The Anthropometric Status of Farming households in Kogi State, Nigeria

A country needs a well nourished population of children for a productive future. Malnutrition is by far the biggest contributor to child morbidity and mortality; therefore, combating malnutrition in our communities should be an issue to policy makers. With the use of anthropometric indices derived from survey data collected from 150 randomly selected children from 150 farming households in Kabba Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, this study assessed malnutrition of children in the Central part of Nigeria. Logit model was used to examine the relationship between some anthropometric indices and the general characteristics of the household and the children. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information from the sampled households. The result showed that about one-quarter of the children are underweight while a very insignificant number of the sampled children were wasted. The probit result showed that daily calorie intake and access to safe water had significant effect on underweight of children in the study area. Daily calorie intake per child was also significant on stunting and wasting. Over 66% of the farming households had access to well water and only 21% had access to bore-hole. Majority of the children could be said to be more susceptible to water borne diseases. Provision of better domestic water source, mass food production strategies can be policy options for a virile labour force in the study area.Health Economics and Policy,

Analysis of the effects of Zimbabwean white farmers on small scale farming in Nigeria Análisis de los efectos de la presencia de agricultores blancos de Zimbabwe en la agricultura a pequeña escala en Nigeria

Many observers believe that the on-going liberalization of the world will have dramatic negative effects on small farmers in both developed and developing countries. This study aims to capture the effects of the presence of foreign migrant farmers on small scale farm­ing systems, which are prevalent in Nigeria. The Agricultural Development Project Zone D in which the white farmers settled in the state of Kwara, was used as a case study. Primary data were collected from white farmers as well as from local farmers regarding their situ­ation before and after the arrival of white farmers. Descriptive statistics and analysis of the farm budget were used in evaluating the data. The majority of local farmers (98.63%) transitioned towards sole cropping since the arrival of white farmers in the area. There were significant increases in seed rate, fertilizer and other chemicals, as well as labor inputs per farmer in the area when compared to the situation that was prevalent before the white farmers settled there. Their average farm size, distances between their houses and farms and tractor use reduced significantly, while output per farm size increased considerably since the arrival of white farmers in the area. In order to provide sustainability of the posi­tive development, there is the need to seek a policy option that will calm local farmers who once in a while exhibit signs of dissatisfaction for the way in which white farmers came to settle on their land. These could be achieved through the use of the participatory approach to agricultural development in the area. This approach could also be relevant in other re­gions of the world with similar situations. Muchos observadores consideran que la creciente liberalización del mundo tendrá efectos negativos en la agricultura en pequeña escala tanto en los países desarrollados como en aquéllos en vías de desarrollo. Este estudio pretende capturar los efectos de la presencia de agricultores migrantes extranjeros en los sistemas de agricultura a pequeña escala prevale­cientes en Nigeria. El Proyecto de Desarrollo de la Agricultura Zona D, en el cual los agricul­tores blancos se establecieron en el estado de Kwara, fue utilizado como caso de estudio. La información primaria fue obtenida de agricultores blancos así como de agricultores locales considerando su situación pre y post la llegada de los agricultores blancos. Las estadísticas descriptivas y el análisis del presupuesto de cada parcela fueron utilizados para evaluar la información. La mayoría de los agricultores locales (98.63%) han transitado hacia el monocultivo desde la llegada de los agricultores blancos a la región. Se ha observado un incremento significativo en la tasa de uso de semillas, el uso de fertilizantes y otros agro­químicos, así como en el trabajo humano por agricultor en el área en comparación con la situación prevaleciente antes de la llegada de los agricultores blancos. El tamaño promedio de sus tierras, la distancia de estas con respecto de sus hogares y uso de tractores se ha reducido de forma importante, mientras que la producción por agricultor se ha incrementa­do. La búsqueda de políticas que tranquilicen a los agricultores locales quienes en ocasio­nes manifiestan su insatisfacción por la forma en que los agricultores blancos han llegado a establecerse en estas tierras resulta imperativa. Esto permitirá lograr un desarrollo positivo y sustentable. Estas políticas pueden ser desarrolladas a través de un enfoque participativo en el desarrollo de la agricultura en el área. Este enfoque también podría resultar relevante en otras regiones del mundo que presentan situaciones similares.</p

Production Efficiencies of the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation Beneficiaries A Case Study of Livestock Farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria

Livestock farmers are faced with various risks which is  because agriculture largely depends on nature. In solving this the Federal Government of Nigerian established the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation(NAIC). The objectives are to compare the technical efficiency and output of the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of NAIC, determine the levels of production efficiency of the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries, identify the determinants of production efficiency of beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries and identify the constraints encountered by the beneficiaries in the study area. The research was carried out in Kwara state, Nigeria. The target population was the livestock farmers in Kwara state. A random sampling technique was used to select 160 farmers. Eighty farmers were selected based on the beneficiaries list obtained from NAIC head office in the state and eighty non-beneficiaries were selected using snowball sampling technique. The research instrument used was questionnaire. The analytical tools employed were descriptive statistics, t-test and stochastic frontier model. The results showed that the mean technical efficiency of the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries were 0.87 and 0.54 respectively. This shows that the beneficiaries were more efficient than non-beneficiaries which implies that their involvement in insurance were of great benefits. The major risks encountered by majority of the livestock farmers are drought, variation in yield, diseases and pests. The constraints encountered include; fear that their claims may not be paid, attitude of NAIC, strict insurance policy. Therefore, it is recommended that insurance workforce should develop strategies like awareness creation that will encourage more participation in the insurance program among farming households

Households’ Dietary Diversity, Farm Income and Technical Efficiency Correlates: Empirical Evidence from Small-scale Farming Households in Nigeria

This study examined the relationship among farming households’ technical efficiency, dietary diversity and farm income in Kwara state, Nigeria. Respondents were randomly sampled from among the National Special Programe for food security (NSPFS) beneficiaries and non benficiaies across the 3 geo-political zones in the study area. Stochastic frontier model was used to estimate the respondents’ technical efficiency while the dietary diversity score and farm income were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used to assess the level of relationship among the indicators. The study revealed a significant linear relationship among households’ dietary diversity, farm income and technical efficiency. While technical efficiency was inversely related to farm income (r = -0.278, p = 0.01) and dietary diversity (r = -0.206, p = 0.05) on one hand, dietary diversity was positively related to farm income (r = 0.307, p = 0.05). The study has two important implications; first, increasing farm income may be of relevance if the goal of enhancing food security is pursued and benefits of technical efficiency growth may not necessarily translate into enhanced farm income and dietary diversity. This study therefore suggests the provision of infrastructures that would enable the farmers to access the benefits of improved technical efficiency

Agribusiness Firms and Rural Dairy Development. A Case of FrieslandCampina Dairy Development Programme in Nigeria

Rural development interventions funded by private agribusiness firms may positively or negatively affect rural farmers' welfare. A positive effect is that such interventions may provide farmers with market access. The negative effect could be that such firms may be solely motivated by profit and may exploit the farmers. In this paper, we explore the role of FrieslandCampina Dairy Development Programme, a multinational firm with headquarters in Europe, in improving the welfare of rural dairy farmers in Nigeria. We use a two-wave panel survey of 122 programme participants and 95 non-participants. We focus on two outcome measures – annual dairy income and daily milk yield - and use a pooled ordinary least squares method to understand the programme effect. We also explore the mechanism of effect by assessing the programme effects on farmers' sustainable dairy management practices using a negative binomial regression method. Our results suggest that the programme has positive welfare effects on farmers. We attribute these effects to farmers' access to reliable markets offered by the programme and the informal business arrangement between the farmers and the agribusiness firm. Potential policy implications include that governments should encourage other private agribusiness firms to set up similar development programmes

Energy Consumption of Rural Farming Households in Kwara State, Nigeria

The main objective of this study was to understand the rural energy consumption of the farming households. The data used for the study were obtained through a four-stage sampling procedure which resulted in a sample size of 120 households. Logistic regression procedure was used to determine the energy consumption pattern and the factors affecting the use. The relationships between the type of energy (modern or traditional) consumed by the household and educational status, household size, age, total monthly income, total amount spent on food per month and distance travelled per week to obtain fuel were established. The regression result showed that age of the household heads and distance travelled to obtain fuel was significant in explaining the variation in the type of energy consumed. Observed energy consumption pattern revealed that most of the respondents consumed more of traditional than the modern energy types. The study suggests that in order to reduce stress and health hazards associated with the traditional energy source, modern energy consumption should be encouraged among the rural households in order that they might reduce the stress and hazards encountered in obtaining and using the traditional energy and also, to reduce the exploitation of forest resources for traditional fuel

