ABSTRACT
The study was carried out to investigate the gender and
resource use efficiency in cocoyam production in Anambra State, Nigeria. The
study presents the results of analysis of data collected on 160 male and female
cocoyam farmers across two Agricultural zones in the state. A multi-stage
random sampling technique was used to select the zones. Descriptive statistics
such as percentages, frequencies, means and tables were used in analyzing
farmer’s socio-economic characteristics and production problems. The result
showed that women constituted a greater percentage (68.75%) of those involved
in cocoyam production in the state with age range of 41 to 50 years. The
Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) technique was used in estimating the
technical efficiency and determinants of efficiency of male and female farmers
with the Cobb-Douglas production function as the lead model. The result of
estimation of technical efficiency using the Cobb- Douglas stochastic function
showed that the coefficients of male and female farmers for the production
variables used were all positive. Cocoyam setts, labour and fertilizer use were
significant while capital inputs were not significant for female cocoyam
farmers. The result indicated that socio-economic conditions influenced
technical efficiency of both categories of farmers. The coefficients of
determinants of efficiency used were all positive except farm size that was
negative and significant for both male and female cocoyam farmers while age,
level of education, extension contact, knowledge index were all positive and
significant for male farmers while other variables were not significant. Test of
allocative efficiency revealed that none of defined farmer groups achieved
absolute allocative efficiency. Male farmers underutilized fertilizer and over
utilized other inputs in production while female farmers over utilized all the
inputs. This result suggests that there exists the possibility of increasing
output under existing level of technology through the use of lower levels of
all inputs by male and female farmers except fertilizer for males. There is
also scope to use higher levels of fertilizer for the male farmers. The result
shows the mean output/kg of 2,450.20kg and 2,519.09kg with an average net
profit of N62, 592.87 and N88, 378.12 and BCR of N1.85 and N2.16
for the male and female farmers respectively. This implies that cocoyam
production was profitable in the study area. The results also showed that the
elasticities of productions of male farmers is 0.43246 and that of female
farmers is 1.1987. This shows a decreasing return to scale for male cocoyam
farmers and increasing return for female cocoyam farmers. Finally, the study
revealed that most of the farmers (male and female) encountered problems of
root rot diseases at 90% and 90.91% respectively.
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1: Background
Information
In Nigeria of about
140 million people, men constitute about 50.4% and women 49.6%(N.P.C,
2006).Both gender are responsible for producing the nation’s food and one of
the major problems confronting mankind in recent times is food crisis (Ndukwu et
al 2010).Gender has often been misunderstood as being about the promotion
of women only, but it focuses on the relationship between men and women, their
roles, access to and control over resources, division of labour and needs. Men
and women are affected differently in their operation in factors like markets
and socio-economics environments. Women are more constrained than their men
counterparts in terms of access to credits, agricultural inputs, information
technology and so on. Some crop production are even classified as men’s, like
yam production, while others like sweet potatoes and cocoyam production are
regarded as women’s especially in the southeastern Nigeria(Ndukwu et al
2010).Dimelu et al (2009) reported that women are involved in crop
production generally and cocoyam production in particular.
Agriculture
is the largest sector in the Nigeria economy, providing food, income and
employment for sustainable livelihood of both the rural and urban population
(CBN,2003). FGN(2001), Agriculture is the largest non oil export earner and
largest employer of labour accounting for 88% of the non oil foreign exchange
earnings and 70% of the active labour force of the population. Food crops
constitute the largest component of the crops sub sector of Nigeria’s agriculture(CBN
2003).Roots tubers are major sources of dietary carbohydrates and provide food
for over 60 million people in Nigeria(Abubakar,2003).Increase in the output of
cassava, yam, potatoes as well as cocoyam will significantly increase the GDP
of Nigeria(Anyanwu et al 2010). The contribution of the food crop sector
of Nigerian Agriculture is significant and well documented in literature
(Olomola, 2006).
Cocoyam originates from Asia and about forty (40)
species are grown in West Africa (Asumugha and Mbanasor, 2002). Cocoyam, both Xanthosoma
species and Colocasia species belongs to the family (Aracea). The
cocoyam specie colocasia esculata in subSahara Africa was introduced to
this continent one thousand or more years ago from South East Asia while cocoyam
specie Xanthosoma Mafafa
was introduced more recently from
tropical America (11TA
1992, FAO, 2005).
Nigeria is the
largest producer of cocoyam in the world, accounting for about 47% of the total
world output (FAO, 2007, NRCRI, 2009). From 0.73 million metric tones in 1990,
cocoyam production in Nigeria rose to 3.89million metric tones in 2000 (Ojiako et
al, 2007) and further by 30.30% to 5.068 million metric tones in 2007 (FAO,
2007). Further estimate in Nigeria, showed a figure of 5.387 million metric
tones out of 11.77 million metric tones of world output of cocoyam per annum
since 2008 (FAO , 2010).
Cocoyam ranks third
in importance after cassava and yam among the root and tuber crops cultivated
in Nigeria (see Appendix 1)(FAO, 2005, National Bureau of Statistics, 2006,
Okoye et al, 2008). Cocoyam is an important staple food in the plant
family, cultivated in South Eastern and South Western part of Nigeria
(Onyenweaku et al, 2005, Ojiakor et al, 2007, Chukwu et al,
2009). It is a food security crop variously grown by resource poor farmers
especially women who often intercrop it with yam, maize, plantain, banana,
vegetable (Ikwelle et al, 2003).
Cocoyam to an
extent is medicinal for diabetic patients because it has low starch content, is
easily digestible and contains protein more than the other root tubers. The
leaves of colocosia esculenta have been shown to be a rich source of
folic acid, ribo flavin, vitamin A and C, calcium and phosphate (Arene
and Ene, 1987). The leaves are consumed because they are rich in protein and
vitamins, while the root is rich in carbohydrates and minerals (Duru and Uma,
2002). Cocoyam is a useful cover crop and the corms are ready to harvest in 8 –
12 months (Uguru, 1996). The corms and cormels are boiled, baked and tubers are
sometimes ground to produce paste for use in stews and soups. Also in Southeast
Asia, cocoyam leaves are consumed as a green or dry vegetables and the stem is
either cooked or eaten on its own or together with other dietary staples or
pounded into flour (Serem et al, 2008).The dried peeled corms are
grinded to produce flour which is considered to be as palatable as cassava
flour but more nutritious (Igbokwe, 2004).
In the
traditional farming system women "own" and plant cocoyam after the
men have planted their yam, hence it is regarded as a women's crop (Igbokwe,
2004). As a result of male migration into urban and semi urban areas, certain
task that were traditionally done by men (e.g. ridging) are now being done by
the women folk. Thus, the gender based differentiation of farm tasks appears to
be disappearing. Some scholars believe and argue that majority of the......
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