Search
Search Results
-
ASSESSMENT OF THE CONDITIONS OF THE FARMING HOUSEHOLDS IN NORTH COTABATO: Using Comparative Analysis
Views:565This study was conducted to assess the conditions of the farming households in North Cotabato as basis to reform the development of agri-preneurs in line with the country’s thrust of transforming farmers as entrepreneurs. The research analyzed the conditions of the farming households in North Cotabato in relation to the crops they produce. Stratified random sampling was employed in the collection of data from four hundred (400) farming households using a self-constructed questionnaire validated by the panel. Data generated were analyzed descriptively and by inferential statistics using analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The research revealed that the primary commodity produced is rice, followed by rubber and coconut. On the other hand, study revealed that respondents in the study are engaged in single farming, without Farming, and multiple farming.
Among the perceived conditions of the farming households the study also revealed that conditions in terms of infrastructure facility, market information, managerial skills and entrepreneurial competencies are ready and available for the farmers but neither agree nor disagree on the availability of the conditions in terms of market opportunity, access to credit facility, enabling environment, and government policies on entrepreneurial development. The result affirmed the hypotheses that significant differences in the conditions of the farming household when analyzed according to the crops produced.
-
Impacts of the global financial and economic crisis on the agro-food industry and rural livelihoods in Serbia
113-118Views:312Sixty-five per cent of the Serbian land area is agricultural and 55% of the population is rural.Agriculture share of GDP is more than 10% and about 47% of the rural labour force deals with agriculture. The aim of this work is to analyse the impacts of the global financial and economic crisis on the Serbian agro-food sector and rural communities. Measures introduced, mainly by public institutions, for relieving the consequences of the crisis are presented and discussed. Easily accessible yet high quality data from the central Office of Statistics in Serbia and specialized literature have been used. Impacts have been assessed by analyzing and discussing the trends of many socio-economic indicators. The crisis has had general impacts on the Serbian economy (low GDP growth, unemployment increase, price volatility, purchasing power decrease, etc.). Due to the crisis growth in agricultural production has been very low (0.1% in 2009). Agro-food exports decreased dramatically in 2008. About 9000 agricultural jobs were lost in 2008 and 2009. Reduced exports and lower domestic demand impacted negatively on agricultural commodity prices and agricultural household incomes.Access to credit became more difficult especially for small producers. However, agriculture is still a very important safety net. Agricultural employment share has increased both for men and women. The importance of agriculture is even higher if we consider the “grey agricultural economy”. To mitigate the crisis effects, the Government provided subsidies to rural people and will adopt the National Strategic Plan and Programme for Rural Development. Nevertheless, public institutions - in partnership with private, civil society and international organisations - should improve rural producers’ access to market information and credits and foster investments in rural areas including non-agricultural ones and those aiming at improving physical capital.
-
Profit efficiency among catfish marketers in Lagos state, Nigeria: a Stochastic Profit Frontier Analysis (SPFA) approach
Views:410The study analyzed the determinants of profit efficiency among catfish marketers in Lagos state, Nigeria. Multistage sampling procedure was used to select 120 catfish marketers, data were collected with the aid of a structured questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed with the use of descriptive statistics, enterprise budgetary technique, Shephered-Futrell method and stochastic profit frontier analysis (SPFA) model. The result of the gross ratio and net return on investment reveals that catfish marketing was a profitable and bankable enterprise. About 76.72% of sales revenue was taken up by the costs. The SPFA reveals that cost of catfish purchased and depreciation cost had positive (p<0.01) effects on profit while transportation cost (p<0.01) and labour cost (p<0.05) had negative effects. Furthermore, marital status and credit use (p<0.01) had negative effects on profit inefficiency, the mean profit efficiency of the catfish marketers was 74%. The study concluded that catfish marketers were inefficient, however, to improve the efficiency of the marketers and create more job opportunities; the study recommends that credit facilities that will enable the marketers increase their scale of operation, acquire better marketing resources and employ capable hands in catfish marketing should be made available and accessible. Policies that will help to provide good road networks and reduce the pump price of premium motor spirit (PMS) should be given adequate consideration.
