traditional healers and farmers should undergo training and re-training on the use of traditional medicine on how to better prescribe the necessary dosage per time since they agreed that it is more user friendly and affordable.