Crop Production In Nigeria Research Articles

Perceived Effects of Drought on Urban and Peri-urban Crop Production in Nigeria: Farmers’ Adaptation Measures

This paper examines the perceived effects of drought on crop production in Ilorin and its fringes by making use of climatic elements (temperature and rainfall) and crop yield for a period of 10years. One hundred and twenty crop farmers were sampled randomly with copies of questionnaire. Climatic and crop yield data from 2011-2020 were collected. Findings revealed that sampled farmers (85%) perceived drought to be cessation of rainfall for a long period during rainy season. Causes of droughts include insufficient rainfall, high temperatures and deforestation among others. Decline in crop was perceived as the greatest effect of drought on crop production by 92% of the sampled farmers. The correlation analysis revealed rainfall is highly correlated with maize (0.723), but weakly correlated with sorghum (0.190) and cassava (0.037). Maximum temperature correlates weakly with cassava (0.003). Minimum temperature alsocorrelates weakly with cassava (0.019) maize (0.274) and sorghum (0.152). The regression analysis revealed that 43%, 67% and 82% of the variance in sorghum, maize and cassava production respectively could be explained by the climatic elements under study. Amongst the adaptation measures suggested include irrigation and changing planting dates. It can therefore be concluded that fluctuations in rainfall and temperature resulted into drought, which affect crop production in the study area.

Crop index insurance as a tool for climate resilience: lessons from smallholder farmers in Nigeria

Crop farmers in arid and semi-arid regions face a covariate risk that is of paramount importance, namely, the threat of catastrophic crop loss triggered by natural disasters and climate hazards. Such an occurrence not only jeopardizes the livelihoods of these farmers but may also lead to persistent poverty. Promoting sustainable development requires control over climate-related shocks, which negatively affect the most vulnerable population in the developing world. This study investigates the option of choosing crop area-yield index insurance to mitigate the adverse effects associated with climate stress. In addition, we assessed the amount farmers are willing to pay for an insurance product that insures yields below 70% of the local average in the study area. Our results show that access to extension services and economic association membership offers farmers social capital and encourages their decision to purchase index insurance. We also find that the long-run welfare impact of index insurance policy on vulnerable households could be significant as an alternative insurance mechanism to traditional insurance. This study contributes to filling the gaps on the uptake of index insurance and provide guidance to policymakers in their approach to mitigating the effects of climate change on crop production in Nigeria.

How Does Climate Change Affect Tomato and Okra Production? Evidence from Nigeria.

This study examined the impacts of climate change on okra and tomato yields. Fertilizer consumption and credit to the crop sector were considered as covariates in the analysis. Time-series data, spanning a period of 40 years, were obtained from various sources. An autoregressive distributed lag model was applied to analyze short- and long-term impacts of climate change and agricultural inputs on okra and tomato yields. Not all variables were stationary at levels (order zero), but they were all significant at first difference, indicating the presence of cointegration. The Bound's test F-ratio was statistically significant and implied the presence of long- and short-term relationships among the variables studied. The mean temperatures had negative impacts on okra and tomato yields in both the short and long terms. Credit guaranteed to the crop sector had positive short- and long-term impacts on tomato yield; fertilizer consumption had a negative long-term impact on okra yield. Our study concludes that climate change, particularly rising temperature, impacts herbaceous fruit crop production in Nigeria. Therefore, we recommend that breeding and disseminating climate-smart tomato and okra varieties will help fruit crop farmers respond to rising temperatures.

The Dynamics of Green house Gas Emission and Crop Production in Nigeria (1981-2021)

This study was carried out to assess the dynamics of greenhouse gas emissions and crop production in Nigeria. Annual time series data from 1981 to 2020 were used. Data were collected from the Food and Agriculture Organization and World Bank records. Descriptive statistics, Johansen Co-integration and Vector Error Correction Model were employed to analyze the data. Using Augmented Dickey Fuller test, the result indicated that greenhouse gas and crop production were integrated of order one; this showed that the variables exhibit random walk. The result of the Johansen Co-integration test showed that the trace statistics (74.35981) was greater than the critical value at 0.05 significance level (69.81889). This implied the existence of co-integration between the variables (greenhouse gas emissions and crop production). The long run result of the VECM showed that, the coefficient of greenhouse gas (-32.416) was negative and statistically significant at 1% which indicated the existence of long run effect of greenhouse gas on crop production. The study therefore recommended that it is important to educate farmers through proper extension services on how mitigate the long-term impact of greenhouse gas emission. This could include measures such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

A Review of Insect Pest Management in Vegetable Crop Production in Nigeria.

