Benefits Of Cooperation Research Articles

Commercial Space Industry Development from the Perspective of the Triple Helix: Evidence from China and the United States

Abstract: The university-industry-government triple helix has been an ideal approach to interpret the growth of innovative industries, especially in the context of todays technological leap. This study examines the commercial space sectors in United States and China, the two leading space powers, to analyze how the triple helix structures evolve and synergize to shape their respective industries. It is found that in the United States, the helix is rooted in legislation and procurement support, spurred by a well-developed industrial system, and reinforced by extensive enterprise-university collaboration programs. In contrast, the Chinese triple helix formation trajectory begins with experimental policies and space infrastructure construction, evolves through enterprises considered positioning in reusable rocket and satellite internet, and is potentially propelled by an expanding scale of talents exiting state-owned space institutions or fostered by emerging academies. After that, a lateral comparison between the two triple-helix models is undertaken to unveil the characteristics, similarities, and disparities within the commercial space industries of these two nations. This paper concludes that, for nations aiming at establishing a commercially sustainable space industry, the essence lies in a fully developed triple helix where efforts of government, industry, and academia can systematically converge without significant lag in any aspect. The paper also mentions the potential benefits of commercial space cooperation between the United States and China.

Increasing benefits in one-time public goods does not promote cooperation

The long tradition of research on cooperation includes a well-established finding that individuals respond to the degree of conflict between self- and collective interests (that is, the relative benefits from cooperation) in providing public goods. Existing empirical evidence builds upon settings where participants make multiple decisions or strategically consider alternative scenarios. Here, we consider a decision setting where participants face a one-time (single-decision) setting. One-time cooperative encounters often occur in volunteering or donating to immediate needs for crisis relief. For these distinct and highly relevant settings, we report a lack of responsiveness to increases in cooperation benefits, thereby highlighting limits to our understanding of the determinants of one-time cooperation encounters. Across two studies, n = 2,232 individuals participate in treatments where we vary across participants the relative benefit from contributing to a public good (that is, the marginal per capita return, the MPCR). We examine decisions from alternative participant pools (UK general population vs. students), implementations varying the physical distance between participants (online vs. in the laboratory), and more complex decision settings considering group-to-group interactions including not only providers but also donors to public goods. Throughout, neither average contribution levels, nor the distribution of contributions are significantly affected by the increases in cooperation benefits. The mechanism behind these results can be explained by the close correlation between expectations of other's cooperation and own cooperation, and the fact that these expectations do not increase with higher benefits from cooperation.

Evolution of sex differences in cooperation can be explained by trade-offs with dispersal.

Explaining the evolution of sex differences in cooperation remains a major challenge. Comparative studies highlight that offspring of the more philopatric sex tend to be more cooperative within their family groups than those of the more dispersive sex but we do not understand why. The leading "Philopatry hypothesis" proposes that the more philopatric sex cooperates more because their higher likelihood of natal breeding increases the direct fitness benefits of natal cooperation. However, the "Dispersal trade-off hypothesis" proposes that the more dispersive sex cooperates less because preparations for dispersal, such as extra-territorial prospecting, trade-off against natal cooperation. Here, we test both hypotheses in cooperatively breeding white-browed sparrow weavers (Plocepasser mahali), using a novel high-resolution automated radio-tracking method. First, we show that males are the more dispersive sex (a rare reversal of the typical avian sex difference in dispersal) and that, consistent with the predictions of both hypotheses, females contribute substantially more than males to cooperative care while within the natal group. However, the Philopatry hypothesis cannot readily explain this female-biased cooperation, as females are not more likely than males to breed within their natal group. Instead, our radio-tracking findings support the Dispersal trade-off hypothesis: males conduct pre-dispersal extra-territorial prospecting forays at higher rates than females and prospecting appears to trade-off against natal cooperation. Our findings thus highlight that the evolution of sex differences in cooperation could be widely attributable to trade-offs between cooperation and dispersal; a potentially general explanation that does not demand that cooperation yields direct fitness benefits.

