Drivers of technical efficiency in cassava processing in Nigeria: implications for a commercializing food sector

Open Access JournalRésumé La plupart des politiques agricoles au Nigeria ont pour objectif d’intégrer les petits agriculteurs dans l'économie de marché. Au cours de la dernière décennie, le Nigéria a connu un important apport de capitaux privés et publics dans la promotion des unités de transformation du manioc de petite échelle. Cette étude utilise la fonction de frontière stochastique et des données d’entrées/sorties pour mesurer et expliquer les efficacités techniques (ET) de 274 entreprises de petite et moyenne taille. L'étude a montré que les entreprises de transformation du manioc ont une efficacité technique moyenne de 43% t, indiquant qu'une très grande proportion de la valeur de la production (57%) est perdue en raison des inefficacités propres aux entreprises. Les entreprises de transformation de la zone du Centre-Nord ont enregistré l’efficacité technique moyenne la plus élevée (61%), suivies par celle de la zone du Sud-Est / Sud-Ouest (42%) et enfin celle du Sud-Sud (26%). Les valeurs de l’ ET étaient inférieures à 80% pour environ 85% des entreprises échantillonnées. Les efficacités techniques sont influencées par la classification de l'entreprise (petite ou moyenne taille, propriété individuelle ou propriété familiale), les facteurs sociaux (interactions avec d'autres acteurs), économiques (nombre de produits, de clients ou de commandes reçues) et la participation à un atelier de formation. Les gouvernements et les institutions ayant un rôle statutaire dans la promotion des chaînes de valeurs agricoles devraient envisager de façon adéquate l’encouragement et la promotion des unités de transformateurs de manioc de petite et moyenne taille et ceci, avec beaucoup plus de vigueur. L’organisation régulière d’ateliers pour renforcer les capacités et l'efficacité des transformateurs est également recommandée. Abstract Most agriculture policies in Nigeria are aimed at integrating the rural poor into market economy. In the last decade, Nigeria witnessed significant private and public injection of capital into the promotion of small-medium scale cassava processing. This study uses a stochastic frontier function and inputs/outputs data to measure technical efficiencies (TE) of 274 small-medium cassava processing firms in Nigeria. Results showed that the cassava processing enterprises had a mean TE of 43 percent, indicating that, a large proportion of output value (57%) is lost due to firm-specific inefficiencies. Cassava processing enterprises in the north-central area of Nigeria recorded a mean TE of 61% (highest), followed by South-east/South-west (42%) and South-south (26%). TE values were below 80% for about 85% percent of the sampled enterprises. Technical efficiencies were influenced by enterprise classification (small-medium, sole proprietorship or family ownership), social factors (interaction with other actors), economic (number of products, clients or orders received) and attendance of training workshop. It is recommended that government and institutions with statutory role to promote agricultural value chains should consider encouraging and promoting small-medium scale cassava processing the more with adequate impetus. Constant training workshops to improve the skills and efficiency of the cassava processors are also recommended

