scholarly journals Factors Influencing Sustainable Agricultural Practices among Smallholder Farmers in Ogun State of Nigeria

Author(s):  
Samuel Olusola Oyewole ◽  
Samson Olayemi Sennuga

The importance of adopting Sustainable Agricultural Practices (SAPs) approach to improve food production cannot be overemphasized in policy development and research agenda of many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigates how socio-demographic factors influence farm-level decision process associated with the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices among smallholder farmers in Ogun State. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 196 farmers. Primary data were collected with the aid of structured questionnaires. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Likert scale rating and multivariate probit model. The results showed that majority of the farmers were male with mean age of 35 years cultivating an average farm size of 5.8 hectares. The use of improved variety was adopted by 95.41% and this was rank first among the practices adopted by the farmers. Agroforestry was rank second and adopted by 85.71% of the respondents. The extent of adoption by the respondents showed that 94.39 and 72.45 were practicing the use of improved variety and agroforestry regularly. The factors influencing adoption of sustainable practices were age, education, farm size, farming experience and membership of social organization. The result further revealed that young farmers are more likely to adopt sustainable agricultural practices as option to increase productivity and reduce vulnerability of environment to ecological problems. This suggests that campaign for adoption of sustainable agricultural practices should target young farmers. However, this is not to discriminate older farmers in the sustainable agriculture policy agenda. The study established that there are complementary and substitute effects between the sustainable agricultural practices. This showed that policy changes that affect adoption of a given practice can have spillover effect on the other. Hence, extension services and promotion agenda should always emphasize the effects between different practices to enhance farmers’ choice.

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nyein Kyaw ◽  
Soojung Ahn ◽  
Sang Lee

Smallholder farmers face numerous constraints that restrict their access to markets and prevent them from taking advantage of market opportunities. This research aimed to examine the factors affecting the market participation of smallholder farmers and find ways to improve the income and livelihood of smallholder farmers, focusing on Myothit Township in Magway Region, Central Dry Zone of Myanmar. For the primary data, we surveyed 150 smallholder rice farmers which were selected using a random sampling technique. Using the Heckman two-stage selection model, we analyzed the factors influencing smallholder rice farmers’ decisions regarding participation in the agricultural market. This study revealed that the decision to participate in the rice market was dependent on different factors such as the household head age, education status, household size, total produce of rice, price of rice, household income, ownership of livestock, membership of farmer organization, access to roads, distance to market, access to extension services, and market information. The results of this study have implications as to what factors need to be addressed to encourage smallholder rice farmers to participate in the market. We suggest that Myanmar government and policymakers need to establish balanced policies for small-scale farmers and manage them in an appropriate way so that agricultural development can be induced, contributing to poverty reduction, food security, and economic development.


2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Martey ◽  
Alexander Nimo Wiredu ◽  
Prince M. Etwire ◽  
Mathias Fosu ◽  
S. S. J. Buah ◽  
...  

<p>Northern Ghana is characterized by food insecurity largely due to over reliance on rain-fed agriculture under low farm input conditions. The present study investigated the effect of factors influencing mineral fertilizer adoption and use intensity among smallholder farmers in Northern Ghana. A total of 330 smallholder farmers selected through multi-stage sampling technique were interviewed. Adoption of fertilizer technology was determined by age, nativity, farm size, access to credit, and distance to agricultural office. The result of the truncated regression estimates indicated that income of household head, membership of farmer association, distance to agricultural office, access to input shop, income earning household that do not participate in agricultural development project and income earning male headed household were the significant factors influencing fertilizer use intensity. Distance to agricultural office was a key positive determinant of fertilizer adoption and use intensity. The study recommends improvement in road infrastructure and technical training of agricultural extension agents. Farmer based organization must be trained on regular basis to enhance their productive skills and technology uptake.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 399-409
Author(s):  
K. K. OSASONA ◽  
G. B. AKINSOLA ◽  
M. F. SALAMI ◽  
L. O. ADEBISI ◽  
O. A. ADEBISI ◽  
...  

