Ogonna O. Osuafor

The study analyzed the production input allocation and the performance benchmark of rice farms in Anambra State, Nigeria. Efforts at improving farm management and production notwithstanding, more is yet to be achieved in that regard in Anambra State and Nigeria at large.  Past studies concentrated on areas like profitability, resources and production efficiency with little or no focus on benchmarking the production and the pattern of input mix. To achieve the broad objective, four (4) specific objectives were outlined thus: (i) categorized production input patterns based on farm performance and based on expenses (iii) determined a performance standard/ benchmark from the category after identifying the existing standard, (iii) identified the diverse effect of production inputs cost on rice farm output for different production levels, and (v) identify the causal factors of difference in farm performance in the study area.  A multi-staged sampling technique was employed in the selectio...

This study analysed the effects of land Degradation on maize yield in Obudu Local Government Area (LGA) of Cross River State. The study adopted the use of primary data and the instrument of data collection was a structured questionnaire administered on100 and 60 respondents for maize farmers in degraded and non-degraded lands respectively. The methods of data analysis used were both descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics results on socio-economic characteristics shows that majority (67.0%) of the maize farmers were males, married (86.0%) and had mean age of 43.6years. Result on land degradation types revealed erosion (2.27), flooding (2.11) and desertification (2.02) as most common types of land degradation experienced by maize farmers in the study area. Over-grazing (35.0%) and poor farming method (35.0%) were the major causes of land degradation. Independent sample t-test statistic result comparing maize yield of degraded and non-degraded lands indicated a ...

The growth and productivity of the Agricultural sector has been hindered by limited access to credit facilities. Hence, there is need to provide credit to farmers to boost agricultural output in Nigeria. This paper set out to investigate the effect of Access to Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS) on the Agricultural Output of beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries in Anambra State, Nigeria. The methodology employed in the study is a descriptive survey. Data was collected using a detailed and well-structured questionnaire. Simple random sampling was applied to select 250 farmers who are members of AFAN. Propensity score matching method was used for data analysis while T-test was adopted to test the hypothesis. The results show that access to commercial agriculture credit scheme increased the output of the farmers who accessed the credit from the scheme. The major problems encountered by the farmers in accessing the scheme were stringent measures by the participating banks and collateral requirement for the collection of loans. It is recommended that farmers should increase their saving abilities in banks participating in credit programmes in order to improve their chances of having access to credit scheme whenever the opportunity arises.

This study uses structural equation modelling (SEM) and path diagram techniques to examine challenges faced by women in the agricultural sector cooperatives in Southeast Nigeria. The data are from a cross-section survey of randomly selected women cooperative members. Results suggest that women with poor economic status are less likely to have access to improved technology, labour, off-farm employment, and improved infrastructure. The authors also found that cultural factors increase women’s failure to own land, farm inputs, and agricultural credit. Additionally, the results show that compared to men, institutional factors increase women’s unequal access to extension training as well as their domestic workload. This study also found that older women face fewer challenges in the agricultural sector cooperatives than younger ones while more educated ones face more challenges. This study provides useful policy insights to mitigate the challenges women face in agricultural cooperatives. ...

The study was designed to investigate the determinants of gender contribution to farm income decision making among rural farming households in Enugu State, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Two objectives and one hypothesis guided the study. The sample comprised of 235 respondents and a researcher-developed questionnaire was the instrument for data collection. Data were analysed using multinomial logit model, participation index and chi-square test. The study found that the factors influencing the choice of income sources were sex, age, educational level, farm size, on-farm annual income and access to credit facilities. The participation index of gender in farm decision making showed that men dominated women with a mean score of 2.64 and 2.62 respectively. The result of the hypothesis showed that there was a significant and positive correlation between socio-economic characteristics of rural farmers and their choice of income sources. It was recommended that wo...

Climate change is critically affecting agricultural productivity and food security in developed and developing economies of the world. Developing countries like Nigeria often depend on rainwater for crop production. However, Unpredictable changes in the onset of rains in the last 10 years have led to situations where crops planted with the arrival of early rains get smothered in the soil by an unexpected dry spell; resulting in harvest failures in Nigeria and other ecosystems that rely on rain-fed agriculture. These challenges therefore pose questions like: to what extent has climate change affected crop productivity? What are the activities of the farmers that exacerbate the effect of climate change? The broad objective of the study was to examine the effect of climate change on root crops production in Cross River State, Nigeria. To achieve this, the specific objectives were to: determine the effects of climate change on yam production; identify the activities of the farmers that ...

