Commercializing Agriculture in Africa: The Environmental, Health and Safety Implications and the Way Forward

Commercialization of agriculture in is a worthy effort in attaining food sufficiency in Africa. However, this needed quest has had an enormous environmental, health and safety implications for the agricultural sector of the continent. This quest has led to intense use of machinery, agrochemicals and other non-environmental friendly methods of farming. This implies there will be greater chances of farm accidents, mishap, fatality, production loss time and other burdens on farmer’s wellbeing on one hand and loss of biodiversity, environmental degradation, and unsustainable use of land all leading to climate change on the other hand. Holistically, due to the modus operandi of agricultural work, the workers are exposed to hazard ranging from; chemical, physical, ergonomics, biological and psychosocial hazards thereby leading to disorders and diseases like carcinogenicity (cancer causing), mutagenicity (induce mutations), tetragenicity (affect the feotus), psychiatric disorder and delayed neuropathy (dysfunction of peripheral nerves), and the dusts have been known to cause diseases ranging from byssinosis (lung diseases), occupational asthma, pneumonitis (inflammation o the walls of alveoli) and non-specific chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and agriculturally related musculoskeletal disorder. Notwithstanding, a well implemented farm safety programme with massive awareness, more sustainable, environmental friendly method such as conservation agriculture and integration of environmental health impact assessments into African agriculture, research and development on commercialization of agriculture, are workable solutions to the likely health, safety and environmental challenges from the commercialization process

Marketing Efficiency and Determinants of Marketable Surplus in Vegetable Production in Kwara State, Nigeria

Marketing of vegetables is a complex phenomenon due to their perishable nature, seasonality and bulkiness, and as such, vegetable production requires an efficient marketing system. This study was therefore carried out to examine the marketing efficiency and determinants of marketable surplus in vegetables production in Kwara state, Nigeria. Data were collected using a well structured questionnaire from 75 respondents comprising 35 vegetable farmers and 40 vegetable marketers from 6 vegetable producing communities and 4 popular vegetable markets in the state. Descriptive statistics, multiple regression analysis and marketing efficiency measure were the major analytical tools employed for the study. Result of the multiple regression analysis revealed that, educational level of the household head, farming experience, spoilage at farm and household were the significant determinants of marketable surplus in vegetable production in the study area. Based on the study findings, it is recommended that daily local markets with small processing units and motor able roads be established near the vegetable farms to minimize marketing loss. The government should come up with Adult literacy programmes to educate the farmers and raise their efficiency in vegetable marketing

Curtailing Fertilizer Scarcity and Climate Change; an appraisal of Factors Affecting Organic Materials Use Option in Nigeria’s Agriculture

Global trends nowadays towards long term sustainable crop production is hinged on either supplementing the use of chemical fertilizers with organic materials or a complete use of organic materials. This is more so since substituting chemical fertilizers with organic materials reduces the risks of exposure to ailments that arise on account of synthetic compounds and increases farmers’ gains via reduced soil erosion and carbon emissions and increased bio-diversity. In this vein, the current study investigated organic materials use in Nigeria’s agriculture. Specifically, the study examined availability and use of chemical fertilizer and organic materials substitutes and investigated factors affecting the use of organic materials in the Nigerian food sector. The study data were drawn from a survey of sixty-one farm households that used organic materials as major nutrients inputs or as supplement with chemical fertilizers for their cropping activities. The study area is Shira in Nigeria. Farmers in this area usually incorporate the use of organic materials in their agriculture. The descriptive statistics and regression analyses were used to analyse the study data. Results indicate that farmers in the study area source their chemical fertilizer inputs from the open market at an exorbitant price of N2000 (US dollar $13.8) per bag on average thereby using very low rates of chemical fertilizers. Organic materials used by farmers were sourced from cattle, goats, sheep and poultry droppings. The quantity of organic material used was 12,513.0 kg per hectare at a cost of N15,015.6 (US dollar$103.5). Major constraints in the use of organic materials by farmers include poor transport facilities and cutworm infestations of the organic materials. Factors revealed to influence the quantity of organic material used by farmers were the cost of organic materials and the quantity of chemical fertilizers used by the farmers. The study therefore calls for stakeholders in the food sub-sector to encourage the establishment of blending plants for the production of organic materials, burning of organic materials before usage, and the need to enhance researches aimed at establishing optimal material mixtures and application rates for organic materials used in the Nigerian farming systems

