Farmers In Southwestern Nigeria Research Articles

Exploring farmer’s assessment of soil quality and root yield in cassava-based cropping systems

Farmers’ knowledge of soil quality and yield assessment were evaluated among cassava farmers in southwestern Nigeria. Data were collected on farmers’ demography, farming experience, criteria for selecting a site for cassava cultivation and preferences for those criteria, farmers’ methods of yield prediction and how it compares with the scientific approach, farmers’ agronomic knowledge and how it relates to the realities of climate change and soil fertility decline. The modal age class of the farmers is 45–55 years, and most of the farmers are male. The results show that farmers use a combination of soil and vegetation-based criteria to assess soil quality from which the decision to cultivate a given land is made. Among the soil-based criteria, soil drainage, colour, and depth rank the most and most used. Most of the farmers assessed yield before harvesting through green healthy leaves (25 %), large and shiny stems (25 %) and soil cracks (50 %). The predicted and measured cassava yields on farmer-managed farms were comparable, with an R2 of 0.63, although farmers overestimated the cassava root yield. There is a unanimous consensus among farmers that yield has declined in the last decade, with a mean of 36 %. The main cause of yield decline was attributed to declining rainfall and poor soils. Our study concluded that farmers have a good understanding of soil health and cassava agronomy through a process of trial and error and ingenuity as farmers’ local indices were consistent with conventional soil health indicators. It was suggested that, by recognising and incorporating traditional methods used by farmers to assess soil quality, we could enhance soil management strategies and raise productivity at the farm level.

Assessment of pesticide knowledge, Safety Practices and postharvest handling among cocoa farmers in South Western Nigeria

Cocoa beans are susceptible to fungal contamination during processing and storage. The knowledge of the use of pesticides and post-harvest handling of cocoa beans among farmers is of great importance for safe consumption. The study evaluated common cocoa production and post-harvest practices of farmers in selected study locations in South Western Nigeria. Primary data were collected through the administration of structured questionnaires, and interviews. The collected data were analyzed using inferential descriptive statistics. The results of 394 farmers showed that 52.9 % in Osun and 47.3 % in Oyo were primarily farmers by occupation, the rest had other ventures. The majority of cocoa farmers were men:83.6 % in Oyo State, 88.2 % in Osun state and 87.9 % in Ondo state. 28.6 % and 32.7 % of farmers were aged 51–60 in the Ondo and Oyo communities, respectively. Osun farming communities are dominated by young adults (51 %) of 31–50 years, followed by Ondo 40 % and36 % of farmers in Oyo State. Most cocoa farmers were married with 4–6 children as the most common household size in Osun (51 %), Ondo (60.4 %) and 49.1 % in Oyo State. The literacy level of farmers in cocoa communities was the highest in Oyo state where 47.3 % had tertiary education. Farmers in Oyo State had better knowledge of the dangers of pesticides than Ondo and Osun. However, ignorance of dangers in agrochemicals was higher among Osun farmers than in Ondo State. The highest (18 %) pesticide use during storage was recorded among Oyo farmers, while the least (11.0 %) was recorded among farmers in Ondo State. Pesticide usage was more abundant in Osun (50 %) during cocoa production than in the other study areas. The majority of farmers were positively disposed to make use of nose masks during agrochemical application, meanwhile, 69 %, 62 %, and 61 % of farmers used them already in Oyo, Ondo, and Osun states, respectively. Educational qualification (χ2 = 9.176, p = 0.027) of cocoa farmers was significantly related to knowledge of best practices. Farmers with higher education have a greater ability to receive and process information relating to global best practices in production, postharvest, and pesticide handling in cocoa. In conclusion, cocoa farmers’ knowledge of processing, use of pesticides, and storage practices differed from one location to another. Intensive orientation and more enlightenment by extension workers against indiscriminate use of pesticides in cocoa plantations and stores must be consistently and continuously done.

