The study examined the problems of Livingstone Potato (Plecthranthus esculentus) production at farmers fields in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. Two Local Government Areas (BarkinLadi and Shendam) were purposively sampled. Three communities each were randomly selected from the two Local Government Areas. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency and percentages), and multiple regression analysis

Akinpelu, A.O

Asumugha, G.N

Dalyop, T.Y

Dung, E.A

Okoye, B.C

Olojede, A.O

Munich Personal RePEc Archive

MPRA
Munich Personal RePEc Archive
Socio-Economic Determinants of
Livingstone Potato (Plecthranthus
Esculentus) Production at Farmers
Fields in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria
A.O Akinpelu and A.O Olojede and E.A Dung and T.Y
Dalyop and B.C Okoye and G.N Asumugha
National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Abia State
August 2009
Online at https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/17440/
MPRA Paper No. 17440, posted 25 November 2018 09:25 UTC
SOCIO-ECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF LIVINGSTONE POTATO (PLECTHRANTHUS 
ESCULENTUS) PRODUCTION AT FARMERS FIELDS IN JOS, PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA. 
 
Akinpelu, A.O., Olojede, A.O., Dung, E.A., Dalyop, T.Y., Okoye, B.C and Asumugha, G.N. 
 
National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, P MB 7006, Umuahia, Abia State. 
 
Abstract 
The study examined the problems of Livingstone Potato (Plecthranthus esculentus) production at farmers 
fields in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. Two Local Government Areas (BarkinLadi and Shendam) were 
purposively sampled. Three communities each were randomly selected from the two Local Government 
Areas. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency and percentages), and multiple regression 
analysis.  
 
Keywords: Socio-Economic, Livingstone Potato, Production and Jos Plateau 
 
Introduction 
The significance of major root and tuber crops 
such as cassava, sweetpotato, potato, yam and 
cocoyam in the diet of people of sub- Saharan 
Africa can not be overemphasized. However, the 
contribution of other minor root and tuber crops 
should not be under estimated. Livingstone 
Potato (Plectranthus esculentus) also known as 
Rizga, Nvat, Vu, Sima or Rungwabi is one of the 
edible indigenous tuber crops commonly grown 
in some states in the middle belt of Nigeria 
(Olojede et al., 2005).  
 
It plays a significant role in the food systems of 
the people in this region. The tuber is either 
eaten raw as snack after peeling and washing or 
boiled and eaten with rice, while the leaves are 
also consumed as vegetables (Demissie, 1997; 
Olojede et al., 2005). The tuber pieces are 
principally obtained from previous harvest and 
through farmer-to-farmer exchange. Planting of 
seed tubers takes place as early as April at the 
onset of the rainy season. Harvesting is done 6-7 
months after planting. Despite its acceptance, 
and nutritional value (Alleman, 1996), the 
Livingstone Potato has received little or no 
attention from researchers in Nigeria, and 
consequently its potential is being 
underexploited.  
 
Farmers growing this crop follow indigenous 
methods which resulted in relatively low yield. 
The reason behind such low yield is due to lack 
of high yielding variety and method of 
production practices adopted by local farmers. 
Although, it has the potential of contributing to 
food security and diversification of the local food 
base, its production has not been standardized 
from scientific point of view. The Livingstone 
Potato (Plectranthus esculentus) could become 
one of the important tuber crops of the people in 
these states if its production is expanded.  
 
Therefore, research needs to bring improvement 
in production technologies as well as considering 
economic returns for a crop that provides 
income- generation opportunities for rural people 
of the middle belt of Nigeria, especially women 
who are actively involved in the cultivation and 
marketing of this crop (Olojede et al., 2005).The 
objective of this study was to ascertain the 
determinants of Livingstone Potato production at 
farmers fields in Plateau State.  
 
