Sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas L. (Lam)] is a rain-fed vegetable crop grown in the tropics where new varieties have been developed. However, economic efficiency needs to be ascertained for sustainability. Profitability, scale, and resource use efficiency in sweet potato production were analyzed using data from 90 producers. Cost and returns analysis indicates that labor accounted for 68% of total cost of production and that sweet potato production is profitable. Yield had a greater impact in improving profitability and capital inputs had the least impact in reducing profit. Experience, planting material, output transportation to market, adoption of new varieties, fertilizer level, and full-time farming positively influenced sweet potato output. There is scale inefficiency and no input was used efficiently. Fertilizers and transportation were underutilized; rent, farm implements, planting material, chemicals, and labor were overused. An increase in scale of sweet potato production, more capital inputs, and increase in yield can improve efficiency in sweet potato production.

Analysis of consumer preferences for cowpea varieties in Osun State was carried out with a view to identifying attributes that determine price variation among cowpea varieties and the effect on consumer’s willingness to pay for those varieties. A multistage sampling technique was used to randomly select 240 respondents for the study, comprising 180 cowpea consumers and 60 retailers. Primary data were collected on cowpea varieties, their attributes and the consumer’s willingness to pay for cowpea varieties using well structured questionnaire. Data collected were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that out of thirteen varieties found in the area, only nine varieties of cowpea were common in the market. The quality of each variety differs which explained variation in their price. In terms of preference the Oloyin variety is preferred most by 78% of consumers. Weevil resistance had the highest rank among the cowpea attributes. Oloyin had the highest WTP followed by Milk and Drum with ₦303, ₦237 and ₦213 per kg, respectively. Hedonic pricing methods provide a statistical estimate of premiums and discounts for cowpea attributes. Results indicated that weevil resistance was the most important attribute to consumer. Cowpeas with weevil damage tolerance, brown colour, large grain size and short cooking time commanded price premium for almost all the varieties. The consumer discounted prices for insect damage, small size, white colour, smooth skin and grain colour mixed together. The study concludes on the need for breeders and research institutes to incorporate these cowpea attributes that attracted price premium into their cowpea breeding programmes.

This study assessed the competitiveness of rice productionunder different varietal technologies in Osun State.A multistage sampling technique was adopted to select the respondentsfor the study. Both primary and secondary data, includingprices of inputs and outputs, rice yields, import tariff,transportation cost, port loading and unloading charges andofficial exchange rate, foreign exchange premium, etc., werecollected and analyzed using descriptive statistics and thePolicy Analysis Matrix (PAM) approach. The results revealedthat effective protection coefficients (EPC) for the three identifiedrice varieties (Local, FARO53 and FARO54) were 0.89,0.98 and 0.97, respectively. The Domestic Resource Cost(DRC) was 0.84, 0.48 and 0.48; the Nominal Protection Coefficient(NPC) on tradable inputs and outputs was 0.89, 0.98and 0.97; while the Social Cost Benefit (SCB) was 0.85, 0.52and 0.52 for the three varietal technologies, respectively. Theresults indicate that rice farmers using the three varieties havea comparative advantage (DRC < 1) in rice production in thestudy area, and the two improved varieties provided a greatercompetitiveness. The study concluded that Osun State hasa comparative advantage in rice production under the importparity prices regime which, however, is not true under the assumptionsof export parity.

Though smallholder goat enterprise has been a major source of livelihood in most African communities for ages, yet little efforts exist to explore its full potential through commercialization. While much has been done to improve agricultural production in the small-scale sector, little is known and documented about the current state of goat production and marketing in most parts of Nigeria. Using proportionate sampling, data were collected from 160 smallholder goat producers and 220 consumers making a total of 380 respondents for the study. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, budgetary analyses, multiple regression and Likert Scale Technique. The study showed that smallholder goat enterprise was female-dominated with majority aged between 51 -60 years. The average cost, average revenue and gross margin per production season were ₦12,471.78, ₦16,755.51 and ₦4,904.61, respectively. The farmers realized ₦430.20, ₦450.80, ₦252.00 and ₦363.50 on a kilogram of buck, doe, male and female kids, respectively. Smallholder goat enterprise was profitable in the study area because the Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) showed that every ₦100 invested per goat yielded ₦34.00 more and above the money invested. The multiple regression model analysis showed that management practice (P < 0.01), gender (P < 0.1), age of cost of medication (P < 0.01) and flock size (P < 0.05) significantly influence the profitability of smallholder goat production in the study area. The result of Likert's scale indicated that 66.8 % of the consumers preferred goat meat to other meats because of its availability (56.8 %) and taste (22.3 %). Therefore, it is recommended that efforts should be put into commercializing goat enterprise in the tropics using the intensive system.

This study examined the financial performance of agricultural cooperative societies in Ibadan Metropolis, Oyo State; this as a way of ensuring impact on members and the communities of location. Primary data were collected from thirty (30) cooperatives through interview of principal officers using well structured questionnaire while secondary data were from the cooperatives annual reports. The analytical techniques used include descriptive statistics applied to financial aggregates and ratios and regression analysis. The financial aggregates analysed include current assets, current liabilities, cash and account receivable, and owners' equity. The financial ratios were current ratio, acid test, equity to assets, debt to equity, debt to assets and current debt to equity. Cooperative's structural and financial elements were hypothesized as determinants of cooperative financial performance. All variables except cooperative size had significant effect on financial performance. But years of operation, and number of loans beneficiaries only had negative effect on performance. The study concluded on appropriate measures needed to improve cooperative financial performance.