Adoption of Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) Small Ruminant Technologies by Farmers in South Western Nigeria

Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) is a multi-commodity research Institute that has generated adoptable technologies on small ruminant. The study investigated the adoption of IAR&T small ruminant technologies among farmers in South-Western Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 160 respondents for the study. Data were collected with interview schedule and analysed using descriptive (percentages and mean scores) and inferential (Chi-square and PPMC) statistics. Results revealed that majority of the respondents reared goats (86.9%), under semi-intensive management system (67.5%), for income generation (95.0%), and with 5.5±7.4 years of experience. Major modes of receiving small ruminant technologies/information were through Agbe asejere/IAR&T radio programme (x̅=0.82) and farmers’ guide (x̅=0.54). Use of pawpaw seeds for deworming (x̅=0.94), incorporation of crop residue in ration (x̅=0.94) and use of tobacco extract for treating parasites (x̅=0.87) were the most accessible small ruminant technologies to the respondents. Though constrained by high capital investment (x̅=1.50) and poor access to small ruminant technologies (x̅=1.21), the respondents’ rate of adopting small ruminant technologies was high (68.7%). Access to small ruminants technologies (r=0.518, p=0.000) and constraints (r=-0.305, p=0.01) were significantly related to adoption of IAR&T small ruminant technologies. The study concluded that readily accessible technologies were equally the most adopted ones. Therefore, it is recommended that IAR&T should endeavour to concentrate its efforts on making its technologies more accessible to end users.

Risk Of Eviction And Women’s Technology Adoption: Some Evidence From Southwestern Nigeria

ABSTRACT: In the presence of tenure insecurity that many women face in developing societies because of patriarchal norms, farmers may not adopt farm technologies because there is no assurance of reaping the benefits. This article examines how the risk of eviction affects women’s fertilizer use and adoption of early maturing seed varieties. For the empirical analysis, I employ individual-level data that was collected from 180 women rice farmers in southwestern Nigeria with a multistage sampling technique and analyse the data with both econometric methods that address possible endogeneity issues and those that do not. I analyse the relationship between the risk of eviction and fertilizer use with the Two Stage Least Squares (2SLS) and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) methods and analyse the relationship between the risk of eviction and the adoption of early-maturing seed varieties with the Two Stage Conditional Maximum Likelihood (2SCML) and probit methods. I find women who are cultivating family-allocated, husband-allocated and purchased plots to be significantly less likely to have fears of eviction than those who are cultivating fixed-rent plots, even as the risk of eviction have different effects on fertilizer use and on the adoption of early-maturing rice varieties respectively. While it makes the women spend less on fertilizer, it makes them more likely to adopt early maturing seed varieties. These would suggest that the women are responding to the unfavourable production environment from tenure insecurity with lower investments in soil fertility and shortened time horizons towards minimizing their losses in the event of eviction. The results also suggest that the women may invest in soil fertility if the operating environment becomes more favourable with better tenure. The policy implications of the findings are thus evident. Women are evidently not averse to adopting farm technologies by default; to thus improve adoption rates of farm technologies, policymakers should adapt technologies to local socioeconomic conditions, while exploring how to make tenancy contracts and the social norms that underpin customary tenure systems more amenable to granting women tenure security. These would help protect land resources from degradation, make agricultural incomes sustainable, and facilitate socio-economic development.

Analysis of Total Factor Productivity Among Rice Farmers in Southwestern Nigeria.

Analysis of Total Factor Productivity Among Rice Farmers in Southwestern Nigeria.

Analysis of Total Factor Productivity Among Rice Farmers in Southwestern Nigeria.

Analysis of Total Factor Productivity Among Rice Farmers in Southwestern Nigeria.

Gender differentials on productivity of rice farmers in south western Nigeria: An Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition approach

