Performance assessment in Nigeria’s peasant agriculture: An application of data envelopment analysis on rice producers in Cross River State, Nigeria

The paper investigated the performance of swamp rice producers in Cross River State, Nigeria, in terms of their productive efficiency, using the non-parametric data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach to frontier estimation. Results show that the efficiency levels of rice producers in the region are generally above 65%, on average, under the assumption of variable returns to scale (VRS), thus indicating substantial levels of inefficiency. Of the 95 farmers sampled, 14 were fully technically efficient, while 4 each were fully allocatively and economically efficient (in the VRSsense), thus providing a benchmark for which the inefficient producers could emulate. Allocative inefficiency was the major source of overall inefficiency, while the key cause of technical inefficiency was the problem of sub-optimal scale. Among others, the study recommends that the problem of sub-optimal scale could be addressed by increasing farm sizes of the 77 farms operating at sub-optimal scale to an average of about 0.4 hectares, while that of allocative inefficiency could be alleviated by providing rice producers in the region with information on the cost-minimizing inputmixes of their best-practice peers to enable them become fully allocatively efficient

Policy Priorities In Rural Women Empowerment Sustainability, Poverty And Food Security In Nigeria

The indispensable role of women in agricultural, rural and economic development has roused attention in recent times. At least one-third the word’s rural households are headed by women whose productive and reproductive responsibilities provide for the entire family, community and informal and formal economies. The female gender can not be sidelined while discussing issues of poverty and food security. In like manner, equitability can not be divorced from sustainability as it is one major issue in sustainability. History has revealed that Nigerian women are not always allowed by men to exert themselves fully. Some encumbrances are placed on the road to development of the feminine gender by the society. Such inequities are structural institutions that represent patriarchal and hegemonic interests. Changes have to occur in order to address the socially embedded inequities experienced by women through the various empowerment strategies introduced by past and present Nigerian governments. There is a need to formulate and implement agricultural policies and programmes the priorities of which should include easy access of women to extension services, ICTs, credit and land among others

Analysis of sources of information for Improved Cassava Production Technology (ICPTS) in Biase Local Government Area, Cross River State, Nigeria

The study analyzed sources of information for improved cassava production technology in Biase Local Government Area, Cross River State, Nigeria. Data were obtained from a random sample of 110 respondents in the study area by means of structured and semistructured questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The ranking of sources of information regarding innovation in cassava production in BiaseLocal Government Area, Cross River State saw radio (41.81%) as major source of information for new technologies in cassava production. The television (30%), extension agent (12.73%), friends/ neighbours (8.18%) and information communication technologies (ICTs)(7.27%) were ranked second, third, fourth and fifth respectively. The study also revealed that cassava farmers are faced with several problems in their production activities. These constraints affect the efficiency of cassava production in the study area. Notable among them are the constraint of lack of visit by extension agents, non-adoption of new technologies in cassava production, high cost of fertilizers, high cost of labour, delay in loan approval, low fertility of land, wrong application of fertilizers andinadequate land ranked 94.17%, 90.29% , 90.29%, 87.38%,86.41%, 70.87%, 61.17%, and 38.83% respectively. The constraints associated with sources of information for improved cassava production technology in Biase Local Government Area, Cross River State as highlighted in this paper if tackled could pave a way to increase cassava production and farm income of stakeholders. Hence, for efficient production of cassava inthe study area, these constraints must be reduced to the barest minimum. This can be done through posting of more extension agents to rural areas were cassava farms were established and more ICTs centers should created in rural areas and cassava farmers should be trained by extension agents on use of ICTs to get information on new technologies in cassava production