Effects of cooperation between institutions and organisations operating in the field of social assistance on the example of the Cooperation Model in rural municipalities

The article attempts to identify the benefits of inter-organizational cooperation in the form of partnership projects. It analyzes benefits for institutions and non-governmental organizations participating in the project named „Leaders of Cooperation” and in testing the Cooperation Model for rural municipalities, for the employees of these entities, and it seeks to answer the question of how cooperation in teams translates into support and assistance for individuals, families in the local community.The model was developed as a result of implementing the project named „Leaders of Cooperation”, co-financed by the European Social Fund for the years 2014–2020 under the Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development. The primary goal of the Cooperation Model is to support institutions in municipalities and districts so they can more effectively assist individuals, families, and groups.The results discussed later in the article relate to research conducted using the qualitative technique of focus group interviews (FGI), completed at the end of the Model’s testing. The areas where benefits from cooperation were observed were associated with greater agility, efficiency, and effectiveness in task execution. There was noted potential for better diagnosing local needs and promoting cooperation as a new approach to delivering social services.The experience of joint action, sharing responsibility, and basing relationships on trust are essential foundations for building social capital. A trusting atmosphere encourages the desire to work, fosters creativity, and facilitates the efficient exchange of information.Team members were provided with support, enhanced competencies, and professional development (coaching, supervision, educational platform). The teams’ adoption of diverse solutions, based on the resources of individuals and families, contributed to their awareness of their competencies and an increase in their activation.

РОЛЬ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫХ И ЧАСТНЫХ СТРУКТУР В ФОРМИРОВАНИИ ОРГАНИЗАЦИОННОЙ МОДЕЛИ СИСТЕМЫ УПРАВЛЕНИЯ В ТУРИСТСКОЙ ИНДУСТРИИ

The scientific article highlights the key aspects of tourism development management, including strategies, financial support, regulation and the results of a comprehensive study of the role of public and private structures in the formation of an organizational model of the management system of the tourism industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan are presented. In the course of the work, an overview of existing development strategies was conducted, the roles of public and private structures in the formation of infrastructure were highlighted, and the effectiveness and prospects of cooperation between these sectors were analyzed. The presented analysis includes an assessment of the degree of engagement, the effectiveness of resource use, as well as identifying the advantages and disadvantages of existing partnerships. The article also examines the key benefits of cooperation, such as combined experience and knowledge, financial empowerment and joint marketing promotion. At the same time, disadvantages such as bureaucratic obstacles and risks to data privacy are highlighted. Recommendations for improving cooperation between public and private structures are proposed, and prospects for the development of the tourism infrastructure of the Republic of Kazakhstan are highlighted. The possibilities of intensifying the dialogue, creating a unified development strategy and promoting innovation and digitalization in tourism are discussed. The work provides an extensive overview of the current state of the tourist infrastructure and is aimed at forming practical recommendations for its sustainable development. Keywords: tourism industry, tourism infrastructure, development strategies, public structures, private structures, environmental sustainability, financial support, strategic cooperation.

FACTORS INFLUENCING ADOPTION OF IMPROVED TOMATO SEED VARIETIES AMONG SMALL-SCALE TOMATO FARMERS IN SOUTH WEST ZONE OF NIGERIA

The study examines factors influencing adoption of improve tomato varieties among small-scale farmers in Southwest Nigeria. Data were collected via structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics, probit regression, and Likert scales. The findings revealed that 41.4% of the farmers were in their productive years with an average age of 45 years, predominantly male (70.0%), married (81.9%), with small households averaging five members. However, 87.5% had formal education and average of eight years of tomato farming experience. The farmers cultivate an average of 0.63 hectares, indicating small-scale operations. Furthermore, 85.6% of the farmers were not part of cooperatives. The result also shows that 80.0% and 65.0% of the farmers lack access to credit and extension services in the study area. Logic regression model reveal 68.39% probability of adoption of improve tomato seed varieties among farmers. Key factors significantly influencing adoption include age, gender, farming experience, education, access to extension services, market distance, input supply, and specific training. Major challenges include high input cost (73.8%), pests and diseases (55.6%), lack of credit (61.9%), marketing issues (28.8%) and unfavorable weather (18.1%). Therefore, recommendations from the study include strengthening extension services, raising awareness of cooperative membership benefits, and addressing farmers' priorities and needs.

