8 pages, The role of information in agricultural development cannot be overemphasized, as information is vital in increasing production, improving marketing and enhancing distribution strategies. Therefore, the study examined the impact of information communication technologies on the technical efficiency of fish farming in Ogun State, Nigeria using a stochastic production frontier approach. In a cross-sectional survey, a multi-stage sampling technique was employed to elicit primary information from 120 fish farmers. Major ICT sources used by the fish farmers include television (81.7%), radio (79.2%) and the Internet (68.3%). The average output of catfish has positive and significant elasticity with regards to each input variable except family labour. The inefficiency model revealed that the age of farmers, farming experience, television and radio usage were significant but negatively related. That means that any increase in any of these factors will reduce the inefficiency of fish farmers and bring about an increase in technical efficiency. This implies that it is possible to increase technical efficiency in fish farming in the study area provided that the media channel (radio and television) predominantly used is improved. This study recommends a reduction in family labour usage while at the same time encouraging young people to venture into fish farming.
9 pages, This study examined the knowledge level of extension agents on six classes of climate smart adaptation initiatives (CSAI). A multi-stage sampling procedure was utilized to collect data from 277 agents in South-West Nigeria with the aid of a structured questionnaire. Data were descriptively analysed using frequency counts, percentages and means. The result showed that extension agents were knowledgeable on crop-mix (56.3%) and tillage-smart (53.4%) related initiatives with more than half of them scoring above the mean benchmark. However, they had a low knowledge level on the majority of the water management (59.2%), fossil-burning (94.2%), soil (75.8%), ICT and other adaptive initiatives (98.9%) as the majority of them scored below the mean benchmark for each of these categories. Seminars and workshops should be provided by extension organizations for these agents to upgrade their knowledge on these initiatives, thus positioning them to effectively be able to render needed advisories to farmers. This will equip farmers to be adept in responding adequately to managing climate change risks and also scale-up their use of CSAI.
13 pages, 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. Most importantly, they argue that economic freedom among women in cooperatives may not be achieved unless they are emancipated from existing cultural, economic, institutional, and management constraints.
18 pages, Agricultural Land-Use Change (ALUC) is a major driver of global environmental change, not least via its direct impact on the sustainability and resilience of the rural economy. Its drivers are complex and have remained contentious, necessitating further empirical study. This study aims to derive context-specific evidence on the driving factors and effects of ALUC from different stakeholders’ perceptions. We carried out household surveys and participatory rural appraisal across Benue State, Nigeria. ALUC has economic, social, ecological, and institutional implications for farmers and on agricultural productivity. Farmers perceived that the main factors driving ALUC were land conflict, government land-use policies and infrastructural development. Stakeholders’ perceptions revealed that although the factors driving ALUC are diverse in nature, they are somewhat embedded within the broader issue of land-use conflict, which has led to cropland abandonment, clearing of forest vegetation, soil degradation, changes from large scale to subsistence farming, and farmers’ eventual loss of interest in agriculture. This suggest that the drivers and implications of ALUC go beyond simple changes to the extent of land used for agriculture, but also incorporates other regional socio-ecological changes. Our study highlights the importance of stakeholders’ perceptions in understanding complex socio-ecological issues if we are to provide clear direction into areas where policy interventions are most needed.
4 pages., Food insecurity is quickly becoming a key topic in national and international debates. Consequently, series of studies have been conducted on food security and its determinants. However, none of these studies have measured food security among cocoa marketers and have considered the influence of public relations (PR) on food security among cocoa marketers in Nigeria Thus, this study measured food security status and determined the influence of PR strategies on food security of marketers. A combination of purposive and random sampling techniques were employed to select 100 respondents for this study. The analytical tools include: descriptive statistics, food security index and logistic regression analysis. The result revealed that majority of the sampled respondents were males with an average household size of 8 persons. The food security index indicated that 65% and 35% of the respondents were food insecure and secure respectively. The logistic regression indicated that about 53% of the total variation in food security of the wholesale cocoa marketers was accounted for by the estimated explanatory variables. Age of the respondents, marketing margin, household size, credit access and PR strategies were the critical determinants of food security among cocoa marketers in the area. Government should provide PR tools at subsidized rate as well as train marketers on the effective use of these tools. Policies to address irregular network and high airtime tariff challenges associated with the adoption of PR strategies in the country must be supported. Policy aimed at reducing household size should be encouraged.