Farmers in Nigeria are unpredictable unlike other developing countries where a good agronomic practices are used for a sustainable increase in rice production as result, the demand for rice consumption far overweighs rice production. This study presented empirical findings on the sustainable agricultural practices and its constraints among the rice farming households in one selected state of Nigeria. The study utilized primary data collected in 2019 using a four stage random sampling techniques. A total sample of 150 rice farmers was collected with the use of descriptive statistics, Likert-type scale and multinomial logistic regression model for analysis. The result indicates that the recommended sustainable agricultural practices (SAP) least adopted were the use of High Yielding Variety seed and agrochemicals probably due to their high cost. The factors that influences the full usage of SAP in rice farming were farm size, level of education, farming experience, extension contact and access to credit. Also, farm size and access to credit also influenced the partial usage of SAP. The major constraints limiting the usage were high cost of fertilizers, high cost of improved seed and unavailability agrochemicals. The study recommends that extension agents should visit local farmers more often and carry out more demonstrations on the usage of SAP.


The study was conducted using purposive cum random sampling technique and two hundred respondents comprised of 100 each borrowers and non-borrowers were selected from two block of district including marginal, small and medium categories of farm size. Primary data were collected through personal interview technique and required secondary information was taken from the record available at district and block level. Simple tabular and functional analysis and Garrett ranking were done to draw inferences. As per the result obtained from the study, no much difference was seen between the resource use efficiency of borrower and non-borrower farms and constraints faced by borrower. Since banana is a cash crop and it needs initial costs for its establishment, and after harvesting the crop regular source of income was generated by selling of suckers (seed) plant and its fruits. It’s by-product, leaves, etc. also used for various purposes. Minute inspection of the analysis showed that finance played important role for initiating the cultivation of banana crops showed the resource use efficiency that there is no considerable difference found on sample farms of borrower and non-borrower categories. Constraints faced by majority of the farmers were mainly delay in disbursement of loan and lack of the repayment period insufficient and improper management for withdraws on KCC.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Paul Jr. Tabe-Ojong ◽  
Ernest L. Molua

Agriculture is the mainstay of Cameroon’s economy as it serves the purposes of food, livelihood and employment. Nevertheless, the country’s agriculture is plagued by low productivity and inefficiency in production. One of the main reasons for low productivity is the inability of farmers to fully exploit available technologies and production techniques. An important research question that comes to mind is, what are the major factors that hinder the technical efficiency of smallholder farmers? This study thus aimed to determine the level of technical efficiency in the production of tomato in smallholder farms, relying on primary data collected using a structured survey instrument administered to 80 tomato farmers in the Buea municipality of Cameroon. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and a stochastic frontier analysis method in the Cobb-Douglas production function. The STATA.14 software was used to obtain both stochastic frontier estimates and the determinants of technical efficiency. The results indicate that farmers are not fully technically efficient with a mean technical efficiency score of 0.68 with one farmer operating on the frontier. The study also revealed that most of the farmers irrespective of the size of the holdings have shown technical inefficiency problems. The older farmers were observed with the best measures of technical efficiency. Education, age and the adoption and practice of agronomic techniques had a positive and significant influence on technical efficiency while the nearest distance to the extension agent had a rather negative influence on technical efficiency. The input-output relationship showed that the area of tomato cultivation and the quantity of improved seed used were positive and significantly related to output at the 5% level of probability. As a result, it is recommended that farmers should increase their farm size, use of improved seeds and the adoption and practice of novel techniques in production. More emphasis should be placed on extension agents as they have a significant role to play in terms of improving and augmenting farmers’ education and information base through on farm demonstrations and result oriented workshops as all this will ensure increased production and productivity thereby increasing technical efficiency and achieving food self-sufficiency.


Author(s):  
Chinedu Egbunike ◽  
Nonso Okoye ◽  
Okoroji-Nma Okechukwu

Climate change is a major threat to agricultural food production globally and locally. It poses both direct and indirect effects on soil functions. Thus, agricultural management practices has evolved to adaptation strategies in order to mitigate the risks and threats from climate change. The study concludes with a recommendation the coconut farmers should explore the idea of soil biodiversity in a bid to mitigate the potential negative impact of climate related risk on the farming. The study proffers the need for adopting sustainable agricultural practices to boost local coconut production. This can contribute to the simultaneous realisation of two of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations: SDG 2 on food security and sustainable agriculture and SDG 13 on action to combat climate change and its impacts. The study findings has implications for tackling climate change in Sub-Saharan Africa and in particular Nigeria in order to boost local agricultural production and coconut in particular without negative environmental consequences and an ability to cope with climate change related risks.