Coordinated planning model for multi-regional ammonia industries leveraging hydrogen supply chain and power grid integration: A case study of Shandong

With the advancement of green hydrogen production technology, power-to-ammonia (P2A) has emerged as a pivotal approach for consuming large-scale renewable resources. However, the inherent intermittency of wind and solar resources leads to a spatial and temporal mismatch between supply and demand, rendering effective integration within a single region challenging and necessitating cross-regional collaborative planning. To address this, we propose a coordinated planning model for a multi-regional ammonia industrial system (MAIS) that leverages the integration of a hydrogen supply chain (HSC) and power grid (PG), termed HSC-PG-MAIS. During the modeling of the HSC, we developed a novel hydrogen truck transportation model that allows trucks to serve as both hydrogen storage and transportation resources. Furthermore, considering the cooperative relationships among ammonia industrial systems in different regions, we proposed a Nash bargaining method based on the magnitude of interactive value contributions to equitably allocate the cooperation costs and benefits of the MAIS. Finally, real data from Shandong Province in China is used to validate the effectiveness and significance of the proposed model and strategy. The results indicate that the proposed model can effectively reduce the overall operating costs of the system and enhance its flexibility, providing valuable insights into exploring the collaborative potential of large-scale renewable resources across regions.

Research on cooperative operation optimization method of internet data center alliance considering diversified flexibility

With the rapid development of large-scale internet data center in China, the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality has put forward higher requirements for low-carbon economic operation of internet data center. Considering complementary advantages among internet data centers, this paper proposes a cooperative operation optimization method of internet data center alliance based on diversified flexibility. Firstly, a cooperative operation structure of alliance considering electricity and carbon trading between members was built, as well as the diversified flexibility model considering carbon capture and power to gas device. Then, a cooperative optimization operation model of alliance was constructed based on Nash bargaining theory, and the allocation of cooperation benefit among members can be realized based on electrical carbon contribution rate. In order to improve solution convergence, the alternating direction multiplier method is improved by penalty factor updating and correction factor modeling method. Finally, the proposed method is applied to the demonstration project of “East Data and West Computing” in Qingyang, Gansu, China, and the trial run results are consistent with the theory analysis. On the one hand, the diversified flexibility and the electricity and carbon trading between members can effectively reduce the total cost and carbon emissions of alliance. On the other hand, the cooperation benefits distribution strategy based on the electrical carbon contribution rate can effectively enhance enthusiasm of members to participate in alliance. The improved alternating direction multiplier method can achieve distributed optimization of alliance, protect the privacy of each member, and has good convergence and scalability.

Beyond the age of hegemony

This paper delves into the origins of modern conflicts amidst the waning dominance of the Western world, particularly the United States. It argues that contemporary tensions stem from this power shift, driven by technological advances and economic convergence. Advocating for a transition to multipolarity and multilateralism, this paper emphasizes the drawbacks of the continued US quest for hegemony and the benefits of global cooperation. It envisions a future characterized by peace and shared development, underpinned by international collaboration and respect for diversity.

Asymmetric Nash bargaining model for operation optimization of multi-integrated energy systems considering peer-to-peer energy trading

Energy interactions across integrated energy systems constitute crucial means to enhance energy efficiency and match supply and demand. However, the cooperative operation and benefit distribution among multiple integrated energy systems still need in-depth exploration. To fill this gap, this paper presents an asymmetric Nash bargaining optimization model for multiple integrated energy systems considering peer-to-peer trading. First, a scheduling model for multi-integrated energy systems is formulated considering carbon trading. Then, the model is incorporated into Nash bargaining framework and transformed into the alliance cost minimization subproblem and peer-to-peer trading payment bargaining subproblem. The bargaining power factor is introduced to measure the contribution of participants in energy sharing. The alternating direction multiplier method is utilized to handle the proposed model. Finally, a case study is carried out to validate the validity of the proposed strategy. The results show that compared with the independent operation mode, the performances of three integrated energy systems in collaborative operation mode are enhanced by 11.7 %, 9.0 %, and 4.8 % respectively. The distributed algorithm can reduce the computation time by 30 % and obtain highly efficient solutions while protecting private information of each participant. This research provides support and practical tools for conducting peer-to-peer transactions of multiple integrated energy systems.

Overcoming barriers to agri-environmental management at landscape scale: Balancing farmer coordination and collaboration with the aid of facilitators and pioneers

Policy instruments that integrate the actions of multiple farmers are of growing interest for improving landscape scale environmental sustainability of agriculture. We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with farmers in south-east England and applied thematic analysis to the responses to perform a qualitative investigation into the combined role of economic, social, and cultural barriers to cooperative environmental management, and identify possible solutions for these barriers. Interviewees recognised environmental benefits of cooperative management, but this was a low priority compared to other management activities, being seen as complex and time-consuming, with uncertainty over direct benefits to participants. External coordination could address this by overseeing information sharing on cooperation benefits and minimising the logistical burden for participants, but given farmer mistrust of outside intervention, these projects will be more successful when collaborating farmers feel they are in control. The efforts of both pioneering farmers able to initiate projects with their peers, and respected facilitators who embody local knowledge and experience, will be vital for balancing coordination and collaboration. Finding the optimal balance between these different elements will vary with local circumstances: policy should have the flexibility to accommodate this. Farmers were wary of connecting with others possessing different farming ideals and thus having to compromise on their management approach. Some respondents sought to bridge these gaps by focusing on aspects of farming identities they shared with their peers, raising the possibility that support targeting these individuals will help develop relationships that foster lasting cultural change for farmer cooperative environmental management.

