The role of the locations of public sector varietal development activities on agricultural productivity: Evidence from northern Nigeria
The role of the locations of public sector varietal development activities on agricultural productivity: Evidence from northern Nigeria

Author: Nasir, Abdullahi Mohammed

Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst

Published: 2017-07-21

Total Pages: 31

ISBN-13:

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Despite the importance of location-specific adaptive crop breeding research, past reforms of breeding systems in Nigeria have focused more on centralizing the breeding activities into fewer locations. This has been based partly on the premise that such research systems can still effectively meet the need for a diverse set of varietal technologies that are suitable for different agroecological conditions through the use of numerous outstations and multilocational trials, regardless of the locations of the headquarters or the outstations where breeders are located. However, little empirical evidence exists to support this premise. Using panel data for agricultural households in northern Nigeria, as well as spatial data on agroecological factors, this study fills this knowledge gap. Specifically, it empirically shows that agricultural productivity and technical efficiency at farm household level is significantly and positively affected by similarity between the agroecological conditions of the locations of these households and where major crop breeding institutes are headquartered in Nigeria, namely Maiduguri, Kano, Zaria, Badeggi, Ibadan, and Umudike, after controlling for the agroecological conditions and various relevant household characteristics of these households. These findings suggest that where improved varieties are developed or evaluated affects agricultural productivity and technical efficiency in different locations. Overall agricultural productivity in Nigeria can be significantly increased not simply by increasing support for public sector varietal development, but by doing so in a manner that increases the similarity in agroecological conditions between areas where crop breeding is conducted and the areas where farm households produce those crops.

Overview of the evolution of agricultural mechanization in Nigeria
Overview of the evolution of agricultural mechanization in Nigeria

Author: Takeshima, Hiroyuki

Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst

Published: 2018-08-17

Total Pages: 41

ISBN-13:

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Demand for mechanization in Nigeria is growing in a fairly consistent way predicted by economic theories. The farming system has intensified and the use of animal traction has grown at a substantial rate. Demand side factors considerably explain the low adoptions of tractors in Nigeria. Where demand is sufficient for tractors, the private sector has emerged over time as a more efficient provider of hiring services (particularly farmer-tofarmer services) than the public sector. Conditions are consistent with the hypotheses that, because of generally low support for the agricultural sector in Nigeria in the past few decades, agricultural mechanization (tractor use in particular) has remained low despite the declining share of the workforce engaged in the agricultural sector. Agricultural transformation in the form of a declining agricultural labor force has happened partly through the growth in the oil industry since the 1970s. Instead of inducing further exit from farming, tractor adoptions in Nigeria might have helped those who have remained in farming to start expanding their production scale. A knowledge gap, however, still remains regarding the dominance of large tractors and the potential effects of tractor adoptions on smallholders who have yet to adopt them.

Technical efficiency of smallholder farms in Nigeria
Technical efficiency of smallholder farms in Nigeria

Author: Kolawole Ogundari

Publisher: Cuvillier Verlag

Published: 2010-07-30

Total Pages: 180

ISBN-13: 3736934211

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This dissertation is based on three essays with a focus on the technical efficiency of smallholder farms in Nigeria. The overall objective of the research is to contribute to the existing literature on the efficiency and productivity of Nigerian agriculture. The first essay examined the development and drivers of the average technical efficiency in Nigerian agriculture based on 64 efficiency studies covering 1999-2008. The second essay went on to further identify the trends in crop diversification while examining its impact on the technical efficiency of smallholder farms in Nigeria. Last but not least, the third essay investigated technical efficiency, inputs substitution and their complementary effects using an output distance function while focusing on cassava production in Nigeria. The second and third essays are based on unbalanced panel data of 846 observations covering three farming season (2006/07-2008/09) from southwestern Nigeria via the application of the stochastic frontier analysis. In summary, the research found that average technical efficiency significantly increased over time across the 64 frontier studies in the country. Besides, the study observed that technical progress characterized food crop production in the country while the mean technical efficiency reported from each of the essays that make up the dissertation showed that there is still room for improvement in Nigerian food crop production as each estimate falls below the frontier level. Furthermore, the research revealed that cropping pattern increased significantly with the intensification of diversification in food crop production in the country. In addition, the study identifies education, credit, extension contacts and crop diversification among others as key drivers of technical efficiency in Nigerian food crop production. In light of this, the research concludes that the latter observation underscores the importance of education, credit and extension contacts as variables of policy concern for the institutions of public and private policies design to reposition the Nigerian food crop production industry in order to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of food security.

Sustainable Soil Management of the Dryland Soils in Northern Nigeria
Sustainable Soil Management of the Dryland Soils in Northern Nigeria

Author: Suleiman Usman

Publisher: GRIN Verlag

Published: 2011-05-20

Total Pages: 117

ISBN-13: 3640921046

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Master's Thesis from the year 2007 in the subject Agrarian Studies, grade: Merit class, Natural Resources Institute - University of Greenwich at Medway (-), course: Plant Health and Protection, language: English, abstract: Although it is widely recognised that environmental problems such as soil degradation erosion and desertification threaten sustained agricultural production in many States of northern Nigeria including Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara. Very little information is available about the current status of the potential impact of soil degradation and whether the situation is worsening in all the States of northern Nigeria. However, it is now clear that the major factor explaining the severity and spatial distribution of soil degradation such as erosion and desertification in northern Nigeria is associated with human impact such as deforestation and mismanagement of land resources. Other factors includes overgrazing, use of mechanized equipment, deforestation and lack of government concern to protect the environment in the region, but few studies have been made on applied issues related to the physical and chemical processes including erosion, runoff and leaching. These problems are widely considered as a serious problem to agricultural production and its environmental consequences will remain an important issue during the 21st century. Possible solutions such as soil management practices will help to minimise/control soil degradations which caused serious hazards to farmer’s land in northern Nigeria. Sustainable soil management practices are vital for enhancing and sustaining the productivity of soil, food, livestock, water quality and other related land resources such as forestry in northern Nigeria. It is more efficient in terms of reduced environmental impact, high risk of soil degradation and soil erosion. These management practices are: (a) applying organic manure regularly, (b) growing cover crops in rotation with millet/sorghum, (c) Intercropping and multiple cropping systems, (d) crop rotation system, (e) planting shelter belt around the farm (f) minimum tillage system, (g) good drainage system and (h) good government policies. However two steps will help to achieve the successful implementaion of those management practices in northern Nigeria. These are: (a) good government policies with quality initiative and (b) general cooperation from individual, community and people in concerned.

Agricultural Production In Nigeria. A Review of Recent Developments in Policy and Practice
Agricultural Production In Nigeria. A Review of Recent Developments in Policy and Practice

Author: Seun Kolade

Publisher: GRIN Verlag

Published: 2016-04-14

Total Pages: 34

ISBN-13: 3668197296

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Scientific Essay from the year 2016 in the subject Agrarian Studies, South Bank University London, language: English, abstract: This article draws on critical review of research articles, official statistics and policy documents on agricultural production in Nigeria, especially since the beginning of the current democratic dispensation in 1999. This paper highlights the findings of researchers and policy makers on the significant gains made in the agricultural sector, especially in terms of increased productivity of staple crops like cassava and rice. However, this review also identifies significant gaps in knowledge and deficiencies in practice, in the areas of innovation diffusion among rural farmers, market reforms, engagement in high value chains, and the politics of policy implementation and evaluation.