Gender differences in productivity are one of the major obstacles impeding the development of agriculture in Africa and Nigerian particularly. With the Oaxaca-Blinder (OB) and exogenous switching treatment regression (ESTER) models, this study investigates the causes of the productivity differences among 360 sampled rice farmers in Nigeria as well as gender inequality in agricultural productivity. The findings showed that there is an inequalities between men and women, which contributes to a gender productivity gap of almost 29 % in favour of men. As a result, plots managed by women are 29 % less productive than plots handled by men. The analysis of the factors influencing gender variations in production reveals that the endowment component, which accounts for 15 % of the productivity gap, is significantly influenced by marital status, education, farm size, and access to market information. Similarly, the ESTER results show that the rice yield of FHHs would have decreased by 25.41 kg/ha (a 1.02 % reduction) if they had been assigned the same returns to the observed features of MHHs. This difference is significant at the 1 % level. Thus, the findings imply that the FHHs are not at a yield disadvantage when compared to the MHHs. Therefore, it can be said that there are gender productivity disparities in the Nigerian agricultural industry. As such, policy interventions aimed at empowering women must take these disparities into consideration as well as the causes that contribute to them. Overall, the results demonstrate that although policymakers and their development partners can use improved technologies to increase MHH and FHH yields, reducing the difference in market linkages is necessary to close the gender gap in rice productivity and provide FHHs with equal access to the market.

Effects of Fadama (NG-CARES) Program on Income of Poultry Farmers in South Western Nigeria

Effects of Fadama (NG-CARES) Program on Income of Poultry Farmers in South Western Nigeria

Does agricultural cooperative membership impact the poverty level of cocoa farmers in southwestern Nigeria?

ABSTRACT The study examined the impact of agricultural cooperatives on poverty depth of cocoa farmers’ poverty levels in Southwestern Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used in selecting 362 cocoa farmers in the study area. The results of a two-step control function quasi-maximum likelihood revealed that age, household size, farm size, and farming experience positively influenced the poverty depth while cooperative membership negatively influenced the depth of poverty among cocoa farmers. This study concludes that cooperative organizations have the potential to reduce poverty effectively, provided their values and principles are respected. Hence, an advocate for continued policy incentives targeted at encouraging farmers to form as well as participate in agricultural cooperatives.

Distributive impacts of non-farm income on output and farm income of cassava farmers in Southwestern Nigeria

Non-farm income is a major source of income, along with farming for most rural households, that seems to offer a pathway out of poverty. It has gained prominence in recent times as an alternative strategy. However, it is often not clear how non-farm income can contribute to farm output and income because empirical results from existing literature remain somewhat ambiguous. Therefore, more robust research is needed to understand what conditions lead to what outcomes and to identify appropriate policy responses. We extend the previous literature in the direction of understanding more finely the potential impact of non-farm income on output and farm income distributions, applying a novel approach, IVQTEs, for the first time in this context. In this paper, we analyzed the drivers of non-farm income as an alternative strategy, and its distributive impacts on cassava farmers' output and farm income in Southwestern Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure was employed to select 300 cassava farmers for the study. Data were analysed using the novel nehurdle estimation procedure of the double hurdle model. Our methodology of using an instrumental variable quantile treatment effect model (IVQTE) explicitly demonstrates the impact of non-farm income on farm output and income distribution at different levels. The first hurdle (Probit regression) of nehurdle results show that age, household size, years of education, years of experience, farm size, and access to credit may likely influence the decision to participate in non-farm income works; while, in the second hurdle, household size, age, years of education, farm size, gender, asset ownership, cooperative membership are the significant factors that may likely influence the amount realized from non-farm income works. Our results reveal a positive marginal impact of non-farm income at all quantiles of the conditional distribution of cassava farmers’ output and farm income, with the impact being the lowest at the lowest quantile (25th quantile) and increased across the other quantiles. In this regard, the study suggests that the creation of job opportunities outside farming will supplement on-farm works and enhance household's income. This study also suggests that measures such as education, extension services and cooperative societies, to enhance participation in non-farm income works, will spur the rural economy in Nigeria and other developing countries.

Feed Marketing and Feeding Strategies in Snail Production Among Snail Farmers in Southwestern Nigeria