Research on Multi-Microgrid Electricity–Carbon Collaborative Sharing and Benefit Allocation Based on Emergy Value and Carbon Trading

In response to climate change, the proportion of renewable energy penetration is increasing daily. However, there is a lack of flexible energy transfer mechanisms. The optimization effect of low-carbon economic dispatch in a single park is limited. In the context of the sharing economy, this study proposes a research method for multi-park electricity sharing and benefit allocation based on carbon credit trading. Firstly, a framework for multi-park system operation is constructed, and an energy hub model is established for the electrical, cooling, and heating interconnections with various energy conversions. Secondly, a park carbon emission reduction trading model is established based on the carbon credit mechanism, further forming an optimal economic and environmental dispatch strategy for multi-park electricity sharing. Matlab+Gurobi is used for solving. Then, based on asymmetric Nash bargaining, the comprehensive contribution rate of each park is calculated by considering their energy contribution and carbon emission reduction contribution, thereby achieving a fair distribution of cooperation benefits among multiple parks. The results show that the proposed method can effectively reduce the overall operational cost of multiple parks and decrease carbon emissions, and the benefit allocation strategy used is fair and reasonable, effectively motivating the construction of new energy in parks and encouraging active participation in cooperative operations by all parks.

A Cooperative Game Approach for Optimal Design of Shared Energy Storage System

The energy sector’s long-term sustainability increasingly relies on widespread renewable energy generation. Shared energy storage embodies sharing economy principles within the storage industry. This approach allows storage facilities to monetize unused capacity by offering it to users, generating additional revenue for providers, and supporting renewable energy prosumers’ growth. However, high investment costs and long payback periods often hinder the development of battery storage. To address this challenge, we propose a shared storage investment framework. In this framework, a storage investor virtualizes physical storage equipment, enabling prosumers to access storage services as though they owned the batteries themselves. We adopt a cooperative game approach to incorporate storage sharing into the design phase of energy systems. To ensure a fair distribution of cooperative benefits, we introduce a benefit allocation mechanism based on contributions to energy storage sharing. Utilizing realistic data from three buildings, our simulations demonstrate that the shared storage mechanism creates a win–win situation for all participants. It also enhances the self-sufficiency and self-consumption of renewable energy. This paper provides valuable insights for shared storage investors regarding optimal design and benefit allocation among multiple stakeholders.

Computational evolution of social norms in well-mixed and group-structured populations

Models of indirect reciprocity study how social norms promote cooperation. In these models, cooperative individuals build up a positive reputation, which in turn helps them in their future interactions. The exact reputational benefits of cooperation depend on the norm in place, which may change over time. Previous research focused on the stability of social norms. Much less is known about how social norms initially evolve when competing with many others. A comprehensive evolutionary analysis, however, has been difficult. Even among the comparably simple space of so-called third-order norms, there are thousands of possibilities, each one inducing its own reputation dynamics. To address this challenge, we use large-scale computer simulations. We study the reputation dynamics of each third-order norm and all evolutionary transitions between them. In contrast to established work with only a handful of norms, we find that cooperation is hard to maintain in well-mixed populations. However, within group-structured populations, cooperation can emerge. The most successful norm in our simulations is particularly simple. It regards cooperation as universally positive, and defection as usually negative-unless defection takes the form of justified punishment. This research sheds light on the complex interplay of social norms, their induced reputation dynamics, and population structure.