-
LAND CONTROL AND POVERTY STATUS OF FARMING HOUSEHOLDS IN NIGERIA
Views:316Poverty is pervasive among the majority of farming households in Nigeria, particularly affecting small-scale farmers. Having gained access to land, control over the land held is very important in improving the quality of life as it plays a vital role in poverty reduction among small scale farmers. This study examined the relationship between land control and poverty status of farming households in Nigeria. The Nigeria General Household Survey (GHS) 2018 was used. Analytical tools used include descriptive statistics, Land Control Index (LCI), Ordered probit regression and Logit regression models. From the results, majority of the Nigerian farmers were male (84.6%) with a mean age of 50±15years, and 81.1% were married, having a mean household size of 7±4 persons. The mean farm size held by the households was 4.42±14.9ha. Farming households had access to the highest proportion (62.79%) of their plots by inheritance, still showing the dominance of inheritance as a means of land access in Nigeria. Also, households had access to 11.80% of the plots by outright purchase, 11.20% by rent in cash or kind (farm produce), and 0.64% by sharecropping; these underscore the growing rural land market in Nigeria. Majority (88.8%) of the households had no control over all the plots of farmlands held (LCI=0) while 6.03% had total control of the plots of farmlands held (LCI=1). This implies that majority can only carry out farming activities (having use right) on the farmland and did not possess legal documents for the land (not able to dispose of the land). The mean household expenditure on food and non-food were ₦8,609.37 and ₦12,587.08, respectively. The mean total expenditure was ₦18,809.20(±10444.45) and the poverty line was ₦8,433.34. The poverty incidence was 41.03%; 41.03% were poor while 58.97% were non-poor. Location of household in the rural sector, especially in the North East, South West, and South East, was significantly positive in determining the level of land control by farming households at 1%. At 10% level of significance, low land control (HCI≤0.25) and medium land control (HCI=0.51-0.75) would significantly increase the likelihood of the household being non-poor by 27.4% and 33.6%, respectively. Land control positively influences the poverty status of the farming households in Nigeria; farming households with low land control can increase their chances of being non-poor. Rural farmers should be encouraged to obtain legal documents on their land to facilitate higher level of control.
-
Food security assessment and consumption pattern in rural households in Ogun State, Nigeria
15-20Views:312The problem of nutrition security is getting worse in Africa, due to increasing population growth and poor progress in efforts directed at reducing food insecurity in many countries in the continent. The paper undertook an assessment of the food security situation and food consumption pattern in rural households in Ogun state, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 260 rural households from whom data were collected through structured questionnaire. The tools of analysis were descriptive statistics and food security index. The former described the consumption pattern, and households’ sources of food availability, while the latter was used to analyse the food security situation. The result of the rural households’ consumption pattern reveals that the rural households derived more of their energy from carbohydrates at the expense of other classes of food items. The result also shows that majority (75.5%) obtained their food through their own production and supplemented same with food purchased from the market to meet up with their family needs. Based on the recommended daily calorie intake (R) of 2,470 kcal, 59.6% of the rural households were food insecure while 40.4% were food secure. The calculated head count ratio (H) for the food insecure households was 0.6, confirming that almost 60% of households in the study area were food insecure. For secure households, the head count ratio (H) was 0.4, further confirming that only about 40% of households in the study area were food secure. The shortfall index and surplus index were 0.2787 and 0.3498 respectively, meaning that the energy requirement was less by about 27 percent and in excess of 34 percent for the food insecure and food secure households. The paper recommends that while enhancing production of arable crops - roots, tubers and cereals, a sensible balance of tilting towards meeting the requirements in the consumption of animal protein/legume, fats/oils, fruits and vegetables must be maintained to ensure food security. This policy thrust could be enhanced through mass education.
JEL code: R20
Keywords