A study was carried out in selected States of Southwestern Nigeria to gather information about feed and feeding management for snail among snail farmers and other stakeholders in snail production-value chain. A total of 150 snail farmers were selected from south west part of Nigeria (Ogun, Ondo and Oyo state) while 125 questionnaires were retrieved. Information was gathered through questionnaires observations from the field and scheduled interviews from the purposively selected States. Questionnaires were carefully drafted and administered to elicit information from the farmers about feed and feeding management in snail production. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results indicated that 60.8% of the respondents were males while 39.2% were females. A larger (20.8%) percentage of the farmers were between the age range of 46 to 55 while 20.5% and 18.6% fell between the age range of 56 to 65 and above 66. respectively. Archachatina marginata (68.9%) was the most reared snail. About 20% of the farmers fed snails with conventional feed comprising leaves, fruits, flowers and peel of tuber crops while average of 29 farmers fed snails with compounded feed combined with tubers, leaves and household waste. Majority of the respondents (60.8%) fed snail in the evening. A larger percentage (64.5%) of the farmers preferred compounded feed to conventional feed and also preferred Retail purchases based on the size of their farms. Finely ground compounded snail feed (57.8%) was the most acceptable form. Wrong perception about snail, dearth of information about feed formulation, low educational levels, high cost of feed ingredients and inadequate market are major reasons for unavailability of snail feed in the market. Farmers agreed that the use of compounded feed in snail are for improvement of growth rate, meat quality, enhance early market weight, ease of transportation and longer storage.

Unlocking the commercialization potentials of Moringa oleifera production in Southwestern Nigeria

Despite the importance of Moringa oleifera tree for food security at the smallholder farmers’ level, there is no consolidated socioeconomic information about the crop such as its contribution to household food security and income, and its production potential, commercialization and constraints. This study estimated the commercialization level and factors influencing the level of commercialization among the moringa farmers. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. A double-hurdle model with quasi-maximum likelihood fractional response model was employed to analyze the participation and level of participation in commercialization among smallholder moringa farmers in Southwestern Nigeria. The commercialization level was captured by the household commercialization index (HCI) which was calculated as the ratio of the value of marketed moringa output to the value of moringa produced. The result revealed that half of the moringa farmers are still operating at the subsistence level with a large number of them at the low-medium level while the rest are high-level market participants. The participation in commercialization of moringa was influenced by age and square of household head age, marital status, level of education, farming experience in moringa farming, and access to market information. In the same vein, age and age square of household head, level of education, access to credit and extension services were factors influencing the level of commercialization. Thus, the study concluded that access to affordable credit, adequate access to extension services and prompt market information for small-scale farmers would not only improve their production capacity but also serve as a driver for market participation. The study recommends that for the enormous potential of the moringa tree species and its various products to be harnessed, stakeholders, NGOs, and policymakers should, through adequate extension services, widely promote and scale up the domestication of the miracle tree.

Gender Analysis of Decision Making on Maternal Health Care among Rural Farmers in Southwestern Nigeria: Implications for Food Security

Safe childbirth is crucial to farmers’ productivity and food security as farm labour plays a pivotal role for farming in most rural communities. Analysing gender roles on maternal health care (MHC) decision is of major concern in ensuring safe motherhood and poverty reduction in rural homes. Therefore, this study analysed gender concerns of MHC among rural farmers. Multistage sampling procedure was used to select 124 respondents for the study; data were collected using structured interview schedule, Focus Group Discussion, descriptive and inferential statistics. Respondents (χ = 29 years) were in their youthful and procreating stage with average family size of 4 members. Husbands (64.5%) mainly decided the MHC utilised for childbirth. More females (54.8%) belonged to cooperative society. About (56.5%) of males and females (53.2%), respectively were crop producers having average monthly earning of #19,000. Most predicating factors to MHC decision were family tradition ( χ= 2.21) and social capital (χ = 2.18). Males (61.3%) had high level of MHC decision unlike the females (54.8%) with low contribution to MHC decision. Monthly income (r=0.521), responsibility for decision making (r=0.668) were significantly related to respondents decision on MHC. There was a significant difference in the level of decision making between males and females (t=5.28, df =31). Hence, it is recommended that non-governmental organisation should collaborate with the government to aggressively sensitise rural communities on safe motherhood and men should sufficiently empower women to contribute and participate actively in decisions on maternal health care in rural families for sustainable food production and supply.