Effect of germplasm exchange strategies on genetic gain, homozygosity, and genetic diversity in dairy stud populations: A simulation study

While genomic selection has led to considerable improvements in genetic gain, it has also seemingly led to increased rates of inbreeding and homozygosity, which can negatively affect genetic diversity and the long-term sustainability of dairy populations. Using genotypes from US Holstein animals from 3 distinct stud populations, we performed a simulation study consisting of 10 rounds of selection, with each breeding population composed of 200 males and 2000 females. The investigated selection strategies consisted of selection using true breeding values (TBV), estimated breeding values (EBV), estimated breeding values penalized for the average future genomic inbreeding of progeny (PEN-EBV), or random selection (RAND). We also simulated several germplasm exchange strategies where the germplasm of males from other populations was used for breeding. These strategies included exchanging males based on EBV, PEN-EBV, low genomic future inbreeding of progeny (GFI), or randomly (RAND). Variations of several parameters, such as the correlation between the selection objectives of populations and the size of the exchange, were simulated. Penalizing genetic merit to minimize genomic inbreeding of progeny provided similar genetic gain and reduced the average homozygosity of populations compared with the EBV strategy. Germplasm exchange was found to generally provide long-term benefits to all stud populations. In both the short and long-term, germplasm exchange using the EBV or PEN-EBV strategies provided more cumulative genetic progress than the no-exchange strategy; the amount of long-term genetic progress achieved with germplasm exchange using these strategies was higher for scenarios with a higher genetic correlation between the traits selected by the studs and for a larger size of the exchange. Both the PEN-EBV and GFI exchange strategies allowed decreases in homozygosity and provided significant benefits to genetic diversity compared with other strategies, including larger average minor allele frequencies and smaller proportions of markers near fixation. Overall, this study showed the value of breeding strategies to balance genetic progress and genetic diversity and the benefits of cooperation between studs to ensure the sustainability of their respective breeding programs.

Research on interregional oil cooperation-sanctions with evolutionary game

PurposeThe game strategies differ when different regions participate in the oil game. Under what circumstances will different participants choose cooperation or sanction strategies? This is the core issue of this paper.Design/methodology/approachRegarding the current and future game behavior between different regions in the oil trade, this paper constructs an evolutionary game model between two regions to explore the possibility of sanctions strategies between the two sides in different situations.FindingsThe research finds: (1) When the benefits of in-depth cooperation between the two regions are greater, both sides tend to adopt cooperative strategies. (2) When the trade conflict losses between the two regions are smaller, both sides adopt sanctions strategies. (3) When a strong region trades with a weak region, if the former adopts a sanctions strategy, the net profits are greater than the benefits of in-depth cooperation between the two regions. If the latter adopts a sanctions strategy, the net profits are less than the trade conflict losses between the two regions. There will be the strong region adopting a sanctions strategy and the weak region adopting a non-sanctions strategy. At this time, the latter should reasonably balance the immediate and future interests and give up some current interests in exchange for in-depth cooperation between the two regions. Otherwise, it will fall into the situation of unilateral sanctions by the strong against the weak.Originality/valueThere is no paper in the existing literature that uses the evolutionary game method to analyze the oil game problem between the two regions. This paper constructs a two-party evolutionary game model composed of crude oil importers and crude oil exporters and, based on this, analyzes the evolutionary stability between the two regions under sanctions and cooperation strategies, which enriches the energy research field.

Cooperative game theory approach towards capital equipment procurement in construction projects: a concrete batch plant case study

This study explores how contractors can benefit from joint resource procurement in construction projects, particularly in case with capital-intensive ones. Capital equipment is costly and has a long beneficial life compared to other resources; hence, minimizing its long-term costs is pivotal. Also, the lack of open dialogue under a legal structure in projects may deprive project participants from many beneficial partnering opportunities. Given this background, a comprehensive framework based on cooperative game theory is introduced to form a systematic partnership among contracting parties to share their capital equipment. Cooperative game theory is suggested as the basis for increase the gains to all parties and fair and efficient allocation of the incremental benefits of cooperation. The proposed flowchart is then applied to a real-world project and various coalitional cooperative game theory solutions for dividing gains equitably, from sharing a site-located concrete batch plant among three contractors are evaluated and the most stable cost allocation is identified. Results reveal that with the application of this cooperative procurement, the three contractors can achieve an average of twenty three percent considerable savings through practical alliance that deliver vast improvements in project productivity and performance.

