Constraints to Increased Demand for African Breadfruit (Treculia africana) in Owerri Agricultural Zone of Imo State, Nigeria

The study aimed at providing information on the constraints to increased household demand for African Breadfruit (Treculia Africana) in Owerri Agricultural Zone of Imo State, Nigeria. A total of sixty respondents were used for the study. The objectives of the study were to identify the socio-economic characteristics of African breadfruit consumers in the study area, to determine the factors influencing household demand for African breadfruit and to identify the major constraints to increased demand for African breadfruit. One hypothesis was tested. Data was collected using a researcher-designed questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression model were used for data analysis. Results showed that the mean age of breadfruit consumers was 42.9 years. Majority of the breadfruit consumers (58%) were civil servants as their major occupation and most (68%) of them engage in farming as their minor occupation. Age, household size, educational level, income level (household income) and price of substitute to breadfruit were significant and directly related to the household demand for African breadfruit. Most of the breadfruit consumers are constrained by much stress in preparing it and seasonality of the produce. It was recommended that youths should explore breadfruit production since majority of the breadfruit consumers fall within the active proportion of the labour force. Keywords: Constraints, household demand, African breadfrui

The Role of the Agricultural Economist in Agricultural Adaptation to Climate Change in the Oil Palm Industry in the Southern Nigeria

When human activities which cause climate change raise threats to the environment, the Agricultural Economist who is also a policy maker should take careful measures even if some cause and effect relationships are not established. The vulnerability of Nigerian Agricultural sector to climate change is of particular interest to policy makers in the economy accounting for higher percentage of the labour force. There are many adaptation options which can be adopted by farmers at low cost but proper estimates of adaptation cost and benefits are currently deficient due to the involvement of wrong climate change actors. As is the case with making an economic decision, the astute response by an Agricultural Economist will depend on equating and or comparing benefits and cost. When the expected benefits of adaptation are positive, the rational decision maker (the Oil Palm farmer) will take adaptive actions. Policy options in particular must become available. Climate change will almost surely make life even harder for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable Oil Palm farmer. An Agricultural Economist must play his role in reducing the society’s vulnerability to losses from climate change and avoid restricting farmers’ capacity to adapt by limiting their options. The devastating effects of climate change and the need for an integrated response requires resilient and adaptive institutions and exemplary actors like the Agricultural Economist to lead the process towards creating an enabling environment for adaptation to climate change. This paper described the potential role the Agricultural Economist can play in climate change adaptation, in the Oil Palm industry and aims to address the question: what policy and institutional changes are needed to encourage agricultural adaptation strategies/ practices to develop the industry and the nation as a whole. The paper concluded that advances in understanding of climate change adaptation can come from collection of better data, development of new methods and models, observation of changes in climate and its effects, by an Agricultural Economist in order to accommodate new dimensions brought about by climate change