Methodology 
The study was conducted in Jos, Plateau State. 
The State is in the middle belt region and in the 
guinea savannah agro ecological zone of the 
country. It is located at Latitude 09o 11’ and 
Longitude 08o44’with an elevation of 1340m 
above sea level (Danbaba and Amadi, 2008). 
Two Local Government Areas (BarkinLadi and 
Shendam) were purposively sampled. These 
areas are known for the cultivation and 
production of this underexploited crop. Twenty 
one farmers from each Local Government Area 
were randomly sampled for the study. Three 
communities each were randomly selected from 
the two Local Government Areas. The 
communities were Kwi, Loh-Tiu, Turu, Longvel, 
Kwapkilik and Shendam. A total sampling frame 
of forty two respondents was used. Structured 
interview schedules were used for data collection 
from respondents. Additional information was 
gathered through informal discussions with the 
farmers and by personal observations of the crop 
in some of the farmers’ fields. Data were 
analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency 
and percentages), and multiple regression 
analysis. The log- linear model derived from the 
Cobb Douglas functional form was the 
econometric model specified for explaining 
determinants of productivity of Livingstone 
potato following Ukoha (2000) and Okoye et al 
(2008). It is only when satisfactory results are 
not obtained from this model that other forms 
will be tried out.  
 
 
The model is described thus: 
 
Y/N=f (X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7) + e 
 
Where Y = yield of Livingstone potato (kg/ha) 
            X1= age (years) 
            X2= household size (number of persons) 
            X3= sex (dummy variable; male=1, 
female=0) 
            X4= marital status (1=single, 2=married, 
3=divorced, 4=widowed) 
            X5= farm size (hectares) 
            X6= educational background (number of 
years) 
            X7= membership of cooperative society 
(1= yes, 0= no) 
              e= error term 
 
Results and Discussion 
Table 1 shows the socio-economic characteristics 
of Livingstone potato farmers. The table reveals 
that majority (92.90%) of the farmers were 
women. This is in consonance with Olojede et 
al., (2005) which shows that the crop is mostly 
cultivated by women. Majority (78.60%) of the 
farmers did not belong to any cooperative society 
which may account for their low yield because 
membership of cooperative society increases 
farmers’ awareness of improved methods of 
farming. About 41% of the farmers were 
between the age range of 41- 50 years which is 
an indication that majority of the farmers 
cultivating the crops are ageing and this have a 
direct relationship on the productivity of 
Livingstone potato in the study area as revealed 
by the negative coefficients of the regression 
analysis which is significant at 1 per cent level of 
probability (Table 2). Also 57.10% of the 
respondents had between 6-10 persons in their 
households and a positive coefficient which is 
significant at 1 per cent level of probability as 
shown in tables 1 and 2. Moreover, 45.20% of 
the respondents had between 3.5 - 4.0hectares of 
farm land. The regression analysis showed that 
farm size had a negative coefficient and is 
significant at 5 per cent level of probability. This 
is expected as the farmers allocated few portions 
of their land to the production of Livingstone 
potato. About 43% of the respondents had 
between 7-12 years of Education and majority 
(85.72%) had farming as major occupation but 
these were not significant. 
 
Conclusion 
The study assessed the determinants of 
Livingstone potato production at farmers’ fields 
in Jos, Plateau. Sex, membership of cooperative 
society, age, household size and farm size 
constituted major problems to Livingstone potato 
production in the study area. Policies targeted at 
both gender participating in the production of the 
crop, encouraging youths to stay in agriculture, 
economics of production, germplasm collection, 
characterization, and evaluation and farm 
mechanization to increase farm size would 
largely promote Livingstone potato production in 
the study area.  
 
References 
Alleman, J. (1996). Two Indigenous Tuber 
Species being Evaluated as Possible 
Food Crops. ARC Roodeplaat 
Vegetable and Ornamental Plant 
Institute. Pretoria, South Africa. 
Danbaba, A.K. and Amadi, C.O. (2008). Effect 
of Different Sources of NPK -15:15:15 
on the Growth and Yield of Potato 
(Solanum tuberosum.L.) on the Jos 
Plateau. In: Proceedings of the 42nd 
Annual Conference of Agricultural 
Society of Nigeria (ASN) held at Ebonyi 
State  University, Abakiliki, Nigeria. 
October 19th-23rd :203-207. 
Demissie, A. (1997). Potentially Valuable Crop 
Plants in a Vavilovian  Center of 
Diversity, Ethiopia. In:  Proceedings of 
a Conference on  Crop Genetic 
Resources of Africa, Nairobi, August 
1995. Guirano, L. (Ed). Rome: IPGRI. 
Okoye, B.C., Onyenweaku, C.E, Ukoha, O.O, 
Asumugha, G.N. and Aniedu, O.C 
(2008). Determinants of Labour 
Productivity on Small-Holder Cocoyam  
Farms in Anambra 
              State,Nigeria.Scientific Research and 
Essay 3 (ISSN11):559-561.  
Olojede, A.O., Iluebbey, P. and Dixon A.G.O. 
(2005). IITA/NRCRI Collaborative 
Germplasm and Data Collection on 
Minor Root and Tuber Crops in Nigeria. 
In: Annual Report 2005 National Root 
Crops Research Institute, Umudike:  77 
Ukoha, O.O. (2000). Determinants of Labour 
Productivity on Small-Holder Sole Crop 
Farms: A Case of Waterleaf Enterprise 
(Talinum 
trianglulare).Nig.J.Agribusiness Rural 
Dev. 1:3. 
  