Author(s):  
Murad Mohammed

In Ethiopia, maize is the second largest in production areas and first in its productivity but there are high yield gaps between the actual yield currently producing and the potential yield. Therefore, this study was aimed to identify factors that affecting maize production of smallholder farmers at the farm level in the Meta district in the east Hararge zone, Oromia, Ethiopia. A two-stage random sampling technique was employed and a total of 200 smallholder farmers were randomly and proportionally selected to collect primary data. Multiple linear regression models were used to analysis factors that affect maize production among smallholder farmers. The result showed that the production of maize was influenced by several factors. The coefficient provided that as the farmers obtained 1 dollar from non-farm activity, the maize production of farmers increased by 293.2 kg, keeping other factors constant. Thus, the farmers who had money from non-farm sources used as additional income to gain agricultural inputs for maize production and thus generate more maize quantity. The result was pointed out that the size of the cultivated areas of land had a positive influence on the quantity of maize production of farmers. The coefficient entailed that as the size of the cultivated areas of land increased by one hectare, the farmer’s quantity of maize production increased by 140.4 kg by keeping other factors constant. The result was also indicated that other factors being constant, the maize crop production of smallholder farmers of Meta district was decreased by 4 kg as Development Agent’s (DA’s) office distance increased by one minute. The possible explanation was that extension services were a critical source of information on agronomic practices. Therefore, policy makers should encourage the current maize production and supplying improved seed and chemical fertilizer which support to improve smallholder farm households’ welfare by increasing their sources of income.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 752-759
Author(s):  
Azeem Raja ◽  
M. A. Islam ◽  
T. H. Masoodi ◽  
P. A. Khan ◽  
A. A. Wani ◽  
...  

Forest degradation and deforestation are serious threats to resource conservation, subsistence livelihoods and rural income diversification. Woodlot farming on farms has been established as a potential option to increase forest resources from agricultural landscapes and remove human pressure from forests. The study investigated the land-use and landholding pattern, woodlots types and species preference and extent of spatial distribution, land allocation and growing stock of woodlots in the Ganderbal district of Kashmir. Multistage random sampling technique was employed to select 349 farm woodlots from 12 sample villages. Secondary sources were used to collect village-level data on land-use and landholding pattern. Primary data concerning the trees were collected through farm woodlot inventories. The data were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics. Results revealed that the total land area in the sample villages is 888.60 ha; 521.60 ha (58.70%) is cultivated land, which is mostly (80.78%) occupied by 1244 marginal farmers. The prevalent woodlots established were plantations of Populus, Salix, Robinia or mixed species. The farm woodlots (61.59 ha) contributed 11.81% of cultivated land and 6.93% of the total geographical area. The average growing stocks of woodlots were estimated to be 204.05 m3/ha for Populus, 191.77 m3/ha for Salix, 109.51 m3/ha for Robinia and 62.31 m3/ha for Mixed. The findings suggested that woodlot farming is the key alternative for forest resource production, livelihood resilience and socioeconomic improvement; hence, the policy must be implicated towards the promotion of woodlot farming by re-orienting the land use through farmer’s motivation and technical, financial and farming input assistance.


2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 316-322
Author(s):  
MARAGATHAM V

First of all, environment and environmental problems, one of the reason why the green marketing emerged. According to the American Marketing Association, green marketing is the marketing of products that are presumed to be environmentally safe, To analyse the factors influencing the green marketing products in Coimbatore city.Objectives of the study, To analyse the factors influencing the green marketing products in Coimbatore city. The describptive research has used this study. Primary as well as secondary data has been used in this study. Primary data collected from structured questionnaire. Secondary data were collected from journals, magazines, news paper etc. Simple random sampling technique adopted in this study.Suggested this study, Consumer needs to be made more aware about the merits of Green products. The consumer needs to be educated and made aware of the environmental threats. It should be made sure that the consumer is aware of and concerned about the issues that your product attempts to address. Green Marketing campaign and green advertising is good step toward it. Conclude this study, an environmental committed organization may not only produce goods that have reduced their detrimental impact on theenvironment, they may also be able to pressure their suppliers to behave in a more environmentally responsible fashion.


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