Świadomość dotycząca prywatnych usług w dziedzinie doradztwa rolniczego oraz popyt na nie wśród właścicieli małych gospodarstw rolnych w Nigerii

This study investigated the awareness of and demand for private agricultural extension services among smallscale farmers in Nigeria, using farmers in Oyo state as a case study. Specifically, the study examined the availability and operations of private agricultural extension services and factors that determine farmers’ willingness to pay for such services. The results showed that a considerable number of farmers are willing to pay for private agricultural extension services. The number of plots cultivated by the farmers was found to influence farmers’ willingness to pay for private agricultural extension services at one percent level of significance. Income, awareness, family size and total number of plots were identified as the major factors influencing the use of private agricultural extension services in the study area. The study recommended the need for the government to mobilize farm households to avail themselves of benefits of private extension services. Efforts should also be stepped up by all development stake-holders to provide additional sources of income for farm households, in order to raise their income and demand capabilities.W niniejszym artykule przedstawiono badanie poziomu świadomości dotyczącej prywatnych usług w dziedzinie doradztwa rolniczego oraz popytu na nie wśród właścicieli małych gospodarstw rolnych w Nigerii. Badaną grupę stanowili rolnicy zamieszkujący stan Oyo. Szczególnie skupiono się na dostępności i funkcjonowaniu prywatnych usług w dziedzinie doradztwa rolniczego oraz na czynnikach, które wpływają na skłonność rolników do zapłaty za tego typu usługi. Wykazano, że znaczna liczba rolników jest skłonna zapłacić za prywatne usługi z zakresu doradztwa rolniczego. Okazało się, że na skłonność rolników do zapłaty wpływała liczba uprawianych działek ziemi, przy istotności na poziomie 1%. Dochód, poziom świadomości, wielkość rodziny i całkowitą liczbę działek uznano za główne ograniczenia w korzystaniu z prywatnych usług w dziedzinie doradztwa rolniczego na badanym obszarze. W artykule wskazano na konieczność zachęcenia gospodarstw rolnych przez rząd do skorzystania z prywatnych usług w dziedzinie doradztwa rolniczego. Także udziałowcy powinni podjąć kroki w celu zapewnienia dodatkowych źródeł utrzymania gospodarstwom, by zwiększyć ich dochód oraz popyt na usługi

Information Flow along Catfish Marketing Channels in Nigeria: Whither the Role of Mobile Telephony?

The objectives of this study were two-folds. First, examined the use of mobile phone technology to facilitate catfish marketing and second, identified the determinants of variations in the frequency of mobile phone use for catfish marketing among agents involved in the marketing chain. The study was carried out in Kwara-state, Nigeria. One hundred and forty respondents were stratified and randomly sampled and data was collected through the use of well-designed questionnaires. Descriptive and Poisson regression model were used to analyze the data. The study identified the use of mobile phone along five communication channels used for catfish marketing. Annual income generated from catfish business was significant in explaining variations observed in the frequency of mobile phone use (p<0.05). Findings imply that use of mobile phones can assist in the commercialization process of the catfish marketing and may help to forestall possible market failure. The study recommends the need for policymakers and the private sector to facilitate means of enabling access to mobile use. Furthermore, similar study can be conducted in the rural areas to ascertain specific determinants of mobile phone uses for agricultural marketing in the less urban areas

An Appraisal of Beekeeping Activities among Beneficiaries and Non-Beneficiaries of Ekiti State Agricultural Credit Agency (ESACA) Scheme in Nigeria