MEMBERSHIP TO INNOVATION PLATFORMS AND GENDER IN OWNERSHIP OF PRODUCTIVE ASSETS IN THE SAVANNAS OF WEST AFRICA

Access to productive assets is a major issue in the gender empowerment discourse. Asset accumulation is a pre-condition for economic empowerment, and sustainable accumulation of assets is key to upward mobility beyond survival, and towards economic empowerment. The objective of this study was to examine the role that participation in the Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D)\u2019s Innovation Platform \u201cIP\u201d \u2013 (social capital) play in empowering rural women to acquire productive assets using the case of the sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Programme (SSA-CP). We utilised panel data from baseline and midline data obtained from the Kano-Katsina-Maradi Pilot Learning Site (KKM PLS) of the SSA CP in West Africa. The data were obtained from twelve IPs of the three Task Forces (TFs) that made up the KKM PLS of the SSA CP. Altogether, the analysis involved 600 households in the PLS. Both descriptive analysis and the probit regression models showed that women who were inferior to men in productive asset ownership at the inception of the project improved with participation in the innovations of the project, in terms of human asset, input resource, durable business asset and household good.The value of women\u2019s asset index was 21.78 compared to that of men at 18.33 at the end of the project. Probit regression results suggest that membership to IP, female education level, age of female spouse and household size are determinants of asset ownership by women in the study area. The results confirm that social capital in the form of membership of IP enhances accumulation of productive assets for women.L\u2019acc\ue8s aux ressources de production est un probl\ue8me majeur dans les discours sur l\u2019autonomisation des femmes. L\u2019accumulation des biens est un pr\ue9-requis pour l\u2019autonomisation \ue9conomique, et l\u2019accumulation durable des biens est \ue9ssentielle pour une mobilit\ue9 sociale au del\ue0 de la subsistance, et pour une automisation \ue9conomique. L\u2019objectif de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait d\u2019examiner le r\uf4le que la participation \ue0 la Plate-forme d\u2019Innovation \u201cIP\u201d en Recherch\ue9 Agricole Int\ue9gr\ue9e pour le D\ue9velopppement (IAR4D)- (Capital social) joue dans l\u2019automisation des femmes en milieu rural pour acqu\ue9rir des biens de production en se basant sur le cas du programme des d\ue9fis de l\u2019Afrique Sub-Saharienne (SSA-CP). Nous avons utilis\ue9 les donn\ue9es de base et les donn\ue9es de la ligne m\ue9diane venues du site Pilot d\u2019apprentissage de Kano-Katsina-Maradi (KKMPLS) de SSA en Afrique de l\u2019Ouest. Les donn\ue9es \ue9taient obtenues des douze IPs des trois groupes de travail (TFs) qui formaient les KKMPLS de SSA CP. Ensemble, l\u2019analyse implique 600 m\ue9nages dans les PLS. L\u2019analyse descriptive et les mod\ue8les de r\ue9gression de Probit \ue0 la fois ont montr\ue9 que les femmes qui \ue9taient inf\ue9rieures aux hommes dans l\u2019acc\ue8s aux ressources de production au d\ue9but du projet se sont vues am\ue9lior\ue9es avec la participation aux innovations du projet, en termes des ressources humaines, intrants, actif commercial durable et bien familial. La value de l\u2019indice d\u2019acc\ue8s aux biens des femmes \ue9tait 21,78 compar\ue9e \ue0 celle des hommes qui \ue9tait de 18,33 vers la fin du projet. Les r\ue9sultats de la r\ue9gression de Probit sugg\ue8rent que l\u2019appartenance \ue0 l\u2019IP, le niveau d\u2019\ue9ducation de la femme, l\u2019\ue2ge de la femme et la taille du m\ue9nage sont les d\ue9terminants d\u2019acc\ue8s aux propri\ue9t\ue9s par les femmes dans le mileu d\u2019\ue9tude. Les r\ue9sultats confirment que le capital social en forme d\u2019appartenance aux IP augmente l\u2019accumulation des propri\ue9t\ue9s productives des femmes

Government Expenditure and Its Implication for Economic Growth: Evidence from Nigeria

Government Expenditure is an important macroeconomic objective in an economy. In this study, the structure and size of government expenditure determine the pattern of growth in the economy. The Keynesian aggregate expenditure is adopted as a framework to explain the role of government spending on output. The Johansen cointegration test was applied to verify the long run relationship between the variables and the Granger causality test was employed to determine the existence and direction of causation between government expenditure and economic growth. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) methodology was employed to examine the relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. From the analysis and findings, government spending significantly and positively explained the economic growth of the country. The relationship was significant at 5 percent level. In comparing the results of the total government expenditure with capital and recurrent expenditure, the result shows that they are positively related to economic growth however the recurrent component of the expenditure significantly explained more. Therefore, it is recommended that the government should give more priority to the capital component that is more productive and can induce rapid economic prosperity

PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH DEMONSTRATION AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ADOPTION OF IMPROVED AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE SAVANNAS OF WEST AFRICA