Insect pest infestations and damage can limit the production of vegetables in the farming systems in Nigeria. This review looks at integrated insect pest management as a possible panacea for resolving insect pest issues in vegetable crops. The main vegetable crops which include okra, tomatoes, chilli peppers, cucumbers, green amaranth, carrots and onions are highlighted. The major insect pests of the various vegetables which include foliage beetles, caterpillars, aphids, fruit flies, stink bugs, and grasshoppers are also mentioned. The various control measures that have been empirically verified for the mitigation of the impact of these insect pests, including the application of synthetic insecticides, modification of agronomic practices, use of resistant varieties, application of botanicals, biological and mechanical controls, are discussed. Studies which have been carried out attempting to integrate two or more of the control strategies for better insect pest control are also reviewed. Strategies that can be put in place for the integrated pest management of vegetable insect pests in Nigeria are considered. Among the IPM (Integrated Pest Management) practices instituted for the mitigation of pest infestations on vegetable crops in Nigeria, intercropping of suitable vegetables in combination with the application of aqueous extracts of Azadirachta indica and Piper guineense seeds under good farm hygiene and sanitation proved to be most successful.

Effects of total system head and solar radiation on the techno-economics of PV groundwater pumping irrigation system for sustainable agricultural production

Several agricultural farms in Nigeria are found in off-grid locations where there is the lack of water supply despite the abundant groundwater resources possessed by the country. Since water is one of the key resources for agricultural production, majority of the farms only resort to the use of fossil fuel-powered generators to pump water for their operations in Nigeria. However, concerns about the frequent increase in fuel cost, the maintenance, and the environmental issues associated with running fossil-fuel generators have driven the need for a clean and sustainable energy source. The photovoltaic (PV)-pumping system is becoming more popular as an alternative energy source of water pumping for irrigation farming. This study presents the effects of total system head and solar radiation on the techno-economic design of PV-pumping system for groundwater irrigation of crop production in Nigeria. It also calculates the quantity of emissions avoided by the PV. The technical design is based on standard methodology to determine the PV capacity that can operate the pump to satisfy the daily water requirements for the crops, while the economic aspect involves the assessment of the life cycle cost and the cost of water per m3. The result reveals that the pump power ranges from 0.158 kW to 0.293 kW and the PV power ranges from 1.90 kW to 3.52 kW for a system head of 10 m and solar irradiation of 5.25 kWh/m2/day, respectively, while the unit cost of water ranges from $ 0.05/m3 to $ 0.054/m3, and the life cycle cost ranges from $ 7004 to $ 12331. This provides insights into the effects of varying the system head and the solar radiation, demonstrating that the PV-pumping system underperforms at higher system heads, but performs effectively at higher solar radiation. This is due to the decrease in the discharge rate and an increase in power output, respectively. The study will be useful for planning PV-based water pumping system for agricultural purposes.

Social and Political Drivers Affecting Wheat Production in Nigeria

Social and political factors are believed to be affecting agricultural operations in a way that stagnates their growth or leads to the total collapse of the system. A study on social and political factors affecting wheat crop production in Nigeria was conducted with the aim of exploring those factors for proper solutions. Primary data was collected through national stakeholders’ focus group discussion while time series data of the country's wheat production, harvested area, and imports was collected. MAXQDA statistical software was used to analyze the focus group discussion report, while compound growth rate analysis was used to compare the growth rate of the variables under study. The results indicated the extent to which political factors affect wheat production in Nigeria more than others. The degree to which external social factors affect the sector was less when compared with political factors and more than internal social factors. Non-adoption of recommended agronomic practices and the knowledge level of the farmers were the major internal social factors. While the major external social factors were consumer food habits, consumer demand for convenience, low produce prices, and high input costs. Political factors identified were social security issues, inconsistent government policies, and intricacies in implementation, the role of the publication media, role playing by the milling industries, international trade interests, and lack of political will. The result also indicated that the total average growth rate of production was negative, and positive growth was recorded in the harvested area, with a high percentage recorded in imports. For Nigeria to achieve the desired outcome, focused commitments and the adoption of a multi-dimensional approach are required.