The study analyzed awareness, attitude and behavioural intentions of medium and large scale poultry producers to poultry waste management practices in Lagos State with reference to problems of poor on-farm harness of excessive poultry waste, retrogression/unmet global environmental and economic waste management standards, exorbitant waste management charges imposed by LAWMA. Purposive and simple random sampling (using the lottery draw approach) was used in the selection of sixty (60) medium scale poultry farmers and forty (40) large scale poultry farmers, making a grand total of one hundred (100) medium and large scale poultry farmers interviewed in the study. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the selected medium and large scale poultry farmers with the aid of a list provided by the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Lagos chapter. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to analyse the data. In the principal component analysis for medium scale poul...

The study aimed at providing information on the constraints to increased household demand for African Breadfruit (Treculia Africana) in Owerri Agricultural Zone of Imo State, Nigeria. A total of sixty respondents were used for the study. The objectives of the study were to identify the socio-economic characteristics of African breadfruit consumers in the study area, to determine the factors influencing household demand for African breadfruit and to identify the major constraints to increased demand for African breadfruit. One hypothesis was tested. Data was collected using a researcher-designed questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression model were used for data analysis. Results showed that the mean age of breadfruit consumers was 42.9 years. Majority of the breadfruit consumers (58%) were civil servants as their major occupation and most (68%) of them engage in farming as their minor occupation. Age, household size, educational level, income level (household inco...

This study investigated the utilization of commercial agricultural credit scheme loans and repayment performance by beneficiary farmers by using descriptive statistics, cross tabulation, logit and probit models and a cross sectional data of 250 farmers of Anambra State, Nigeria in 2015. Results showed that majority of the farmers that benefitted from the scheme were males. Farming experience of majority of the farmers was 5 years and above with farm size of 10 hectares and below. Profit earned by the farmer, amount of credit received, capital base, size of farm land, years of formal education, farming experience and output of the farmer after accessing the scheme were factors that influenced loan repayment performance of the beneficiary farmers positively. The farmers that benefitted from the scheme used the loan mostly for livestock production, crop production and agro-marketing. Recommendations were made based on the findings.

Funding of Ebonyi State Nigeria Agricultural Public Extension Service in a deregulated economy was studied. The specific objectives were to describe the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents; identify the major recommended packages/technologies and services extended to the farmers and examine the trend in the funding of agricultural extension services from 2001 to 2010. A total of 240 contact farmers were selected using a multistage random sampling technique. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The study found that majority (65.42%) of the respondents were males; had a mean age of 49 years, married; had a relatively large household size of 8 persons; and relatively low educational status. Average farm holding was 0.90 ha and personal savings were the major sources of farm finance. Government funding of the agricultural public extension dwindled throughout the period with budget estimate at the peak of N220.4 m recorded in 2013 and the lowest of abo...

Climate variability is one of the predominant themes in agricultural research. Climate variations can seriously affect agricultural production. It brings about changes in weather patterns which in turn give rise to imbalances in seasonal cycles, harm to ecosystems and water supply affecting agriculture and food production. Extreme weather events such as floods, landslides and drought are caused by climate variation. Studies have shown that root crops such as cassava are most vulnerable to the impact of climate variability. This paper therefore investigated the perceived effects of climate variability on cassava production among small scale farmers in Anambra State. Specifically, the study described the socioeconomic characteristics of small scale cassava farmers in the state; identified the activities of small scale cassava farmers that contribute to climate variability; and ascertained the perception and levels of awareness of climate variability by small scale cassava farmers in t...

Climate variability is one of the predominant themes in agricultural research. Climate variations can seriously affect agricultural production. It brings about changes in weather patterns which in turn give rise to imbalances in seasonal cycles, harm to ecosystems and water supply affecting agriculture and food production. Extreme weather events such as floods, landslides and drought are caused by climate variation. Studies have shown that root crops such as cassava are most vulnerable to the impact of climate variability. This paper therefore investigated the perceived effects of climate variability on cassava production among small scale farmers in Anambra State. Specifically, the study described the socioeconomic characteristics of small scale cassava farmers in the state; identified the activities of small scale cassava farmers that contribute to climate variability; and ascertained the perception and levels of awareness of climate variability by small scale cassava farmers in t...