Table 1: Socio Economic Characteristics of Livingstone Potato Farmers in Plateau State 
Variables Frequency Percentage (%) 
Sex   
Male 3 7.10 
Female 39 92.90 
Total 42 100.00 
Age (Years)  
 
10 - 20 2 4.80 
21- 30 4 9.50 
31- 40 11 26.20 
41-50 17 40.50 
Above 50 8 19.00 
Total 42 100.00 
Marital Status   
Single 10 23.80 
Married 23 54.80 
Divorced 4 9.50 
Widowed/Widower 5 11.90 
Total 42 100.00 
Education (No of years)   
No Education 13 30.95 
1-6 18 42.85 
7-12 11 26.20 
Above 12 0 00.00 
Total 42 100.00 
Household Size(No of persons)   
1-5 11 26.20 
6-10 24 57.10 
11-15 5 11.90 
Above 15 2 4.80 
Total 42 100.00 
Occupation   
Full Time 36 85.72 
Part time 6 14.28 
Total 42 100.00 
Membership of Cooperative Society   
Yes 9 21.40 
No 33 78.60 
Total 42 100.00 
Farm size (Hectares)   
0.5 -   1.0 11 26.20 
1.5 -   2.0 7 16.70 
2.5 -   3.0 5 11.90 
3.5 -   4.0 19 45.20 
Total 42 100.00 
Source: Field Survey 2008  
 
 
 
 
Table 2: Regression Results of Determinants of Livingstone Potato Production in Jos, Plateau State 
 
Variables 
Coefficients  
T - values 
Intercept 7.739 7.450 *** 
Sex 0.182 0.675 ** 
Membership of cooperative society 0.229 1.037* 
Age -0.044 -0.187 *** 
Household size 0.922 2.192 *** 
Farm size -0.280 -0.907 ** 
Educational Level -0.170 -1.269 
Occupation 0.818 0.816 
R2 0.552  
F – ratio 1.054  
Number of observations 42  
 Source: Field Survey 2008 
  ***, **,*= significant at 1%, 5%, and 10% levels respectively 
 


Socio-Economic Determinants of Livingstone Potato (Plecthranthus Esculentus) Production at Farmers Fields in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria

Munich RePEc Personal Archive

Munich Personal RePEc ArchiveSocio-Economic Determinants ofLivingstone Potato (PlecthranthusEsculentus) Production at FarmersFields in Jos, Plateau State, NigeriaAkinpelu, A.O and Olojede, A.O and Dung, E.A andDalyop, T.Y and Okoye, B.C and Asumugha, G.NNational Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Abia StateAugust 2009Online at https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/17440/MPRA Paper No. 17440, posted 25 Nov 2018 09:25 UTCSOCIO-ECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF LIVINGSTONE POTATO (PLECTHRANTHUS ESCULENTUS) PRODUCTION AT FARMERS FIELDS IN JOS, PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA.  Akinpelu, A.O., Olojede, A.O., Dung, E.A., Dalyop, T.Y., Okoye, B.C and Asumugha, G.N.  National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, P MB 7006, Umuahia, Abia State.  Abstract The study examined the problems of Livingstone Potato (Plecthranthus esculentus) production at farmers fields in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. Two Local Government Areas (BarkinLadi and Shendam) were purposively sampled. Three communities each were randomly selected from the two Local Government Areas. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency and percentages), and multiple regression analysis.   Keywords: Socio-Economic, Livingstone Potato, Production and Jos Plateau  Introduction The significance of major root and tuber crops such as cassava, sweetpotato, potato, yam and cocoyam in the diet of people of sub- Saharan Africa can not be overemphasized. However, the contribution of other minor root and tuber crops should not be under estimated. Livingstone Potato (Plectranthus esculentus) also known as Rizga, Nvat, Vu, Sima or Rungwabi is one of the edible indigenous tuber crops commonly grown in some states in the middle belt of Nigeria (Olojede et al., 2005).   It plays a significant role in the food systems of the people in this region. The tuber is either eaten raw as snack after peeling and washing or boiled and eaten with rice, while the leaves are also consumed as vegetables (Demissie, 1997; Olojede et al., 2005). The tuber pieces are principally obtained from previous harvest and through farmer-to-farmer exchange. Planting of seed tubers takes place as early as April at the onset of the rainy season. Harvesting is done 6-7 months after planting. Despite its acceptance, and nutritional value (Alleman, 1996), the Livingstone Potato has received little or no attention from researchers in Nigeria, and consequently its potential is being underexploited.   Farmers growing this crop follow indigenous methods which resulted in relatively low yield. The reason behind such low yield is due to lack of high yielding variety and method of production practices adopted by local farmers. Although, it has the potential of contributing to food security and diversification of the local food base, its production has not been standardized from scientific point of view. The Livingstone Potato (Plectranthus esculentus) could become one of the important tuber crops of the people in these states if its production is expanded.   Therefore, research needs to bring improvement in production technologies as well as considering economic returns for a crop that provides income- generation opportunities for rural people of the middle belt of Nigeria, especially women who are actively involved in the cultivation and marketing of this crop (Olojede et al., 2005).The objective of this study was to ascertain the determinants of Livingstone Potato production at farmers fields in Plateau State.   Methodology The study was conducted in Jos, Plateau State. The State is in the middle belt region and in the guinea savannah agro ecological zone of the country. It is located at Latitude 09o 11’ and Longitude 08o44’with an elevation of 1340m above sea level (Danbaba and Amadi, 2008). Two Local Government Areas (BarkinLadi and Shendam) were purposively sampled. These areas are known for the cultivation and production of this underexploited crop. Twenty one farmers from each Local Government Area were randomly sampled for the study. Three communities each were randomly selected from the two Local Government Areas. The communities were Kwi, Loh-Tiu, Turu, Longvel, Kwapkilik and Shendam. A total sampling frame of forty two respondents was used. Structured interview schedules were used for data collection from respondents. Additional information was gathered through informal discussions with the farmers and by personal observations of the crop in some of the farmers’ fields. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency and percentages), and multiple regression analysis. The log- linear model derived from the Cobb Douglas functional form was the econometric model specified for explaining determinants of productivity of Livingstone potato following Ukoha (2000) and Okoye et al (2008). It is only when satisfactory results are not obtained from this model that other forms will be tried out.    