Application of biological and digital technologies in resolving the negative effects of COVID-19 pandemic on crop production in Nigeria

The COVID-19 pandemic has wrecked great havoc in many spheres of life, including education, health, economy, and agriculture. This paper x-rayed the effects of the pandemic on crop production in Nigeria, and efforts made to proffer viable solutions through the application of biological and digital technologies. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on crop production was palpable in shortage of farm labour and labour immobility, disruption of agricultural input supply chain (e.g., fertilizers, agrochemicals, and seeds) and food distribution network. These irregularities grossly escalated food insecurity challenges, sparked price hikes, increased hunger and food losses. Considering the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on crop production which invariably extends to farmers’ income, food security, family nutrition and health, prompt measures to minimize the onward transmission among key players in crop production and food supply chain are imperative. The application of biological technologies including vaccination, use of natural herbs and spices, organic agriculture options (such as organic manuring, use of botanical protectants, farmers’ own seeds, cover cropping, mulching, biofertilizers, etc.), agricultural mechanization, and the digital technologies (mobile phones, remote sensing services, online platforms, robotics and artificial intelligence) would go a long way in resolving the negative effects of the pandemic on crop production in Nigeria. Strict adherences to the recommended public health safety measures (social distancing, compulsory use of face masks in the public, regular hand hygiene, covering of one’s mouth when sneezing or coughing, disinfection of high touch surfaces) are crucial in curtailing the spread of COVID-19 infection.
 Key words: COVID-19 pandemic, crop production, food security, bio-and digital technologies, Nigeria

Urbanization, Carbon Dioxide Emission, and Agricultural Productivity in Nigeria

This study examines the effects of carbon dioxide emission and urbanisation on total agricultural production, livestock production and crop production in Nigeria. The data span from 1981 to 2014. In other to avoid endogeniety problem, the relationship among the variables was modelled using the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM). The result implies that carbon dioxide emission impacts total agricultural, total livestock and total crop production positively, but it was negative in the case of urbanization. More so, the effect of carbon dioxide emission and urbanization increase overtime.

Prospects and challenges of cash crop production in Nigeria: The case of cashew (Anacardium occidentale, Linn.)

The paper examined the prospects and challenges of cashew production in Nigeria. Qualitative and quantitative data which were used to identify these challenges and prospects were retrieved from research findings, literatures, journals and reports. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis was used to highlight the strengths and weaknesses inherent in the internal environment of the cashew sector as well as the opportunities and threats from the external environment of the cashew sector. The paper takes a step further by employing Threats Opportunities Weaknesses and Strengths (TOWS) analysis matrix to come up with models that can be employed to improve the cashew sector in Nigeria. Some of the prospects identified include the potential employment creation, increasing cultivation area and evidenced value addition. While some of the challenges identified include poor pricing of cashew nuts, lack of proper policy intervention and underutilization of cashew apple. Government is advised to set up a cashew marketing board and provide proper policy intervention to improve prices, production levels and provide employment opportunities.

Prospects and challenges of cash crop production in Nigeria: The case of cashew (Anacardium occidentale, Linn.)

Prospects and challenges of cash crop production in Nigeria: The case of cashew (Anacardium occidentale, Linn.)

Rural infrastructure and production efficiency of food crop farmers: Implication for rural development in Nigeria

This study investigated the impact of rural infrastructure on production efficiency of food crop rural farmers in Ogun State, Nigeria. A total of 160 farming households from 20 communities in Abeokuta and Ilaro in Ogun State Agricultural Development Programme (OGADEP) were randomly selected. Descriptive statistics, budgeting, Infrastructure Index Estimation (IIE) and Stochastic Production Frontier (SPF) were used to analyze the collected data. Results revealed that rural dwellers’ major economic and livelihood activities were farming (51.9%), trading (26.3%) and food processing (19.4%). The budgeting analysis showed that food crop production was more profitable in developed areas than in less-developed areas with Net Farm Income (NFI) of $328.900 (₦119,402.90/hectare) and $179.496 (₦65,163.68/hectare), respectively. SPF showed that total land cultivated (p<0.05), family labour (p<0.01), hired labour (p<0.05) as well as cost of planting inputs (p<0.01) significantly influenced food crop output. It was concluded that farm size, labour and cost of planting materials were the major factors affecting food crop output, irrespective of the presence of infrastructural facilities or not in the study area. The research recommends that all-inclusive rural infrastructural development policies should be formulated towards efficient food crop production in Nigeria.

