Efficiency and Productivity of Farmers in Nigeria: A Study of Rice Farmers in North Central Nigeria

This study contributes to the agricultural productivity literature in developing countries and Nigeria especially by quantifying the level of efficiency for sample of rice farmers from North Central Zone of Nigeria. A stochastic efficiency decomposition frontier analysis was used to derive technical efficiency measures separately for rice under two production systems (upland and lowland systems). Average economic efficiency of 51.9 % and 55.4 % found for up land and lowland rice farmers respectively suggests that there is room for productivity gain for farms in the sample through better use of available resources given the state of technology. Gains in productivity growth have become increasingly important to Nigerians as demand for rice continue to increase due to population increase. Although, all the socio-economic variables tested against efficiency were significant at one level or the other there was no clear strategy of improving the relationship between them. One possible explanation for this finding is the existence of stage of developing threshold below which there is no consistent relationship between socioeconomic variables and productivity. The results suggest that rice farmers can still improve to reach such threshold in Nigeria. Hence, adoption of improved rice varieties, improvements in educational levels would be needed to go beyond this threshold before additional investments in human capital and other related factors.Crop Production/Industries, Productivity Analysis, D2,

Estimation of Actual and Potential Adoption Rates and Determinants of Improved Rice Variety Among Rice Farmers in Nigeria: The Case of NERICAs

The article used the ATE estimation framework to derive consistent semi-parametric estimators of population adoption rates and their determinants of the NERICA (New Rice for Africa) rice varieties in Nigeria. Empirical evidence shows that the observed sample adoption rate does not consistently estimate the population adoption rate even if the sample is random. NERICA awareness was found to be a major constraint to NERICA adoption in Nigeria. Several socioeconomic/demographic characteristics were found to be important determinants of NERICA awareness and adoption. Among those factors are age, gender, major occupation, year of experience and vocational training. In particular, we have found that the NERICA adoption rate in Nigeria would have been up to 76% in 2008 instead of the actually observed 20% joint exposure and adoption rate, if the whole population were exposed to the NERICAs in 2008 or before. This justifies investing in the dissemination of the NERICA varieties; considering that the 76% is bound to increase significantly in the future as farmers learn more about the characteristics of the NERICAs and become comfortable with their performances.NERICAs Adoption, awareness, Average Treatment Effect, Nigeria, Crop Production/Industries,

Effect of Rice Trade Policy on Household Welfare in Nigeria

Inconsistence in the use of trade policy reform has characterized Nigeria’s rice imports over the years and little is known about the welfare implications of these reforms on the Nigerian households. This study uses a static computable general equilibrium model to assess the effect of rice trade policies of an import ban, 80% tariff increase, 5% tariff reduction and 0% rice import tariff on the welfare of households in the country. Simulation results show that no rice trade policy improved social welfare, although producing households’ incomes increased under protectionist policies of ban and tariff increase. All households lost welfare with 0% tariff while only the major producing and consuming households lost welfare with the 5% reduction in tariffs. The least loss to social welfare also occurred in this scenario, hence this policy was recommended for adoption in order to minimize welfare losses to households. Keywords: Rice; trade policy; tariff; households; welfare; computable general equilibrium

Impact of Agricultural Value Added on Current Account Balances in Nigeria

The aim of this research paper is to explore the relationship between agriculture value added and current account balances in Nigeria. The study therefore examines the agricultural value added on current account balances over 33 years in Nigeria using data from different sources, from 1980 to 2013. The study found that the variables of interest were stationary at first difference. The Engel Granger two step test of co - integration found that the variables have a long run relationship, while the Johansen test found at least one co-integration relationship among the variables. Agriculture value added has a negative relationship with current account balances in the country in both the long run and the short run. Terms of trade and per capita gross domestic product also have negative with the current account position, while net foreign asset, real effective exchange rate and the gross domestic output have positive effects on the current account position. The short run adjustment parameters however showed that agricultural value added as a percentage of the GDP as well as the net foreign assets are the only variables capable of adjusting to their long run equilibrium within the economy. Keywords: Current account, Agriculture, Value added, Time series, Nigeri

Value Addition and Productivity Differentials in the Nigerian Cassava System

There is an increasing need to improve value addition in order to get maximum utility from agricultural systems. Using a retrospective panel data from 482 cassava farmers covering the years 2015⁻2017, this study examined the effect of value addition on productivity of farmers in the cassava system in Nigeria. We analysed a non-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis to examine productivity across cassava production systems over the three year period. We also examined the impact of value addition on productivity using an endogenous switching regression to account for unobservables that determine the decision to add value and productivity of the farmers. The study found that cost and revenue outlays increased with value addition. Cassava farmers in general operated below the efficiency frontier, with total productivity declining over the 2015⁻2017 period. However, higher value addition farmers had better efficiency and non-reducing productivity in the periods studied. We found evidence of selection bias in the decision to add value and productivity of the farmers. The conditional and unconditional outcome estimates revealed positive gains in productivity with value addition, confirming the hypothesis that value addition increases farming households’ productivity. We recommend that essential services such as extension services, agricultural training, and ease of enterprise registration that drive agricultural value addition be made available to farmers

Comparative analysis of technical efficiency between traditional and improved rice variety farmers in Nigeria

This study examined technical efficiency differentials between farmers planning traditional rice varieties and those planning improved varieties in Nigeria. The study employed a multistage random sampling procedure for the selection of 302 respondents across four major rice producing states in the country. The main analytical technique used was estimation of technical efficiency following Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) Procedure available in Frontier 4.1. Results that emanated from these analyses showed that significant increase recorded in output of rice in the country could be traced mainly to area expansion. Other variables that tended to contribute to technical efficiency were; hired labour, herbicides and seeds. The estimated average technical efficiencies for the two groups were correspondingly high (>0.90). Further analysis showed that farmers in both categories were operating at a point of increasing return to scale. The test of hypothesis on the differentials in technical efficiency between the two groups of farmers showed that there was no absolute differential in technical efficiency between them. African Journal of Economic Policy Vol. 11(1) 2004: 91-10

Inclusive Growth pattern in Rural Southwestern Nigeria: Opportunities and Challenges

African countries both individually and collectively are still searching for ways to sustain the growth momentum and to ensure that growth translates to poverty reduction, employment opportunities and more inclusive society. To address this issue, this paper looked at the pattern of growth and also argues that there are challenges and opportunities for promoting growth in Nigeria. Inclusive growth encompasses equity, equality of opportunity and protection in market and employment transitions. Using the social concentration curve, the study assesses the pattern of growth across the dimensions of education, water and energy. The study made use of the national household survey data sets collected by the National Bureau of Statistics at two time periods, NLSS 2004 and HNLSS 2009. These data were collected through a multistage sampling technique; data extracted included socio-economic characteristics, human capital, physical capital, social and financial capital variables. The concentration curve suggests that opportunities were distributed equally in terms of access to firewood and land with a downward shift in both years indicating growth inclusive

Does Collective Action Improve Gender Inclusiveness in Agrarian Change? Evidence from Cassava Based Smallholder Households in Nigeria

Does collective action have an enhancing effect on gender inclusiveness in the agrarian change matrix? This was investigated among 800 cassava-based smallholder households in a cross-sectional survey in Nigeria. Agrarian change was viewed as a function of access to productive resources (land, other assets), processes (Value addition and Nonfarm employment) and outcomes (income) in the study areas. Findings revealed that collective action was able to improve access to resources (land and assets) needed to drive the processes of agrarian change among male and female farmers. The study recommends strengthening institutions for collective action to drive positive and inclusive agrarian changes.&nbsp