Effects of Niger State Rice Investment Consortium on Income of Smallholder Rice Farmers in Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

The Niger State Rice Investment Consortium (NSRIC) project, Niger State Agricultural Policy, promotes the transformation of the predominantly subsistence Agricultural production system to a modernized and Commercial-oriented system. Total sample size of 234 (made up of 117 participants and 117 non-participants), drawn from twelve (12) localities in three (3) Local Government Areas (LGAs), were selected through multi-stage sampling technique. Data were collected using well-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Descriptive Statistics, Ordinary Least Square Model and Henry Garrett Technique. The results showed that the respondents were in their productive age with mean age of 39 and 44 years for participants and non-participants respectively. It was observed that 80.34% and 81.22% of the participants and non-participants respectively were married. The mean farm sizes were 2.0ha and 1.84ha for participants and non-participants respectively. The regression estimates for income among the respondents showed that the coefficient of farm size, frequency of extension contact and capital were significant at 1 percent probability level and positive for the participants, non-participants, pooled data and pooled data with dummy. The result of Henry Garrett Ranking Technique revealed that poor access road was ranked first most pressing farmers’ constraint with a Garrett mean score of 52.27 and 53.09, and lack of government policy on commercialization was ranked the tenth farmers’ constraint.