The model is described thus:  Y/N=f (X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7) + e  Where Y = yield of Livingstone potato (kg/ha)             X1= age (years)             X2= household size (number of persons)             X3= sex (dummy variable; male=1, female=0)             X4= marital status (1=single, 2=married, 3=divorced, 4=widowed)             X5= farm size (hectares)             X6= educational background (number of years)             X7= membership of cooperative society (1= yes, 0= no)               e= error term  Results and Discussion Table 1 shows the socio-economic characteristics of Livingstone potato farmers. The table reveals that majority (92.90%) of the farmers were women. This is in consonance with Olojede et al., (2005) which shows that the crop is mostly cultivated by women. Majority (78.60%) of the farmers did not belong to any cooperative society which may account for their low yield because membership of cooperative society increases farmers’ awareness of improved methods of farming. About 41% of the farmers were between the age range of 41- 50 years which is an indication that majority of the farmers cultivating the crops are ageing and this have a direct relationship on the productivity of Livingstone potato in the study area as revealed by the negative coefficients of the regression analysis which is significant at 1 per cent level of probability (Table 2). Also 57.10% of the respondents had between 6-10 persons in their households and a positive coefficient which is significant at 1 per cent level of probability as shown in tables 1 and 2. Moreover, 45.20% of the respondents had between 3.5 - 4.0hectares of farm land. The regression analysis showed that farm size had a negative coefficient and is significant at 5 per cent level of probability. This is expected as the farmers allocated few portions of their land to the production of Livingstone potato. About 43% of the respondents had between 7-12 years of Education and majority (85.72%) had farming as major occupation but these were not significant.  Conclusion The study assessed the determinants of Livingstone potato production at farmers’ fields in Jos, Plateau. Sex, membership of cooperative society, age, household size and farm size constituted major problems to Livingstone potato production in the study area. Policies targeted at both gender participating in the production of the crop, encouraging youths to stay in agriculture, economics of production, germplasm collection, characterization, and evaluation and farm mechanization to increase farm size would largely promote Livingstone potato production in the study area.   References Alleman, J. (1996). Two Indigenous Tuber Species being Evaluated as Possible Food Crops. ARC Roodeplaat Vegetable and Ornamental Plant Institute. Pretoria, South Africa. Danbaba, A.K. and Amadi, C.O. (2008). Effect of Different Sources of NPK -15:15:15 on the Growth and Yield of Potato (Solanum tuberosum.L.) on the Jos Plateau. In: Proceedings of the 42nd Annual Conference of Agricultural Society of Nigeria (ASN) held at Ebonyi State  University, Abakiliki, Nigeria. October 19th-23rd :203-207. Demissie, A. (1997). Potentially Valuable Crop Plants in a Vavilovian  Center of Diversity, Ethiopia. In:  Proceedings of a Conference on  Crop Genetic Resources of Africa, Nairobi, August 1995. Guirano, L. (Ed). Rome: IPGRI. Okoye, B.C., Onyenweaku, C.E, Ukoha, O.O, Asumugha, G.N. and Aniedu, O.C (2008). Determinants of Labour Productivity on Small-Holder Cocoyam  Farms in Anambra               State,Nigeria.Scientific Research and Essay 3 (ISSN11):559-561.  Olojede, A.O., Iluebbey, P. and Dixon A.G.O. (2005). IITA/NRCRI Collaborative Germplasm and Data Collection on Minor Root and Tuber Crops in Nigeria. In: Annual Report 2005 National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike:  77 Ukoha, O.O. (2000). Determinants of Labour Productivity on Small-Holder Sole Crop Farms: A Case of Waterleaf Enterprise (Talinum trianglulare).Nig.J.Agribusiness Rural Dev. 1:3.   Table 1: Socio Economic Characteristics of Livingstone Potato Farmers in Plateau State Variables Frequency Percentage (%) Sex   Male 3 7.10 Female 39 92.90 Total 42 100.00 Age (Years)   10 - 20 2 4.80 21- 30 4 9.50 31- 40 11 26.20 41-50 17 40.50 Above 50 8 19.00 Total 42 100.00 Marital Status   Single 10 23.80 Married 23 54.80 Divorced 4 9.50 Widowed/Widower 5 11.90 Total 42 100.00 Education (No of years)   No Education 13 30.95 1-6 18 42.85 7-12 11 26.20 Above 12 0 00.00 Total 42 100.00 Household Size(No of persons)   1-5 11 26.20 6-10 24 57.10 11-15 5 11.90 Above 15 2 4.80 Total 42 100.00 Occupation   Full Time 36 85.72 Part time 6 14.28 Total 42 100.00 Membership of Cooperative Society   Yes 9 21.40 No 33 78.60 Total 42 100.00 Farm size (Hectares)   0.5 -   1.0 11 26.20 1.5 -   2.0 7 16.70 2.5 -   3.0 5 11.90 3.5 -   4.0 19 45.20 Total 42 100.00 Source: Field Survey 2008      Table 2: Regression Results of Determinants of Livingstone Potato Production in Jos, Plateau State  Variables Coefficients  T - values Intercept 7.739 7.450 *** Sex 0.182 0.675 ** Membership of cooperative society 0.229 1.037* Age -0.044 -0.187 *** Household size 0.922 2.192 *** Farm size -0.280 -0.907 ** Educational Level -0.170 -1.269 Occupation 0.818 0.816 R2 0.552  F – ratio 1.054  Number of observations 42   Source: Field Survey 2008   ***, **,*= significant at 1%, 5%, and 10% levels respectively  

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Socio-Economic Determinants of Livingstone Potato (Plecthranthus Esculentus) Production at Farmers Fields in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria

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