The growth and productivity of the Agricultural sector has been hindered by limited access to credit facilities. Hence, there is need to provide credit to farmers to boost agricultural output in Nigeria. This paper set out to investigate the effect of Access to Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS) on the Agricultural Output of beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries in Anambra State, Nigeria. The methodology employed in the study is a descriptive survey. Data was collected using a detailed and well-structured questionnaire. Simple random sampling was applied to select 250 farmers who are members of AFAN. Propensity score matching method was used for data analysis while T-test was adopted to test the hypothesis. The results show that access to commercial agriculture credit scheme increased the output of the farmers who accessed the credit from the scheme. The major problems encountered by the farmers in accessing the scheme were stringent measures by the participating banks and collateral requirement for the collection of loans. It is recommended that farmers should increase their saving abilities in banks participating in credit programmes in order to improve their chances of having access to credit scheme whenever the opportunity arises.

This study investigated the utilization of commercial agricultural credit scheme loans and repayment performance by beneficiary farmers by using descriptive statistics, cross tabulation, logit and probit models and a cross sectional data of 250 farmers of Anambra State, Nigeria in 2015. Results showed that majority of the farmers that benefitted from the scheme were males. Farming experience of majority of the farmers was 5 years and above with farm size of 10 hectares and below. Profit earned by the farmer, amount of credit received, capital base, size of farm land, years of formal education, farming experience and output of the farmer after accessing the scheme were factors that influenced loan repayment performance of the beneficiary farmers positively. The farmers that benefitted from the scheme used the loan mostly for livestock production, crop production and agro-marketing. Recommendations were made based on the findings.

The study aimed at providing information on the constraints to increased household demand for African Breadfruit (Treculia Africana) in Owerri Agricultural Zone of Imo State, Nigeria. A total of sixty respondents were used for the study. The objectives of the study were to identify the socioeconomic characteristics of African breadfruit consumers in the study area, to determine the factors influencing household demand for African breadfruit and to identify the major constraints to increased demand for African breadfruit. One hypothesis was tested. Data was collected using a researcher-designed questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression model were used for data analysis. Results showed that the mean age of breadfruit consumers was 42.9 years. Majority of the breadfruit consumers (58%) were civil servants as their major occupation and most (68%) of them engage in farming as their minor occupation. Age, household size, educational level, income level (household income) and price of substitute to breadfruit were significant and directly related to the household demand for African breadfruit. Most of the breadfruit consumers are constrained by much stress in preparing it and seasonality of the produce. It was recommended that youths should explore breadfruit production since majority of the breadfruit consumers fall within the active proportion of the labour force.

— The need to build up the knowledge of the current situation regarding the household demand for African breadfruit (Treculia africana) in Owerri Agricultural Zone of Imo State, Nigeria led to this study. The specific objectives of the study were to determine the household demand for African breadfruit and to estimate price, income and cross-price elasticities of demand for African breadfruit. One hypothesis was tested. Multi-stage random sampling technique was used in selecting sixty (60) households who consume breadfruit who were interviewed with a well structured questionnaire. Data collected were analysed using frequency distribution, percentages and elasticity of demand model. The findings of the study showed that the household demand for breadfruit is very high (63%) in the study area. The mean quantity demanded per month was 7kg (40 cups). Majority of the respondents consume 70% of their harvest. The result of multiple regression analysis showed that increase in household demand and price of substitute will lead to an increase in quantity demanded of African breadfruit. It was recommended that more farmers need to get involved in the production of breadfruit as it is highly demanded for its food and non-food uses. Keywords— Analysis, household demand, African breadfruit.