Application of e-information for Fall Armyworm control among maize farmers in Southwestern Nigeria

This study assessed the application of electronic messages on Fall Armyworm (FAW) (Spodoptera frugiperda) disseminated to farmers in Southwestern Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling method was used to select 205 maize farmers. Using ex-post factor research design, electronic information on FAW were broadcast to farmers through formats such as voice calls and text messages. Each of the respondents received five batches of voice calls and text messages in English and Yoruba Languages for 2 – 3 weeks. Data were collected on the suitability of e-message, perception and constraints to electronic information use. Data collected were described and analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and linear regression at ?0.05. Mean age of respondents was 40years and 69.3% could communicate in Yoruba while only 39.9% understood the English language. Majority of the farmers expressed unfavourable perception to the use of e-messages for FAW information. Constraints identified with e-message use were related to the poor interactivity of the medium, though suitable for 55.6% of the respondents. Level of education and perception were major determinants of the suitability of e-messages disseminated. Thus, dissemination of e-messages to farmers using local languages was advocated in agricultural interventions.

Determinants of Compliance with Standard Practices of Pesticide Use Among Cocoa Farmers in Southwestern Nigeria

Cocoa production in Nigeria is limited due to pests and diseases. In an attempt to control these, farmers apply pesticides which leave chemical residue in cocoa beans. There are established standard practices to address the abuse in use of pesticides. However, there is dearth of information on factors that predispose cocoa farmers to comply with approved standard practices. Therefore, determinants of compliance with standard practices of pesticide use by cocoa farmers in Southwestern Nigeria were investigated. A three-stage sampling procedure was used to select respondents. Two cocoa producing States (Oyo and Ondo) were purposively selected. Two Local Government Areas (LGAs) known for cocoa production were selected from each state. Systematic random sampling was used to select 10% of registered farmers to give 354 respondents. Interview schedule was used to collect data on respondents’ variables. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression at  0.05. Most farmers were male (70.3%) and had secondary education (31.9%). Respondents’ age and farmingexperience were 58.0 and 27.0 years, respectively. Farmers’ yield and annual income were 0.449 tonnes obtained from an average of 6.25 ha cocoa farm size andN1,331,519.60 equivalent to $3,698.67, respectively. Determinants of compliance with standard practices of pesticides use for both dosage and procedure were determined by age ( = -0.20), income ( = 0.15), exposure to information (= 0.36), constraints ( = -0.27) and accessibility to approved pesticides ( = -0.11). Exposure of farmers to information and realising more money motivates them to purchase approved pesticides that will aid compliance with standard practices. As age of farmer increases, the ability to comply will be limited. A farmer who is constraint with poor access to recommended pesticides will go for unapproved types which are against compliance. Concerted efforts should be put in place by relevant bodies to ensure sustainable income, information access for respondents in order to adhere to recommended protocols and enhanced cocoa yield.

Utilization of midwives service scheme among women farmers in Southwestern Nigeria

Maternal mortality accounts for most deaths in agrarian communities of Nigeria due to poor access to midwives services and inadequate Skilled Birth Attendants (SBAs). The Midwives Service Scheme (MSS) was established to engage more SBAs and advocate better utilization of pre and post-natal care services. Studies have focused on maternal mortality reduction, however, information on underlying factors that predispose MSS target beneficiaries to its utilization is scarce. Therefore, utilization of MSS among women farmers in southwestern Nigeria was investigated. A four-stage sampling procedure was used. Three states from southwestern states (Oyo, Ogun and Ekiti) were randomly selected. Thereafter, ten Local Government Areas (LGAs) from eighteen LGAs that adopted MSS programme in the selected states were sampled. Also, 30% of the MSS facilities in the sampled LGAs were selected, resulting in 13 MSS facilities. Proportionate sampling technique was used to select 20% of registered women farmers in the selected 13 MSS facilities to give 207 respondents. Interview schedule was used to collect data on respondents’ socioeconomic characteristics, Maternal Health Information Sources (MHIS), Maternal Health Information Seeking Behavior (MHISB) and utilization of MSS. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. About (55.6%) of the respondents had formal education. MHISB and effectiveness of MSS was rated low by 53.2% and 55.6% of the respondents, respectively. MSS was moderately utilized by 64.7% of the respondents. The MSS utilization was 49.24 ± 11.39 (Oyo), 45.08 ± 9.28 (Ogun) and 44.00 ± 10.71 (Ekiti). Respondents’ education (χ2 = 12.85), family size (r = 0.02), monthly income (r = 0.48) related positively and significantly (r = 0.27) to MSS utilization.