Profitability and Technical Efficiency of Sweet Potato Production in Nigeria

This study examined the economics of sweet potato production in Kwara State of Nigeria. The study was conducted within the framework of the rural farming households who constitute the backbone of the Nigerian agricultural sector, producing about 80 per cent of the total national agricultural output with the cutlass-hoe technology and under rain fed conditions. Using cross-sectional data collected from 152 randomly selected sweet potato farmers from Oyun and Offa Local Government Areas of Kwara State, the study measured the profitability of and the technical efficiency of sweet potato production in the area. Primary data were collected from the sampled farming households using a structured interview schedule. Descriptive and inferential statistics was used to analyze the data. A Cobb Douglas production function was further employed to analyze the data using the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) procedure to derive the stochastic frontier production function. The study revealed that the typical sweet potato farmer in the area is a male of about 52 years, with up to 23 years experience in farming and without formal education. The farmers have an average farm size of 1.05ha. The study revealed a positive gross margin of N15,29315 ha-1. Farm size, planting material and labour inputs were significant variables having positive impact on sweet potato output. Fertilizer was found to have negative effect on output. The study further revealed a mean technical efficiency of 0.473. For better efficiency, the land area cultivated, the educational status of the farmers, accessibility to credit facility, and development of the rural areas as well as farmers’ contact with the extension agents are some of the key issues to address

Profitability and Technical Efficiency of Sweet Potato Production in Nigeria

This study examined the economics of sweet potato production in Kwara State of Nigeria. The study was conducted within the framework of the rural farming households who constitute the backbone of the Nigerian agricultural sector, producing about 80 per cent of the total national agricultural output with the cutlass-hoe technology and under rain fed conditions. Using cross-sectional data collected from 152 randomly selected sweet potato farmers from Oyun and Offa Local Government Areas of Kwara State, the study measured the profitability of and the technical efficiency of sweet potato production in the area. Primary data were collected from the sampled farming households using a structured interview schedule. Descriptive and inferential statistics was used to analyze the data. A Cobb Douglas production function was further employed to analyze the data using the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) procedure to derive the stochastic frontier production function. The study revealed that the typical sweet potato farmer in the area is a male of about 52 years, with up to 23 years experience in farming and without formal education. The farmers have an average farm size of 1.05ha. The study revealed a positive gross margin of N15,29315 ha-1. Farm size, planting material and labour inputs were significant variables having positive impact on sweet potato output. Fertilizer was found to have negative effect on output. The study further revealed a mean technical efficiency of 0.473. For better efficiency, the land area cultivated, the educational status of the farmers, accessibility to credit facility, and development of the rural areas as well as farmers’ contact with the extension agents are some of the key issues to address.sweet potatoes, technical efficiency, profitability, Kwara State, Agribusiness, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Farm Management,

Food Security and Poverty of the Rural Households In Kwara State, Nigeria

A fundamental challenge the world faces today is ensuring that millions of households living in poverty have access to enough food to maintain a healthy life. Africa over the years has been looking for ways to solving the problem of food security and it is an important topic in discussions of Africa leaders. While there are national data on food security and poverty, information on rural food security and poverty are not readily available especially in Nigeria. This study, therefore, employed discriminant analysis to examine the levels and the major determinants of food security and poverty among the rural households who are the major producers of food in Nigeria. Using the basic calorie and protein requirement per capita of households, our result revealed that accessibility to health facilities; household size, farm size and household expenditure on food were the major determinants of a household’s food security status. Non-farm income was a major determinant of the probability of a household being non-poor. The study suggests family planning as well as specific programmes targeted at the rural poor and food insecure as policy options

The Anthropometric Status of Farming households in Kogi State, Nigeria

A country needs a well nourished population of children for a productive future. Malnutrition is by far the biggest contributor to child morbidity and mortality; therefore, combating malnutrition in our communities should be an issue to policy makers. With the use of anthropometric indices derived from survey data collected from 150 randomly selected children from 150 farming households in Kabba Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, this study assessed malnutrition of children in the Central part of Nigeria. Logit model was used to examine the relationship between some anthropometric indices and the general characteristics of the household and the children. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information from the sampled households. The result showed that about one-quarter of the children are underweight while a very insignificant number of the sampled children were wasted. The probit result showed that daily calorie intake and access to safe water had significant effect on underweight of children in the study area. Daily calorie intake per child was also significant on stunting and wasting. Over 66% of the farming households had access to well water and only 21% had access to bore-hole. Majority of the children could be said to be more susceptible to water borne diseases. Provision of better domestic water source, mass food production strategies can be policy options for a virile labour force in the study area