ABSTRACT An economic analysis of farmland erosion control practices was conducted in Enugu State, southeastern Nigeria. The study aimed at identifying and describing the erosion control practices applied by the farmers, determining the net-benefit of erosion control practices, determining the socio-economic factors affecting the farmers’ use of a particular erosion control practice and identifying from the farmers perspective the possible causes and extent of cause of erosion on the farmlan...
ABSTRACT Nigerian agriculture is currently characterized by low productivity, low level of technological adoption and use of inefficient production techniques. This has resulted to reduced food production. Fishery sector in Nigeria plays an 6 important role in terms of national food security, employment, enterprise development and foreign exchange earning. Increasing efforts to raise the productivity of fishery can be an important measure to address the problem of food insecurity as well as r...
ABSTRACT The study identified strategies for ensuring food security in Taraba State. Specifically, the study was designed to identify the determinants of food security; examine the production patterns of food by farmers, identify the factors responsible for food insecurity: and determine the strategies of ensuring food security. The study was carried out in Taraba State of Nigeria in the year 2011. The population of the study comprises all heads of households in Taraba State. A multi stage sa...
ABSTRACT The study was an empirical analysis of the Effects of Socio-Economic Characteristics on forestland conversion in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State. It described the agricultural activities of male and female farmers, problems encountered by both genders during the course of agricultural activities which may be socio-economic dependent. These socio-economic characteristics were identified, examined and linked to their marginal effect on forest neighbourhood. Two hypotheses ...
ABSTRACT Irrigated agriculture provides a very important part of national food security strategies as well as individuals’ and communities livelihoods at the local level. Yet the performance of many irrigation and drainage systems in Nigeria is generally below potential due to a variety of shortcomings. The monopolistic nature of the sector and its social sensitivity has fostered extensive government intervention that has not always been conducive to financial sustainability. Insufficient c...
Abstract Smart Simulation Partial Equilibrium Methodology was employed in this study to determine Effects of Economic Partnership Agreements on Agricultural trade between small and large ECOWAS economies and the EU. Specifically, the study looked at the patterns of imports of sample of two ECOWAS countries the Gambia and Nigeria; the potential trade effects on the selected countries embarking on free trade under economic partnership agreement scenario; the potential revenue effects on the sel...
ABSTRACT Out of all the forests and forest reserves in Nigeria that remained relatively undisturbed, significant portions of them have been lost in the last two decades. As these natural forest ecosystems disappear, so do many of the goods, which they provide. In a bid to incorporate local people into the management of community forest, Cross River State became the pioneer state in introducing forest management committees (FMCs) to comanage the forest resources of the state alongside the stat...
ABSTRACT This study was conceived in regard to the empirical reality that farming in Enugu State, as it applies to all parts of Southeastern Nigeria, is constrained by the adverse effects of climate change. It was therefore, considered necessary to conduct an assessment of smallholder farmers’ awareness to climate change, their adaptation strategies, the associated costs and returns, underpinning, and constraints to their adoption of the identifies adaptation strategies. This study assessed...
ABSTRACT The study analysed the effects of off-farm work on technical efficiency and production risks among rice farmers in Enugu State, Nigeria. Ninety respondents were selected using multistage sampling technique. Data for the study were collected by the use of well structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and stochastic production frontier model were used to analyse the data. Results showed that the two groups of rice farmers had similar socioeconomic characteristics. Technical eff...
ABSTRACT This study sought to determine the adoption and disadoption of sweetpotato production and processing technologies by farmers in the South-east zone of Nigeria. The specific objectives were to: determine the level of awareness of the sweetpotato production and processing technologies among farmers in the zone; determine the extent of adoption and disadoption of the sweetpotato production and processing technologies by farmers in the zone; examine the determinants of adoption and disad...
ABSTRACT This study was conducted to analyze the effects of policy on the development of Agro-based micro-enterprises in the informal sector of Bayelsa State of Nigeria. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from 150 microenterprises that were randomly selected. Descriptive statistics, multiple regression, Access model and the t- statistics were employed for data analysis. Among the major findings were that the agricultural micro-enterprises span the entire agricultural sector o...
Abstract This study examined the impact of fertilizer policy on crop production. The various trends in fertilizer policy reform were explored. Specifically, the fertilizer policy was studied under two policy regimes: the pre-liberalization and the liberalization periods. The first period is between 1986 and 1996, which otherwise constituted the preliberalization era while the years between 1997 and 2006 make up the second period, otherwise called the liberalization era. Secondary data on the ...
Abstract Micro-credit has been identified as a sustainable and effective poverty reduction strategy that can be employed to reallocate resources to the rural active poor. The livelihood of rural dwellers is usually characterized by low potentials. It is however believed that their access to micro – credit may improve their livelihood outcomes such as income, well-being, reduced vulnerability, food security, access to social amenities, economic expansion and employment. Also, it brings addit...
ABSTRACT The study analyzed the performance of watermelon marketing in Enugu state, Nigeria. Watermelon has long been regarded as a minor crop in Nigeria and thus, has attracted little marketing research attention, in comparison to other major food and cash crops. The specific objectives were to: describe the socio-economic characteristics of watermelon marketers (wholesalers and retailers); describe the marketing channels of watermelon; examine the structure and conducts of watermelon market...
ABSTRACT This study examined access to formal credit by farmers’ co-operatives in Enugu State. The specific objectives were to: (i) ascertain the institutional credit guidelines which affected access to formal credit by farmers’ co-operatives in Enugu State, (ii) describe the patterns of access to credit, (iii) ascertain the extent of access to formal credit by the respondents, (iv) ascertain the factors which determined access to formal credit, (v) examine the respondents’ perceptions ...