Rural Communities and Cooperative Societies: A Community-based Alternative for Sustainable Socio Economic Development in Nigeria

The worsening socioeconomic situation of the country has threatened the socioeconomic development of rural communities, necessitating a socioeconomic alternative that will be responsive to rural needs and stimulate sustainable socioeconomic growth. Cooperative societies are alternative strategies that can foster socioeconomic growth at rural levels, thus building on the spirit of cooperation that is domiciled in the rural areas. Cooperative society is a voluntary association of individuals who come together to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations. These societies are based on the principles of self-help, democracy, self-responsibility, equality, equity and solidarity. If effectively utilized, cooperatives are vehicles that can bring about sustainable socio-economic development in rural communities especially in times of worsening economic situations. This paper explores cooperative societies as a vehicle that can bring about the needed socioeconomic development in rural areas through, creation of jobs, raising capital for business and alleviation of poverty. The paper adopts the sustainable development theory as its theoretical underpinning. The study found that cooperatives are instrumental in the sustainability of livelihood in rural communities through the provision of credit facilities, assisting small businesses to stay profitable, creation of employment etc. The paper recommends rural dwellers should be adequately sensitized on the importance of cooperatives and should be encouraged to associate with cooperatives so as to derive benefits of cooperatives which can in turn bring about sustainable development.

Cultural rice fields in the wave of climate change: a multilateral evolutionary game framework for adaptive management of agricultural heritage systems

Agricultural Heritage Systems (AHS) are pivotal in preserving rich agricultural production experience and traditional culture, as well as in maintaining biodiversity and promoting sustainable development in agriculture and rural economies. However, climate change poses significant threats to these systems, such as ecological degradation, biodiversity loss, and shifts in agricultural production patterns. This study, grounded in theories of information asymmetry and bounded rationality, constructs evolutionary game models for adaptive management of AHS under market mechanisms and government guidance. By employing stability analysis and numerical simulation with Delay Differential Equations (DDE) that consider historical delays, and through sensitivity analysis, this research delves into the strategic evolutionary outcomes of stakeholders under various scenarios. It aims to provide theoretical insights and policy recommendations for the dynamic protection and adaptive management of AHS in the face of climate change. The findings indicate that the public goods nature of AHS, alongside externalities and information asymmetry, leads to market failure. Sole reliance on autonomous actions by farmers and meteorological departments is insufficient for optimal resource allocation and effective protection. Government intervention, through regulatory and incentive measures, can effectively mitigate market failures and steer adaptive management of AHS towards efficiency and sustainability. Moreover, the study identifies key factors for adaptive management, such as enhancing stakeholders’ initial willingness to participate, reducing the costs of adapting to climate change, optimizing cooperative benefit distribution mechanisms, and increasing the profitability of resource cooperation. Sensitivity analysis of government subsidies and penalty mechanisms further reveals the complex and critical role these policy tools play in fostering stakeholder engagement. Based on these findings, the study recommends enhancing initial participation willingness, controlling transformation costs to alleviate economic burdens, optimizing benefit distribution mechanisms to boost cooperative resource profitability, and establishing dynamic subsidy and penalty mechanisms for optimal resource allocation. The theoretical and practical contributions of this research lie in applying theories of information asymmetry and bounded rationality to the adaptive management of AHS under climate change, enriching the theoretical framework in this field, and providing scientific decision-making support for policymakers. By demonstrating an effective path for AHS protection through combined government and market mechanisms in the context of global climate change, this research holds significant theoretical and practical implications for enhancing the efficiency of adaptive management of AHS, protecting, and inheriting valuable agricultural cultural heritage.

SOCIOECONOMIC DYNAMICS AND PROFITABILITY DRIVERS IN BROILER CHICKEN PRODUCTION IN SABON GARI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

This study investigated the socioeconomic dynamics and profitability drivers in broiler chicken production in Sabon Gari Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used in selecting one hundred and fifty (150) broiler chicken producers. Primary data were collected through the use of a structured questionnaire. Tools of analysis used were descriptive statistics, farm budgetary techniques, and the multiple regression model. The socio-economic characteristics of the producers revealed a mean age of 44 years, with the majority (62.50%) of the producers being male. The broiler farmers had one form of education or another, with a mean flock size of 213 birds. It was found that the percentage contribution of the purchase of feed to the total variable cost of production was the highest (45.79%), with a sum of ₦ 756.06 at average as the total cost incurred in the production of broilers was realized. Consequently, the return on Naira invested of ₦ 1.38 implies that for any ₦ 1 invested in broiler production, the farmers generated 38k. The results from regression analysis revealed that sex, age, farming experience, household size, education, and membership in cooperatives were the determinants of the profitability of broiler chicken production. It was concluded that broiler production in the study area was profitable and that several socio-economic factors significantly influence profitability. It was therefore recommended that producers consider joining cooperative membership to explore the benefits of cooperatives and leverage bulk purchasing discounts and knowledge sharing opportunities, potentially improving profitability for members.