ABSTRACT
The study investigated the
resource use efficiency among Fadama crop farmers in Ibadan Ibarapa
agricultural zone of Oyo state, Nigeria. Data were collected from 120
respondents who were randomly selected and interviewed using both interview
schedule and questionnaire. The data collected were presented using percentage
and means. The findings o revealed that there was no significant difference in
the productivity between Fadama and non fadama (soko) farmers, while there was
a significant difference between the productivity of Fadama and non fadama
(watermelon) farmers as well as Fadama and non fadama maize farmers.The gross
margin analysis of Fadama and non Fadama crop farmers revealed that Fadama soko
farmers and Fadama maize farmers were more profitable than the non Fadama
farmers in the area. For watermelon, the non fadama farmers were more profitable
because they had higher output. The findings also revealed that labour,
fertilizer, insecticides and seed influenced the technical efficiency of soko
farmers. Herbicides and insecticides influenced the technical efficiency of
watermelon farmers, while labour, insecticide and seed influenced the technical
efficiency of maize farmers. The positive
coefficient for age variable implies that the older farmers were more technically inefficient than theyounger ones. Also
negative coefficient for education implies that the farmers level of
technicalinefficiency declined with more education. With regards to farmer-specific factors, especially
education, there is the need for policyto promote formal education as a means
of enhancing efficiency in production over the long-term period. This is
because it would enable farmers make better technical decision and also help in
allocatingtheir production inputs effectively. In the short-term, informal
extension education could beeffective, especially when targeted at farmers who
have had limited formal educationalopportunities.The coefficient of farming
experience was estimated to be negative as expected andstatistically
significant at the 5-percent level. The implication is that farmers with more
years offarming experience tend to be more efficient in crop production. It is
possible that such farmers gained more years of farmingexperience through
“learning by doing,” and thereby becoming more efficient.The study also found
that farmers under Fadama harvested more per unit ofland of output of crop than
nonfadama farmers for soko and maizeand this confirms the hypothesis that
programme intervention has the capacity to succor farm production problems
while accruing more income to farmers.
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
Information
Smallholder agriculture is the
dominant occupation of rural Nigerians which is mainly rain-fed. Yet, Nigeria
has a potential comparative advantage in the production of a variety of fresh
and processed high value crops, especially vegetables during the dry season and
livestock product (meat and milk) through out the year. This is because the
country is endowed with underground and surface water reserves, rich pastures
and favourable agro-ecological conditions in the country's low-lying plains
with alluvial deposit called fadama.
Agriculture constitutes a
significant sector of Nigeria's economy. The sector is significant in terms of
employment generation, contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and until
early 1970, agricultural exports were the main sources of foreign exchange
earnings (Amaza and Olayemi, 2002). During the 1960s, the growth of the
Nigerian economy was derived mainly from the agricultural sector. However, in
more recent years,there has been a marked decline in the performance of
Nigeria's agriculture. National Gross Domestic Product (GDP), declined from 62%
in the 1960s to 47.9% in the 1970s, down to a low 19% in 1980’s, but following
the SAP, this share was turned around in the 1990’s rising steadily to 38% in
1994, 39.2% in 1997 and 41.3% in 2000 (Ndubuizu, 2003). The agricultural
sector's changing share of GDP is partly a reflection of the relative
productivity of the sector.
Farm incomes are generally very
low due to declining productivity(World Bank, 1996). The low farm income,
resulting from declining productivity in the agricultural sector, could be
attributed to the dependence on rainfall for production in some parts of the
country, the scarcity of which becomes a critical limiting factor to
all-year-round cultivation.In addition, increased agricultural production is
necessary to meet the needs of the increasing population.Given this situation,
it is quite important for resource to be used at their most efficient levels.
Resource productivity is thus an important matter in determining the
sustainability of agricultural production. This cannot be attained without
recourse to supplementary irrigation for the major food production areas of the
country (Adeolu and Taiwo, 2004), hence, the need for the initiation and
implementation of the National Fadama Development Project (NFDP) in the
country.
‘Fadama’ is a Hausa name for
‘wetlands’, and means ‘Akuro’ or ‘Abata’ in the Yoruba language. These are
low-lying flood plains with easily accessible shallow ground water. Though the
surfaces of these flood plains become dry during the dry seasons, appreciable
amounts of water can be trapped from shallow aquifers that abound around the
plains (leading to the development of tube wells by drilling). The water
obtained from the tube wells is used for the development of small-scale
irrigation schemes to boost dry season crops production (NFDO, 2007)
Fadama is an integrated
approach which came into being as a result of the failure of agriculturalproductivity,
to achieve rural development and food security objectives of government.Fadama farmers are those who utilize the resources
provided by fadama on a sustatainable basis.
They benefit under the project by Community Driven Development approach,
through the preparation of Local Development Plan. The Community Driven
Development (CDD) approach is a bottom-top approach for the development of
agricultural enterprise, there is a high sense of belonging by the
beneficiaries because the communities take responsibility for designing,
implementing, operating and maintaining sub-projects prioritized in their Local
Development Plans.
The National Fadama Development
Project is a major instrument for achieving the Government's poverty reduction
objective in the rural areas of Nigeria. First National Fadama Development
project (NFDP I) was designed in the early 1990s to promote simple and low-cost
improved irrigation technology under the World Bank. The first phase of the
National Fadama Development Project (NFDP1) was between 1993-1999.
The sector goal is to reduce
poverty by improving the living conditions of the rural poor, contribute to
food security and increase access to rural infrastructure. The project
objective is to enhance agricultural production, productivity and value
addition for smallholders and rural entrepreneurs in Fadama areas on a
sustainable basis. The main features of the project are to support the
provision of marketing infrastructure, empowering stakeholders, improving
mechanism for conflict resolution, support establishment of rural and non- farm
enterprises, support improved management and increase food production in the
Fadama areas.
The Project enables Fadama
Resource Users to adopted output enhancing techniques and more effective
marketing practices, it finances Fadama road improvement and rehabilitation,
service centers, market infrastructure , drainages of boreholes and cold rooms.
At the completion...
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