Assessment of Pesticide Wastes Disposal Practices by Cocoa Farmers in Southwestern Nigeria

A survey of pesticide wastes disposal practices by cocoa farmers was carried out using a structured questionnaire supplemented with personal interviews to obtain information from respondents. Data were subjected to statistical analysis. Sixty-three percent of the farmers had no formal training on proper disposal of pesticide wastes with about 51.8% lacking information on how to dispose the wastes. The practices regarding the disposal of left-over spray solutions include re-spraying already treated crops (33.9%) and/or apply over un-cropped land area (25.9%) until the spraying tank is empty. Concerning the rinsates generated from washing spraying equipment and pesticide containers, majority (74%) released rinsates onto non-cropped land and about 5% released into streams and other waterways near their farms where the washing was done. Common practices on disposal of empty pesticide containers include throwing away on the farm where it was used (30.4%), burning in the air (23.2%), throwing away into the village waste dumps (11.6%) and re-use for another purpose (7.1%). Current disposal practices revealed that farmers dispose wastes via unsafe practices which may increase environmental contamination and human exposure. Training of farmers on proper disposal of pesticide wastes and awareness campaign on government policies on waste disposal are recommended.

Estimating financing gaps in rice production in Southwestern Nigeria

This study analysed the financing gaps relative to production frontier of rice farmers in Southwestern Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to collect cross-sectional data from 360 rice farmers selected from three states in the region. A Cobb–Douglas stochastic frontier and an adapted form of Harrod–Domar (HD) growth model was employed to determine the financing gap required the farmers to be at the frontier level. The empirical results of the frontier model show that quantity of labour, quantity of rice as planting material and herbicides were statistically significant in explaining the variations in the efficiency of rice production in Nigeria. However, age, gender, farming experience, household size, access to credit, access to information, adoption of improved variety and location of rice farmers as sources of technical inefficiencies. As revealed by the result of the HD growth model, the average amount of credit per season that farmers had access to was, 38,630.56 naira (₦) while the mean financing in the form of credit required to produce at the frontier level was ₦193,626.50, showing a financing shortfall of about 80%. As unravelled by the result of the study, it can thus be concluded that technical efficiency of rice farmers can be improved by ameliorating access to timely credit and agricultural information for improving rice productivity. These findings suggest that filling the financing gap of smallholder rice farmers will improve rice productivity in Nigeria. The study, therefore, recommends that strengthening the existing technology by building farmers’ capacity on farm management practices would be the surest means of improving rice productivity growth in Nigeria. This would not only contribute to the intensification of rice production in Nigeria to meet its increasing rice demand, but also improve rice farmers’ productivity and their households’ incomes.

Assessment of Career Ambition of Head of Farm Families for their Children: A Case of Farmers in South Western Nigeria

In early 60s and 70s, agriculture is one of the key sectors of the Nigerian’s economy. The decline in agricultural production is attributed to the drudgery nature of traditional farming system mostly practice by farmers in the country and the influence of rural farmers on career choice of their children. The study therefore aims to assess the influence of head of farm families in career choice for their children using a descriptive statistics. Simple random sampling technique was used in selecting 120 rural farmers from Oyo State in Nigeria. Results show that 50% of the respondents were in their active age, 86.7% were married, 61.7% of the respondents had a household size of 3-6 family members, and 45.8% of the respondents had no formal education. The results of the Chi-square analysis further reveal that variables such as age, marital status, and household size, level of education, secondary occupation and membership of social organisation were statistically significant at 1% signifying that all the socio-economic variables have a significant relationship with the choice of career for the farmer’s children. To unlock farmers’ perspective on career choice ambition choosing for their children, the study suggests that more attention should be paid to improve traditional farming systems by several stakeholders and government, by providing farm equipment such as tractor and other farm implements which can make farming less rigorous, profitable and enjoyable to the rural youths in the rural communities.

Strategies for Adapting to Climate Change by Livestock Farmers in Southwestern Nigeria

Strategies for Adapting to Climate Change by Livestock Farmers in Southwestern Nigeria