Smallholder crop production in Nigeria: Pitfalls and paths to innovation

Smallholder crop production in Nigeria: Pitfalls and paths to innovation

A Stepwise Approach of Factors Affecting Agricultural Production in Nigeria

This paper is to study area harvested, number of people employed and quantity of fertilizer used as factors that affect agricultural crop production in Nigeria. The best variable selection/stepwise method is used to determine the factor(s) that contributed more to crop production in Nigeria. The factors were the explanatory variables and crop production was the response variable. Steps were taken to be able to identify the individual factors contribution to the crop production and possibly the combination of factors contribution to crop production. This is in order to determine the factor(s) to give more attention to increase crop production for lucrative investment in agriculture and food security. The analysis revealed that area of land harvested contributed most significantly to crop output (production) in Nigeria in overall comparison to fertilizer and number of people employed. The area of land harvested and number of people employed as one set of factors that influence crop production gives higher effect on crop production than using another set of factors as area of land harvested and quantity of fertilizer. The models with the two sets of factors were not significant leading to the fact that the major contributor to crop production in Nigeria is area of land harvested. This is pointing to the fact that the labour force is enough to transform the agricultural crop production sector in Nigeria if more land is acquired for agriculture with an improved technology. The stakeholders in agricultural sector in Nigeria are to expand the harvested land especially when the country has not developed to the extent of full agricultural mechanization.

English

Organo-mineral nutrient sources are promising soil amendments for sustainable crop production in Nigeria. A field experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Cross River University of Technology Obubra during the 2016 cropping season. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of nitrogen (N) and amended rice mill waste (RMW) on some soil chemical properties and yield of maize (Zea mays L.). The treatments consisted of 10 kg ha-1 RMW as control and 10 kg ha-1 of RMW amended with 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 kg N ha-1. The 6 treatments were replicated 3 times under RCBD with each experimental plot size measuring 4 &times; 3 m. All the treatments including control increased the chemical properties of the soil over the initial soil properties including total N, available P, SOM, pH and the exch. Cations; Ca2+, K+, Mg2+, Na+. RMW + 40 kg N ha-1 and RMW 50 kg N ha-1 produced tallest plants, highest number of leaves per plant and largest leaf area of maize plants.&nbsp; RMW + 30 kg N ha-1, RMW + 40 kg N ha-1 and RMW + 50 kg N ha-1 produced the highest number of seeds per cob, highest plant dry matter and highest grain yield per unit area of 2.61 and 2.59 t ha-1 respectively in 2016 and 2.63 and 2.62 t ha-1 grain yield in 2017 while the least grain yield was obtained from the control (0.81 and 0.83 t ha-1 respectively for 2016 and 2017). Rice mill waste amended with 30 kg N ha-1 is therefore recommended for optimum economic yield of maize in Obubra Rainforest soil and the improvement of soil chemical properties for sustainability. Key words: Fortified, rice mill waste, organo-mineral, N-fertilizer, maize, rainforest &nbsp

Effects of agricultural mechanization on economies of scope in crop production in Nigeria

Agricultural mechanization has often been associated with scale-effects and increased specialization. Such characterizations, however, fail to explain how mechanization may grow in Africa where production environments are heterogeneous even within a farm household, and crop diversification may help in mitigating risks. Using panel data from farm households and crop-specific production costs in Nigeria, we estimate how the adoptions of animal traction or tractors affect the economies of scope (EOS) for rice, non-rice grains, and legumes/seeds, which are the crop groups that are most widely grown with animal traction or tractors in Nigeria, with respect to other non-rice crops. The inverse-probability-weighting method is used to address the potential endogeneity of mechanization adoption and is combined with primal- and dual-models of EOS estimation. The results show that the adoption of these mechanization technologies is associated with greater EOS between rice and non-rice crops but lower EOS among non-rice crops (i.e., between non-rice grains, legumes/seeds, and other non-rice crops). Mechanical technologies may raise EOS between crops that are grown in more heterogeneous environments, even though it may lower EOS between crops that are grown under relatively similar agroecological conditions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper that shows the effects of mechanical technologies on EOS in agriculture in developing countries.

Effectiveness of Alternative Control Methods for Tithonia diversifolia on Water Yam (Dioscorea alata) Plot