The study was designed to investigate the determinants of gender contribution to farm income decision making among rural farming households in Enugu State, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Two objectives and one hypothesis guided the study. The sample comprised of 235 respondents and a researcher-developed questionnaire was the instrument for data collection. Data were analysed using multinomial logit model, participation index and chi-square test. The study found that the factors influencing the choice of income sources were sex, age, educational level, farm size, on-farm annual income and access to credit facilities. The participation index of gender in farm decision making showed that men dominated women with a mean score of 2.64 and 2.62 respectively. The result of the hypothesis showed that there was a significant and positive correlation between socioeconomic characteristics of rural farmers and their choice of income sources. It was recommended that women should be empowered in agriculture as they are becoming a strong force in the agricultural sector; Young farmers should be encouraged to form youth forums on agriculture and attend seminars and workshops addressing current trends in agriculture.

Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the availability and utilization of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) resources in the teaching of Agricultural Science in secondary schools in Anambra State. Four research questions guided the conduct of the study. The design was a descriptive survey. A total of 76 agricultural science teachers found in two randomly selected education zones were used for the study. A researcher developed instrument was validated and used for data collection. The instrument was validated by two experts in measurement and evaluation and one agricultural science teacher. A reliability coefficient index of 0.76 was obtained. Data were analysed using percentages, mean and standard deviation. Results show that most of the information and communication technology resources needed for teaching agricultural science were not available in most of the secondary schools studied. The study recommended among other things that agricultural science teachers should be trained on how to use ICT resources for agricultural science teaching and learning particularly the use of different softwares.

Key words: Availability, Utilisation, Information and Communications Technology.

Climate change has started and its effects will continue to emerge on agriculture and food security with widespread implications for the earth’s ecosystems and human development across sectors. From fluctuations in oil palm yields, increases in drought, floods and changes in patterns and quantity of rainfall, the exacerbation of poverty, to the breakdown of infrastructure, to the pollution of the environment, loss of environmental, political, economic and social security, the impacts of climate change are extensive. However, a critical aspect is missing in the oil palm industry when discussing climate change and adaptation, especially during policy negotiations: the gender perspective. There is an increasing concern in the oil palm industry that noticeable and/or unfair, economic disparities and/or differences exist amongst men and women in terms of coping and adaptive capacities and consequently different vulnerabilities to the effects of climate change. One main reason for this disparity is the gender gap that restricts the access of women to land, financial services, social capital as well as access to technology, which renders them vulnerable to climate change and adaptation responses in the oil palm industry. Gender mainstreaming in the oil palm industry focuses on the fact that women and men experience life differently and have different needs and priorities and that development policies and interventions affect them differently. The process requires taking into account several considerations as well as commitment of human and physical resources to produce specific activities, outputs, and outcomes that benefit men and women equally. The oil palm industry faces challenges to improve food security, provide employment and ensure that women are mainstreamed in economic activities to avoid gender bias. Despite little data, there is increasing awareness of the role women play in the industry and the fact that the empowerment of women is indispensable for bringing sustainable oil palm development. Gender based travesties and distortions have been recognized at the household levels and it occurs because socio-economic biases which discriminate against women are not normally taken into account as regards climate change and adaption in the oil palm production. Climate signals such as long-term changes in average climate conditions, changes in climate variability patterns, or extreme weather events (such as droughts, floods, or hurricanes) may affect actors differently in terms of their assets and adaptation decisions or strategies (or lack thereof), with different well-being outcomes at different spatial and temporal scales

Public awareness, perception and knowledge on climate change constitute essential background to deal with climate change and related problems in the Oil Palm industry. This study examined farmers’ general understanding of climate change in Ikwuano and Umuahia North LGA of Abia State, Nigeria. This research Study sort to find out Oil Palm farmers’ perception of climate change variables, the level of awareness on Climate Change. Data were collected by use of structured questionnaire administered to 200 farmers randomly selected from eight communities in the study area. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze data obtained from the survey. Farmers (78%) in the study sample reported that they are well aware of the climate change while 22% percent of respondents had ‘low’ awareness level. A 4-point Likert type Scale was used to gauge farmers’ response to questions posed in the questionnaire as regards perception on climate variables. Results also showed that the dominant perception of Oil Palm farmers on climate change variables, tend to be that temperature has been increasing (or is serious) in the study area. The paper concluded that high level of awareness will in the long run increase the adaptation potential of the community and make them less vulnerable towards climate change. Also Perception is necessary because only those Oil Palm farmers who perceive change in climate will decide whether to adapt to it or not.

Keywords: Awareness, Perception, climate change, oil palm farmers, climate variables, and
Abia State