Despite continued progress in the development and promotion of improved agricultural technologies, and the gradual process in agricultural research for development (R4D) programmes, adoption rates are relatively low in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Recommendations have, therefore, been made by national and international research institutions and stakeholders for more involvement of the smallholders in evaluating promising agricultural technologies. This study assessed the impact of the participatory research demonstration on the adoption of the technologies promoted by the sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Programme (SSA CP) using the innovation platform (IP) concept. Results showed that 67 and 59% of the IP and non-IP farmers, respectively, reported that researchers and extension personnel decided on the technologies for research or demonstration. Fifty-two and 43% of the IP and non-IP farmers, respectively, perceived research and demonstration to be very useful. The type of technology or demonstration that farmers mostly participated in was crop variety (IP farmers=72.87%; non-IP farmers=70.19%). Following our analyses which are based on the Instrumental Variable (IV) approach, participation in research and demonstrations significantly increased adoption of the demonstrated technologies by 99%. We observed a 100% significant increase in adoption of the demonstrated technologies in the sample of IP participants. The main factors that determined the adoption of the demonstrated technologies included membership to farmer group, and distances to input and output markets.Malgr\ue9 les progr\ue8s continu dans le d\ue9veloppement et la promotion des technologies agricoles am\ue9lior\ue9es, le progr\ue8s graduel dans les programmes de recherche agricole pour le d\ue9veloppement (R4D), les taux d\u2019adoption sont relativement faibles dans la plupart des parties de l\u2019Afrique Sub-Saharienne (SSA). Des recommendations ont \ue9t\ue9, cependant faites par les institutions nationales et internationals de recherches et les parties prenantes pour plus d\u2019implication des petits exploitants agricoles dans l\u2019\ue9valuation des technologies agricoles prometteuses. Cette \ue9tude a evalu\ue9 l\u2019impact de la d\ue9monstration de la recherche participative sur l\u2019adoption des technologies d\ue9velop\ue9es par le programme d\u2019enjeu de l\u2019Afrique Sub-Saharienne (SSA CP) en utilisant le concept de la plate-forme d\u2019innovation (IP). Les r\ue9sultats ont montr\ue9 que 67 et 59% des producteurs de IP et non-IP, respectivement, ont rapport\ue9 que les chercheurs et le personnel de vulgarisation ont le pouvoir de d\ue9cision sur les technologies de recherche et de d\ue9monstration. Cinquante-deux et 43% de producteurs IP et non-IP, respectivement, ont per\ue7u la recherche et la d\ue9monstration comme tr\ue8s utiles. Le type de technologie ou de d\ue9monstration auquel les paysans ont particip\ue9 \ue9tait la vari\ue9t\ue9 de culture, (producteurs IP=72,87%; producteurs non-IP= 70,19%). Selon nos analyses qui sont bas\ue9es sur l\u2019approche de variable instrumentale (IV), la participation \ue0 la recherche et \ue0 la demonstration a sigificativment augment\ue9 l\u2019adoption des technologies d\ue9montr\ue9es par 99%. Nous avions observ\ue9 une augmentation significative de 100% d\u2019adoption de technologies d\ue9montr\ue9es dans l\u2019\ue9chantillon des particpants IP. Les facteurs principaux qui d\ue9terminent l\u2019adoption des technologies d\ue9montr\ue9es comprennent l\u2019appartenance aux groupements de producteurs, et les \ue9carts entre les march\ue9s d\u2019intrant et du produit

Risk and Economic Perspectives of Post Harvest Decisions: An Application of Bayesian Theory to Smallholder Farming In Oyo State, South Western Nigeria

Abstract: This study is conceived to quantitatively assess the profitability status of farmers' post harvest actions, the risks and uncertainties attached to these actions and to ultimately determine the most optimally and economically viable and sustainable of the actions. A representative number of 300 smallholder farmers from 100 farming communities scattered over 20 local government areas (LGAs) from the 4 agricultural development project (ADP) zones of Oyo State were selected by a multistage stratified sampling technique. Data collected include (1) primary: types of food crops grown, outputs and sales there from, information on socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of the farming households; (2) secondary data: which include time-series information on monthly and periodic market and farm gate prices of food crops in the state. Data were analyzed by using the descriptive statistics such as percentage, tables, means and frequencies and the Bayesian (risk) decision theory. The Bayesian theory was used to determine farmers' optimum farming strategies prior to market predictions and when markets are "normal" and in "short supply." Results show that prior to market predictions, cocoa in Ibadan, Ibarapa and Oyo; Mango in Ogbomoso and groundnut in Saki zones are crops with the best (optimum) strategy. When market is predicted to be "normal" cocoa in Ibadan/Ibarapa and Oyo; mango and groundnut in Ogbomoso and Saki zones respectively, command optimum returns. With market being in "short supply," cocoa has the highest expected return after processing and storage in Ibadan/Ibarapa and Oyo zones. In Saki zone, cassava has the highest return, while in Ogbomoso zone, Mango fruit commanded the highest expected return. Findings under "normal" and "short supply" conditions of market reveal that the prevention of financial and economic shocks resulting from market and price variability and fluctuations will involve the growing of annual and or perennial cash crops being intensified, while annual and seasonal crops be maintained at the level of recovering investment cost and satisfying the farm's family immediate food need and the deserved reserve from output