The study examined beekeeping activities in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Specifically the study appraised the costs and returns structure of beekeeping activities by beneficiaries of the ESACA scheme, examined the constraints to beekeeping under the scheme and outside the scheme and identified factors that affect beekeeping under the scheme and outside the scheme. A total of 150 beekeeper households were selected; 75 households each for ESACA beneficiary and non-beneficiary respondents across communities popularly known for beekeeping in Ekiti state. Descriptive statistics, costs and returns, regression and Kruscalwallis analyses were employed for data analysis. Beekeeping was found to be more profitable under the ESACA scheme than outside the scheme with returns to beekeeping labour and management of N 128.5 and N 87.0 per hive for beneficiary and non-beneficiary respondents respectively. The pooled regression result showed that the ESACA scheme enabled beneficiary respondents to be more economically viable than the non-beneficiary respondents. The bee-keepers are also faced with numerous constraints including inadequate credit, pests and diseases, bee aggressiveness, bush burning, absconding of bees, theft, inadequate technical assistance and poor market problems. The study therefore calls for that ESACA authority should extend its credit facilities to more beekeepers, need to increase loan sums and other credit facilities disbursed to beekeepers and the discouragement of bush burning by the hunters and other forest users during the dry season

ADOPTION OF SMOKING CHOKOR FOR FISH PROCESSING IN KWARA STATE

This research investigated the adoption of smoking chokor among fish processors in Kwara state, Nigeria. The study made use of structured questionnaire along with interview schedule to a sample size of one hundred and seventy (170) processors randomly selected through a two-stage random sampling technique. The data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics and the Regression Analysis. The results obtained through the analysis revealed that 43.7% of the respondents adopted the improved technology (smoking chokor). A higher percentage of respondents preferred the improved technology for the golden brown colour, fine texture, good smell and delicacy in the taste. The significant determinants of adoption include sex (female), income from fish processing activities (p<0.05) and the trust worthiness of the source of the technology (p<0.1). Perceived benefits associated with technology adoption include wastage reduction, employment generation and the reduction of smoke, while the technicalities associated with the use constitute a major constraint limiting its adoption. The study concludes that fish processors prefer the smoking chokor but its adoption is marred with various constraints. It therefore recommends the need for creating more awareness of the smoking chokor as well as reducing the perceived constraints limiting its adoption by training extension agents and other verifiable sources to educate farmers as they disseminate the technology

Implication of the Niger River Dredging on the Livelihood of Arable Farming Households in Niger State, Nigeria

Over the years, efforts have been made to improve the living conditions of the rural poor with the government embarking on different projects some of which are questioned even by the intended beneficiaries. The Federal Government of Nigeria in 2009 embarked on the dredging of the Lower Niger River some 573 kilometres upstream from Warri in Delta state to Baro in Niger State, Nigeria with the intension of promoting economic activities in the country. Considering the huge amount of money invested in the project, this study was carried out to examine the impact of the project on the socioeconomics of arable farming households in the study area. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 60 respondents for the study after which a well-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from them. Descriptive statistics and the Sustainable Livelihood Framework were the major analytical tools used for the study. Results of the study showed that on the overall, the project has a positive impact on the livelihood of the respondents though not without some negative effect. The study therefore recommends that in the future adequate compensation should be paid to the Project Affected People who had their assets destroyed and their livelihood negatively affected as a result of the project. Also, sufficient and proper assessment should be done before embarking on the execution of the project such that enough provision is made to cushion its negative effect

Determinants of Forest Resources Uses and Its Implications for Environmental Sustainability in Nigeria

This study examines determinants of forest resource use and its implications for environmental sustainability in Nigeria; using Kwara state as a case study. Specifically, the study examines awareness of climate change vis-a-vis forest resources use and factors affecting forest resources sustainability. For the study, one hundred and twenty households were selected across eight communities in ADP Zone C in Kwara state. Tools used to analysed data were the descriptive statistics and multinomial logit analyses. Study findings revealed that over half of the rural households have had basic primary education. Household perception of climate change indicators were indigenous and at low levels. Those mostly affected by climate change were children. However minimal losses due to climate change were perceived by the households while climate change forest related mitigation activities was mainly that of planting indigenous trees. Also, despite the fact that there is a high forest fuel resources usage by rural households in the study area, their likelihood of using non-forest fuels were found to dependent on their income, price of alternatives. Based on these findings, it is recommended that enlightenment and sensitization of all stakeholders on the reality of climate change, the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices and the provision of affordable and environmental friendly source of fuels should be pursued