Socioeconomic and Institutional Drivers of Compliance with Sweet Potato Post-Harvest Handling Standard Operating Procedures in North-Western Nigeria

Abstract

Compliance with recommended post-harvest handling practices is essential for reducing sweet potato losses and improving smallholder value-chain efficiency. However, farmers' ability to comply with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) may be shaped by socioeconomic and institutional conditions. This study examined the socioeconomic and institutional factors influencing farmers' compliance with sweet potato post-harvest handling SOPs in North-Western Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 418 sweet potato farmers in Kano and Jigawa States using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise respondents' characteristics, while binary logistic regression was employed to identify factors influencing compliance. The logistic regression model was statistically significant (chi-square = 89.26, p < 0.001), with a Nagelkerke R-squared of 0.238 and classification accuracy of 72.5%. Extension contact, access to credit, land tenure security and association membership positively influenced SOP compliance, while age, education, farming experience, farm size and labour availability were not significant. The findings suggest that compliance with post-harvest handling SOPs is shaped more by institutional and structural support than by farmers' demographic characteristics. The study recommends strengthening extension delivery, expanding post-harvest credit, promoting farmer associations and improving land tenure security to enhance compliance and reduce sweet potato post-harvest losses.