Data for: 3407888

Registered Nurses Leaving Nigeria by countries of destination 2004 to 201

Risk aversion and sustainable maize production in Nigeria: some challenges and prospects for agricultural and economic development

This paper determines the degree or extent of farmer’s risk aversion that affects sustainable maize production in Northern Nigeria. Using a ridge regression analysis, a measure of risk aversion was derived for each individual farmer in a model of safety-first behaviour from a cross-sectional survey of 350 maize producers in northern Nigeria. The distribution of the degree of risk aversion shows a high skewness towards the risk averters (high risk farmers) and centered around 1.20, and standard deviation of 0.37. This distribution is then explained by a set of specific variables that characterize the farmers’ behaviour in the study area using a Tobit model. Susceptibility to risk was found to be highly premised on the socioeconomic factors (e.g. age of household head), farm specific variables (e.g. proportion of income from maize) and farmers’ attitudinal factors against risk (e.g. safety first level of probability of sale). These findings can be used to construct a framework of development programs for peasant farmers, which provide some challenging prospects

Assessing the potential impact of Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D) on adoption of improved cereallegume crop varieties in the Sudan Savannah Zone of Nigeria

This article provides an assessment of the potential impact of operationalizing agricultural innovation platforms (IPs) in the Sudan Savannah zone of Nigeria on adoption of improved maize/legume crop varieties, as measured by the potential outcome approach. The results show that, if the whole population in the intervention area were exposed to these varieties, the adoption rate could be increased to 69% instead of 49%. The study also shows that exposure, as well as adoption, is influenced by numerous social and institutional factors and suggests that the operationalization of IPs could help boost the adoption rate to around 51%

Adoption of improved cassava varieties by processors is linked to processing characteristics and products biophysical attributes

Published online: 09 Jan 2022Evidence from community cassava processors on product quality traits that influence variety adoption was combined with laboratory methods to identify potential predictors of quality traits of new varieties. The study revealed that high product yield, high starch content, high solubility index (SI), high peak viscosity (PV), low setback viscosity, and delayed root color change (delayed postharvest physiological deterioration) are possible laboratory indicators that could be used as proxies for predicting product quality and variety adoption decisions of cassava processors. Fufu exhibited higher swelling power, SI, and PV than gari from the same varieties. Processors preferred quality characteristics are difficult to measure for several hundreds of new germplasms in the early stages of the breeding cycle. The information presented may be helpful during the breeding of new, improved varieties by using the physical and chemical properties of the roots that predict processors’ preferred quality traits. Practical applications The study identified laboratory parameters that could be used as predictors of processors-preferred traits in new breeding lines with a higher possibility of adoption by processors to make commercial success products

Male Responsibility in Reproductive Health in Nigeria: An Eclectic Methodological Approach

An eclectic methodological approach to the study of men within the framework of reproductive health and related issues was experimented in this study. Literary discourse has focused on the study of male involvement in reproduction from the narrow perspective of what more men need to do to increase women\'s acceptance of contraception and utilization of relevant services. But few studies employed a diffuse approach to providing answers to the seemingly intractable issue of maleness as it impacts the whole gamut of reproductive health issues and human development. The present research derived from a growing recognition of situating male behavior within the socio-cultural context using ethnomethodology as an invaluable method of analyzing maleness from the evolutionary construct. Analysis of literary criticism and evaluation of discourse relevant to the evolutionary pattern of gender construction, manhood, masculinity, sexuality, family and social relationship were adopted using anthropological and sociological methods. The advantage of this process is the use of eclectic and iterative approaches of articulating the evolutionary trend of manhood and gender, their implications for sexuality culminating in family and other stable relationships. The potential benefits and limitations of the research design are discussed. The study proposes the use of more diffuse approaches in the study of male involvement in reproduction and human development. African Journal for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Vol.7(2) 2004: 167-19