Abstract
This study evaluated the effect of socio-economic characteristics of small-scale yam farmers on the productivity and income levels of yam farmers beyond COVID-19 in some part of yam producing areas of South East and North Central zones (Benue, Ebonyi, Enugu and Kogi States) of Nigeria. Respondents (200) were selected by random sampling using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive and correlation analysis. Majority of the respondents (71.7%) were male. COVID-19 will have serious negative impacts on the productivity and income of the yam farmers due to sex difference in angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) 2 receptor and transmembrane serine protease 2 TMPRSS2 regulations. Majority (34.8%) of the respondents were within the age range of 55-64 years which might place them at increased risk of severe impact from COVID-19. Most of the respondents (37.9%) were with First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) which will be aggravated by global lockdown of education institutions. COVID-19 pandemic has created the largest disruption of education systems due to closure of schools and other learning spaces as well as inability of many parents to work making financing of education to face big challenges. Most of the respondents (35.4%) had farm size of three hectares. Most of the respondents (37.9%) earned between ₦151,000 and ₦200,000 per hectare. This income informal economy will be affected by COVID-19 control measures. Majority of the respondents (70.2%) had between 21 to 30 years of yam farming experience. At this length of experience, it is expected that they will be within the age range that is more vulnerable to COVID-19 pandemic. Using Pearson correlation coefficient to assess the relationship between socio-economic factors farm characteristics of small-scale yam farmers establishes that farm experience significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with age of the respondents. Marital status was significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with age (0.548) and farm experience (0.932) of the respondents.
 Key words: yam farmers, socio-economic factors, productivity, small-scale
Highlights
Agriculture is the sector where the poor can most benefit from inclusive sustainable growth, which is essential for sustainable development via increased productivity
The high ratio of male to female yam farmers in the study area might be due to the role of women as housewives
The findings show that most small-scale yam farmers (90%) received formal education
Summary
Agriculture is the sector where the poor can most benefit from inclusive sustainable growth, which is essential for sustainable development via increased productivity. Small-scale farming has been pinpointed to be a crucial avenue for inclusive economic development for rural communities (Mubamba et al, 2018). The majority of African populations, including Nigeria depend on subsistence and smallscale agriculture to attain food security and generate incomes. This reduction may suggest the migration to other professions with consequent low agricultural production by the remainder and resultant food insecurity. Majority of the rural populace are predominantly smallholder farmers who produce staple food crops such as rice, yam, cowpea, cassava, maize, sorghum, millet and vegetables (Ajibola, 2020). In Nigeria, yam has a higher production value than all the other five major food staples; maize, cassava, rice, millet and sorghum combined (IITA, 2020)
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