Tithonia diversifolia has become a significant agronomic problem to optimum arable crop production in Nigeria which has necessitated effective and timely control if the good yield is expected on infested soil. This study compared the performance of water yam under different weed control methods on Tithonia infested plot at Ogunba village near Baaya-Oje in Surulere Local Government area of Ogbomoso, Oyo State during the 2015 growing season. Eight (8) control treatments were evaluated namely: Weed control with Atrazine, Diuron, 2 hoe weeding, 3 hoe weeding, Black plastic mulch, grass mulch, Diuron + Atrazine + Plastic mulch (IWM) and unweeded plot. The three (3) hoe weeding and the unweeded plot served as the control treatments. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized complete block design with three replicates. Yam setts were planted at a spacing of 1 m x 1 m to give a population of 10000 plants/ha. Atrazine and Diuron were applied at the rate of 2.5 kg a.i/ha, 2 hoe weeding was done at 3 and 6 weeks after planting (WAP), 3 hoe weeding was done at 3,6 and 9 WAP, while grass mulch was applied at the rate of 5 tons/ha. In IWM, Atrazine and Diuron were applied each at the half recommended rate (1.25 kg/ha) before applying plastic mulch. The treatments were applied pre-emergently on a rain wetted soil after planting. Data were collected on growth and yield parameters of yam as well as on Tithonia weed population and dry matter yield. Results showed that weed control methods significantly (P &lt; 0.05) influenced water yam yield. The highest tuber yield (21 tons/ha) in plastic mulch was comparable to IWM (20 tons/ha), 3 hoe weeding (19 tons/ha) and 2 hoe weeding (18 tons/ha). Grass mulch (16 tons/ha), Diuron (15 tons/ha), Atrazine (14 tons/ha) were also not significantly (P &gt; 0.05) different. Thus, it may be concluded that plastic much is the most efficient of the methods for weed control in yam. The implication of this finding is discussed.

Impact of commercial bank credit on agricultural output in Nigeria

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigated the impact of commercial bank credits on agricultural output in Nigeria over the period 1980 to 2015 by setting three specific objectives which are to examine the trend of commercial bank credit and agricultural output in Nigeria; to investigate the effect of commercial bank credit on agricultural output in Nigeria and to investigate the effect of commercial bank credit on subsector of agriculture in Nigeria. The trend analysis and the impact of commercial bank credit on subsector of agriculture in Nigeria make this work unique and different from other studies in this area. Trend analysis was used to achieve the first objective and fully modified ordinary least square (OLS) for objective two and three. Methodology. The study employed Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) approach. Findings. It was evidenced that interest rate on commercial banks’ credit to agriculture and deposit money bank’s assets are statistically significant in determine agricultural output in Nigeria within the period considered. Also, commercial bank loan on agriculture and deposit money bank’s assets determine the output of crop production in Nigeria; commercial bank loan on agriculture and interest rate on commercial banks’ credit to agriculture determine the output of livestock production in Nigeria and commercial bank loan on agriculture and interest rate on commercial banks’ credit to agriculture determine the output of forestry in Nigeria while commercial bank loan on agriculture and interest rate on commercial banks’ credit to agriculture determine the output of fishing in Nigeria. Limitations. This study is limited because the study does not include other variables that determine the output of agricultural sector in Nigeria. Also, other theories and methods can still be used by other researcher to make it different from this work. Originality. This is an original work and has neither been published in any other peer-reviewed journal nor is under consideration for publication by any other journal.

Effect of Nitrogen-Fortified Rice Mill Waste on the Growth and Yield of Maize (Zee Mays) and Its Influence on Soil Chemical Properties in South Eastern Rainforest of Nigeria

Organo-mineral nutrients sources are promising soil amendments for sustainable crop production in Nigeria. A field experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Cross-River University of Technology Obubra during the 2016 cropping season. The objective of the study was to eradicate the effects of nitrogen amended Rice mill waste (RMW) on some soil chemical properties and yield of maize (Zee mays L.) the treatments consist of 10ha-1 Rice mill waste as control and 10ha- of rice mill waste amended with 10 KgNha-1, 20 KgNha-1, 30 Kg Nha-1, 40 Kg Nha-1, 50 KgNha-1. The six treatments were replicated three times under RCBD with each experimental plot size measuring4mí—3m. Result obtained showed that all the treatments including control increased the chemical properties of the soil over the initial soil properties including total N, available P, Som, pH and the exch. Cations of Ca2+, K+, Mg2+ Na+. RMW + 40 Kg N/ha and RMW 50 KgN/ha produced tallest plants, highest number of leaves per plant and largest leaf area of maize plants. RMW+ 30 KgNha-1, RMW+ 40Kg Nha-1 and RMW+ 50Kg Nha-1 produced highest number of seeds per cob, highest plant dry matter and highest grain yield per unit area of 2.61 t/ha and 2.59 t/ha respectively in 2016 and 2.63 t/ha and 2.62 t/ha grain yield in 2017 while the least grain yield was obtained from the control (0.81 t/ha and 0.83 t/ha respectively for 2016 and 2017). Rice mill waste amended with 30 Kg N ha-1 is therefore recommended for optimum economic yield of maize in Obubra Rainforest soil and the improvement of soil chemical properties for sustainability.

Nonfarm Activities and Household Production Choices in Smallholder Agriculture in Vietnam

Nonfarm Activities and Household Production Choices in Smallholder Agriculture in Vietnam