FARMERS RESOURCE – USE AND TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY IN COWPEA PRODUCTION IN NIGERIA

In Nigeria, the use of stochastic frontier to estimate farm level efficiency effects is still at the rudimentary level and is beginning to build up. Few studies have been undertaken but there is dearth need for more empirical studies on this important issue. This paper presents the analysis of technical efficiency of cowpea production in Osun state southwest Nigeria, using the stochastic production frontier, budgetary and resource-use efficiency analyses. The marginal value products of all the resources used are less than their prices (MVPResource-Use Efficiency, Technical Efficiency, Cowpea Production, Stochastic Frontier, Tobit Model and Marginal Products

Factors influencing food consumption diversity among farming households in selected states in southwestern Nigeria

The dietary practices of households have significant repercussions on the quality of life of its members. Dietary practice generally shows the types and variety of food intake and is extremely reliant on the socio-demographic characteristics. Dietary diversity has beenpositively associated with the four pillars of food security and all dietary guidelines propose consuming a large variety of foods, across and within major food groups. This paper focuses on the influence of socioeconomic factors on household-level food consumption diversity (FCD) in Nigeria. Since the majority of Nigerians (70 per cent) live in rural areas, an analysis of the food and nutrition security status of rural dwellers will provide a clear picture of what needs to be done to assure food security. A multistage sampling technique was employed for the selection of respondents from a random sample of households proportionate to the size of three states in the south-western agricultural zone of Nigeria, and primary data were collected using an interview guide. The analytical tools used were descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, mean food consumption diversity index and multinomial logit regression model. The results showed that there were significant differences in the socio-economic attributes of farming households in the area of study. Also, farming households (78.9%) in the south-west had a moderate level of FCD; only 8.2% of the farming households had high FCD level and the balance only having a poor FCD. Distance to market, access to information on price, household size, income and farm size were positively and significantly influencing FCD in the study area. However, expenditure on legumes decreases the ability of householdsto attain higher food consumption diversity in the study area. It is recommended that government should make food markets more accessible to farmers, disseminating information on prices of food through modern systems and educate farmers on productivity through extension services in order to generate more income to achieve high FCD. Key words: Food Groups, Consumption Diversity, Farming Household, Diversity Index, Nigeri

Economic Analysis of Sickness and Labour Productivity among Cocoa Farmers in Obafemi/Owode Local Government Area, Ogun State

A high proportion of people suffer from malnutrition and other diseases related to poor nutrition and the rural people are worst hit by sicknesses resulting from poor nutrition. Therefore, this research work examined effects of sickness on labour productivity among crop farmers in Obafemi/Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State. A total number of one hundred and forty two farmers were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analytical procedure. The descriptive analysis indicated that farmers in the study area literarily have no other source of income (59.86%). They are mostly aged males (65.49%) who have little or no education but a long year of experience in farming (more than 90% have more than ten years experience). Malaria is discovered to be the main cause of the prevailing sickness in the area with about 52% victims affected by it. The regression analysis revealed that the type of toilet used by the farmers, distance of toilet from homestead, working hours per day, diversification extent of food consumed and number of days farmers fell sick during cropping season are major influencing factors. The effects of sickness on labour productivity revealed that land area cultivated by farmers and weight of seeds planted directly affect labour productivity while proportion of days lost by farmers due to sickness and educational qualification have negative effects. It is therefore, recommended that youths should be encouraged to venture into agriculture and the provisions of rural community health services should be strengthened. Keywords: Sickness, days, labour, productivity and cocoa farmers

Determinants of Market Participation Among Maize Farmers in Ogbomoso Zone, Oyo State, Nigeria

The key to increasing agricultural output in developing countries is improving the productivity of farmers, which cannot be achieved without markets that would effectively bind the increasingly specialized activities of thousands of widely dispersed producers into an integrated national economy. Although, there is a high potential for rural farmers to derive livelihood from market-oriented agriculture and improve their standard of living, but what are those factors determining farmers’ market participation. Thus, this study investigates the determinants of market participation among maize farmers in Ogbomoso zone of Oyo state, Nigeria. A simple random sampling technique was used in the selection of respondents and a well-structured questionnaire was used to gather information on socio-economic attributes and market participation among maize farmers in Ogbomoso, Oyo State. Eighty questionnaire were administered, but 79 retrieved were subjected to analysis. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and probit regression. The results show that majority of the farmers were male (70.9%), married (67.1%) and had a minimum of secondary education (74.7%) and above. Also, 70% had direct access and planted improved maize seed and 58% sold maize produced in the urban market. Probit model result shows that gender, age, marital status, household size, farming experience, educational level and membership of association/group are the major determinants influencing market participation in the study area. The study recommends that government should encourage formation of associations/groups, where farmers can get information about market situations and formulate policies on adult literacy programme to encourage farmers to participate more in market