FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE
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Item Economic costs and returns from organic farming in Oyo state, Nigeria(ResearchGate, 2015) Alawode,O.O; Abegunde,V.O.The study evaluated the costs and returns of organic farming using the farmers in Akinyele Local Government of Oyo state, Nigeria as case study. An interview schedule was administered to the respondents to elicit useful information. The analysis was based on input and output data collected from one hundred and eighty farmers selected at random from the area from which eighty-eight used organic farming, fifty-eight used non-organic farming and thirty-four used both farming systems. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT), t-test group statistics and gross margin analysis. Results of the analysis indicated that 57.8% of the respondents were male, 66.1% were married and all the respondents had formal education either at primary, secondary or tertiary level. Furthermore, 48.9% of the respondents adopted organic farming system, 32.2% adopted non-organic farming system while 18.9% adopted both organic and non-organic farming systems. From the gross margin analysis done, both organic and non-organic farming are profitable. However, it is more profitable to produce vegetable and maize organically. Costs related to fertiliser and the post-harvest preservation and sales was higher in non-organic farming, whereas the cost of crude farm implements and labour was higher in organic farming. There should be an intensified awareness to improve the level of participation of farmers in organic farming, recommendation of organic products to people, and government policies that encourage farmers to go into organic farming, especially by making their products readily disposable in already prepared market at encouraging prices.Item Factors associated with shea butter processing in Kwara State, Nigeria(2014-03) Onikoyi, M. P.; Tijani, S. A.; Oluwasusi, J. A.The need to improve the production of shear butter as a means of sustainable livelihood and monetary income for rural dwellers in the nation necessitated this study. The factors associated with shea butter processing were assessed in this study. Interview schedule was employed to elicit information from the respondents. Structured interview schedule was administered to 160 randomly sampled shear butter processors in Kwara State. Data obtained were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics. Results of the study revealed that majority of the processors were females, elderly, married with little or no formal education. They had large household size with shea butter processing being their primary occupation. Processing techniques adopted by respondents were rudimentary, laborious and time consuming. Processors identified rainfall as a very important climatic factor, knowledge of improved technologies as a very important factor, access to credit facilities as a germane economic factor, availability of water as a very important physical factor associated with Shea butter processing. Insufficient water, bad road networks and lack of credit were very severe constraint among the respondents. There is thus the need by the state government to provide more basic infrastructural facilities like water, electricity, rural feeder roads to enhance the capacity of Shea butter processors. Association of respondents with cooperative societies should be encouraged through extension education to boost their productivity in meeting up with the demands for domestic consumption, export and family bills.Item Farmers adaptation strategies to the effect of climate variation on yam production: a case study in Ekiti State, Nigeria(2013) Oluwasusi, J. O.; Tijani, S. A.The study investigated farmers adaptation strategies to the effect of climate variation on yam production in Ekiti State with the specific objectives of assessing the socio-economic characteristics of farmers, farmers' climate related constraints, the adaptation strategies employed by farmers, and yam farmers' level of production across the years 2008, 2009 and 2010. A three - stage multistage sampling technique was used to select one hundred and fifty-one respondents from the list of contact farmers obtained from the state Agricultural Development Programme (ADP). Data collected through questionnaire were analysed using frequency counts, percentages, Chi-square, Pearson Product Moment Correlation and ANOVA. Results obtained showed that farmers in the study area were mostly males with a mean age of 53.9 years. Chi- square analysis revealed that there was a significant relationship between secondary occupation (X2= 14.068), farm size (x2= 99.597) and the level of production of yam farmers. Pearson product moment correlation indicated that there were significant and positive relationships between age (r = 0.160), adaptation strategies (r- 0.158) and level of production, while negative relationship was found between constraints (r = -0.173) and the level of yam production. ANOVA showed a significant difference in the level of production of farmers across the years; 2008, 2009 and 2010 (F- 212.7). Therefore, efforts should be geared towards developing and making available, yam setts that are tolerant to change in climate elements and weather extremes like flood and drought. This study also suggests the need for prompt weather information, increased research and development of innovation for sustainable yam cropping in the face of climate variation.Item Constraints to production, processing and marketing of sweet-potato in selected communities in Offa Local Government Area, Kwara State Nigeria(Kalma-Raj, 2007) Fawole, O. P.Offa Local Government Area is one of the major sweet-potato growing areas of Nigeria. Sweet potato is grown mainly on smallholder farms and concentrated particularly in communities in Offa Local Government Area. This study randomly selected 90 small scale farmers purposively from 9 communities to investigate constraints to production, processing and marketing of sweet-potato. Data were collected using an interview schedule. Results indicated that yields of 4-7 tonnes per hectare obtained by smallholder farmers are about 20-35 percent of the crop's potential yield. Reasons for this low output are limited cultivated land, lack of improved practices, poor storage facilities, lack of credit facilities, lack of extension training, poor transportation and high cost of input. Also, marketing of the crop is dominated by middlemen, to whom most of the profit accrue, thereby serving as a disincentive to the smallholder farmers. There is, therefore, a need for adoption of improved production techniques, development of appropriate and affordable storage and processing technologies, more efficient distribution and marketing systems and an effective extension service to improve current sweet-potato production in Nigeria.