Effect of rural infrastructure on profitability and productivity of cassava-based farms in Odogbolu local government area, Ogun state, Nigeria

Abstract

Infrastructural development in Nigeria has been historically linked to the development of agriculture, exploitation of natural resources and public policies. This study examined the effect of rural infrastructures on profitability and productivity of cassava-based farms in Odogbolu local government area of Ogun state, Nigeria. The study was based on a cross-sectional survey of 120 cassava farmers selected with a multistage random sampling technique from 10 villages. Descriptive statistics were used to generate the composite rural infrastructure index which revealed that 5 out of the 10 sampled villages were under-developed. Economic efficiency in the developed and under-developed areas shows that farmers in the developed areas are better off compared to their counterparts in the under-developed areas. Farm size, years of farming experience and infrastructural development index (INF) were statistically significant with negative influence on productivity of cassava-based farmers. The significance and indirect relationship of the years of farming experience and infrastructural development index at p<0.05 and farm size (p<0.01) regarding the total factor productivity (TFP) implied that these variables decrease TFP. Similarly, the negative sign of the coefficient of INF of -0.742 at p<0.05 shows that the under-development of infrastructural facilities observed in the study area is capable of jeopardizing efforts at improving the productivity of cassava-based farmers. Therefore, farmer in the developed areas can generally produce more output at lower cost if there is an improvement in infrastructural facilities in the study area.