| Sumario: | Good quality seed has the potential to generate increase in rice yield and make Nigeria self-sufficient in rice production. However, farmers’ access to this seed is a function of many factors that has not been well documented in Nigeria. This study identified some factors that influenced the probability and intensity of adoption of improved rice variety in Nigeria, using double hurdle model. A multistage random sampling procedure was employed to select 600 rice farming households across the three prominent rice producing ecologies in Nigeria. The results that emanated from the analyses showed that age, secondary activity, cost of seed, distance to the nearest seed source negatively and significantly influenced the probability of a farmer adopting at least one improved rice variety in the study area and the intensity of adoption. While household size, membership of organization, house ownership, income from other crop production and experience in lowland rice production positively and significantly influenced both. The result of the marginal effects also showed that an additional increase in income from other crop production increases the probability of adoption by 25.0 per cent and intensity of adoption by 39.0 per cent. While an additional year to the age of the farmer reduces the area cultivated to improved rice varieties by 1.6 per cent. Therefore to achieve a sustainable increase in rice production, adoption enhancing information should be targeted at the younger farmers. Also farmers should be encouraged to diversity crop production to boost household income. Finally, improved rice seed varieties should be made available within the rural areas at an affordable cost.
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