In Nigeria, Aflasafe is a registered biological product for reducing aflatoxin infestation of crops from the field to storage, making the crops safer for consumption. The important questions are whether farmers will purchase and apply this product to reduce aflatoxin contamination of crops, and if so under what conditions. A study was carried out to address these questions and assess determinants of willingness to pay (WTP) for the product among maize and groundnut farmers in Kano and Kaduna states in Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to collect primary data from 492 farmers. The majority of farmers who had direct experience with Aflasafe (experienced farmers) in Kano (80.7%) and Kaduna (84.3%) had a WTP bid value equal to or greater than the threshold price ($10) at which Aflasafe was to be sold. The mean WTP estimates for Aflasafe for experienced farmers in Kano and Kaduna were statistically the same. However, values of $3.56 and $7.46 were offered in Kano and Kaduna states, respectively, by farmers who had never applied Aflasafe (inexperienced farmers), and the difference here was significant (P , 0.01). Regression results indicate that contact with extension agents (P , 0.01) and access to credit (P , 0.05) positively and significantly influenced the probability that a farmer would be willing to pay more for Aflasafe than the threshold price. Lack of awareness of the importance of Aflasafe was the major reason cited by inexperienced farmers (64% in Kano state and 21% in Kaduna state) for not using the product. A market strategy promoting a premium price for aflatoxin-safe produce and creating awareness and explaining the availability of Aflasafe to potential users should increase Aflasafe usage.
Lack of good-quality planting materials has been identified as the most severe problem militating against increased agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and beyond. However, investment of research efforts and resources in addressing this menace will only be feasible and worthwhile if attendant economic gains are considerable. As a way of investigating the economic viability of yam investment, this research has been initiated to address problems confronting yam productivity in eight countries of SSA and beyond: Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Papua New Guinea, Jamaica, and Columbia. Research options developed were to be deployed and disseminated. Key technologies include the adaptive yam minisett technique (AYMT), varieties adapted to low soil fertility and drought, nematode-resistant cultivars (NRC), and crop management and postharvest practices (CMPP). This article aims at estimating the potential economic returns, the expected number of beneficiaries, and poverty reduction consequent to the adoption of technology options. Estimates show that the new land area that will be covered by the technologies in the eight countries will range between 770,000 ha and 1,000,000 ha with the highest quota accounted for by AYMT. The net present value will range between US$584 and US$1392 million and was highest for the NRC. The CMPP had the lowest benefit-cost ratio of 7.74. About 1,049,000 people would be moved out of poverty by these technologies by 2037 in the region. These technologies are less responsive to changes in cost than that in adoption rate. Therefore, the realization of the potential economic gains depends on the rate and extent of adoption of these technologies. Giving the knowledge-intensive nature of some of these interventions, capacity building of potential adopters will be critical to increasing the sustainability of the yam sector, thereby enhancing food security and reducing poverty.
Abstract. Olatidoye MS, Alimi T, Akinola AA. 2018. Quality assessment of the physico-chemical properties of vermiwash produced from different sources during successive storage periods. Asian J Agric 2: 58-63. The study investigated on socio-economic factors and estimated the technical efficiency indices and factors influencing technical efficiency of the sampled cotton farmers in the Southern Cotton growing zone of Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select a total sample of 300 cotton farmers. The study made use of only primary data which was collected through the aid of a well-structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and stochastic frontier production parametric model. The results of the descriptive statistics showed that majority (83%) of the cotton farmers in the study area were males while the mean age of the respondents was 49 years. The average household size was 8 persons per household and majority (69%) of the respondents had formal education. Majority of the respondents (59%) had no access to credit facilities while majority (80.4%) of the cotton farmers had reasonable years of experience ranging between 11 and above in cotton production. Furthermore, the study found that the technical efficiency of the farmers range from 0.35 and 0.99 with a mean of 0.79. This indicates ample opportunity for farmers to increase their productivity through improvement in their technical efficiency. Seed, fertilizer, pesticides and farm size were found to be statistically significant and positively related to farmers’ output while education, credit, extension contact and farming experience of the respondents negatively influenced farmers’ technical inefficiency. The farmers therefore need to increase their output through more intensive use of seed, land, pesticides and fertilizers.
This paper examines the effect of externalities (environmental pollution) generated by the activities of the West African Portland Cement Company (WAPCO) PLC in its two plants at Sagamu and Ewekoro on the profitability of Agricultural production in its areas of operation. To this end, study area is divided into two areas-those affected by the operation of the factories, and those not affected (control). Farmers were selected from each area for interview by means of a probabilistic sampling technique. Information was collected by means of a pre-tested structured questionnaire from both sets of respondents. Costs and returns were estimated for farmers located in each area; then the probability of farm enterprises as well as the efficiency of resource utilization in the affected area was compared with those in the control area. The study shows that (i) the main environmental pollutants generated by the company are dust and noise; thus the inhabitants suffer from air-laden air, cracking of walls of structures as well as soil and water polluted by dust; (ii) farming was more profitable in the control than in the affected area in both zones: For example, the estimated net returns accruing to an average farmer in the affected area was #190,524.25 per hectare while that in the control area was #272,282.20 per hectare; (iii) resource productivity was higher in the control area than in the affected area. For example, farmers in the control area earned N4.72 for every N1.00 expended on labour while their counterparts in the affected area earned N2.18; and (iv) farmers in the affected area incurred additional costs in purifying their water for drinking, attending to their health problems resulting from the activities of the company and effecting repairs on their cracked buildings. The estimated average cost incurred was N24,000 per annum. These findings imply that the operations of the company have negative effects on the profitability of farm production as well as the productivity of agricultural resources in the areas affected by its production activities. Hence, the study suggests that the relevant government agency, Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA), should (i) ensure that the company compensates the affected farmers for the damages suffered and (ii) review the maximum permissible dust and noise emission levels in order to reduce the adverse effects of cement production in the study area.
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