Adebayo A. Akinola

An Assessment of Willingness To Pay by Maize and Groundnut Farmers for Aflatoxin Biocontrol Product in Northern Nigeria

In Nigeria, Aflasafe is a registered biological product for reducing aflatoxin infestation of crops from the field to storage, making the crops safer for consumption. The important questions are whether farmers will purchase and apply this product to reduce aflatoxin contamination of crops, and if so under what conditions. A study was carried out to address these questions and assess determinants of willingness to pay (WTP) for the product among maize and groundnut farmers in Kano and Kaduna states in Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to collect primary data from 492 farmers. The majority of farmers who had direct experience with Aflasafe (experienced farmers) in Kano (80.7%) and Kaduna (84.3%) had a WTP bid value equal to or greater than the threshold price (

Economics of Amaranthus Production Under Tropical Conditions

10) at which Aflasafe was to be sold. The mean WTP estimates for Aflasafe for experienced farmers in Kano and Kaduna were statistically the same. However, values of

Impact of mulching technology adoption on output and net return to yam farmers in Osun state, Nigeria

3.56 and

Assessment of potential profitability of amaranth vegetable production under different fertility restoring technologies in Ondo State, Nigeria

7.46 were offered in Kano and Kaduna states, respectively, by farmers who had never applied Aflasafe (inexperienced farmers), and the difference here was significant (P < 0.01). Regression results indicate that contact with extension agents (P < 0.01) and access to credit (P < 0.05) positively and significantly influenced the probability that a farmer would be willing to pay more for Aflasafe than the threshold price. Lack of awareness of the importance of Aflasafe was the major reason cited by inexperienced farmers (64% in Kano state and 21% in Kaduna state) for not using the product. A market strategy promoting a premium price for aflatoxin-safe produce and creating awareness and explaining the availability of Aflasafe to potential users should increase Aflasafe usage.

Analysis of Profitability of Synthetic and Naturally Occurring Pesticides in Solanecio biafrae Production

Despite the economic usefulness of Amaranthus cruentus L., the area under production is low in the tropics. Inefficiency of resource use and utilization in farming can seriously affect crop production and productivity. Costs, returns, and efficiency of resource use among users of inorganic fertilizer and organic manure in A. cruentis production under tropical conditions were examined. Descriptive statistics, budgetary analysis, and stochastic production frontier and efficiency models were used to analyze data collected from 120 respondents. Though gross margins were about 224,000 and 186,000·ha−1 ( is Naira, Nigerian currency; 1 equals US

Economic Analysis of Adoption of Mulching Technology in Yam Production in Osun State, Nigeria

0.0068) for users of inorganic fertilizer and organic manure, respectively, net incomes were 210,000 and 174,000·ha−1. Rates of return were 4.74 and 4.51 for users of inorganic fertilizer and organic manure. The stochastic production frontier estimates indicated that farm size, quantity of organic manure, and man-days of labor were the main factors determining levels of output. Experience, fixing of sale price, and involvement in other occupations were significant factors contributing to efficiency. The mean efficiency was 82%. None of the producers had an efficiency of less than 60%, indicating that they were efficient in the use of available farm inputs but there was room for improvement.

Determinants of adoption and intensity of use of balance nutrient management systems technologies in the northern Guinea savanna of Nigeria.

ABSTRACT Soil erosion and nutrient depletion present a threat to the food security and sustainability of agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, limited rigorous empirical work on the economics of soil conservation exists. This study examines the factors affecting the adoption of mulching technology and its attendant impact on yam output supply and net returns among sampled yam farmers in Osun State, Nigeria. Probit model and propensity score matching were used to analyse the factors influencing the adoption of mulching technology and its impact on yam output and net returns among yam farmers respectively. The study shows that seed quantity and access to credit are the most significant factors influencing the adoption of mulching technology. Yam farmers in the study area who adopted mulching technology were found to experience a higher output supply than non-adopters, which resulted in a positive and significant effect on their output and net return. Hence, policies targeted at increasing yam output through increasing soil fertility need to include mulching technology as a potentially viable option.

Economic efficiency of small scale farmers in Ogun State, Nigeria.

The study was conducted to assess the potential profitability of amaranth vegetable production under different fertility restoring technologies in Nigeria. The study used a multi-stage sampling technique to collect information from 120 respondents involving adopters and non-adopters of fertility restoring technologies out of which information from 117 respondents was suitable for analysis. Data were analysed with the aid of descriptive statistics, budgetary technique and multinomial logit model. The results of the budgetary technique reveal that the average gross revenue to non-adopters was N49400.81 (N is Nigerian currency; 1N=

Impacts of balanced nutrient management systems technologies in the northern Guinea savanna of Nigeria

0.0064) while that of adopters of organic and inorganic fertilizers were N69996.3 and N88360.1, respectively. The average variable cost was least (N8076.74) among the non-adopters and highest (N11744.2) among the adopters of organic fertilizer. The gross margin was highest (N77456.8) among the adopters of inorganic fertilizer and least (N41324.15 among the non-adopters. The BCR was highest (5.7) among the adopters of inorganic fertilizer and least (4.38) among the adopters of organic manure. Results also showed that the ROR was highest (4.7) among the adopters of inorganic fertilizer and least (3.3) among the adopters of organic fertilizer. The results of the multinomial logic model reveal that level of education and off-farm income significantly influenced the adoption of both organic and inorganic fertilizer technologies, respectively. There is therefore the need to encourage farmers on the importance of adopting fertility restoring technologies and put in place policy thrust that will make farmers access education and activities other than farming.

Economic impacts of soil fertility management research in West Africa

Vegetable farming offers opportunities for resource-poor farmers, because its production can be done with little capital investment. Pressure from pests reduces yields. Synthetic materials have been used to control pests, but there could be environmental problems associated with their use. Budgetary analysis was used to evaluate economics of naturally occurring and synthetic pesticides in Solanecio biafrae (Olive & Heirne) C. Jeffrey production, and regression was used to analyze influences of socioeconomic factors on profitability. Average income for producers using naturally occurring pesticides was 26,300.37·ha−1 (, Nigeria currency) which was higher than the average income of producers using synthetic pesticides, 23,532.88·ha−1. The gross margin was 27,611.10·ha−1 for synthetic pesticide users and 31,123.20·ha−1 for users of naturally occurring pesticides. The ratio of net returns to total expenses was 1.01 for users of synthetic pesticides and 2.54 for users of naturally occurring pesticides; the operating expense ratio was 0.41 for users of synthetic pesticides and 0.15 for users of naturally occurring pesticides. Net income ratios were 0.50 and 0.71, respectively. Regression analysis indicated that education and farm experience positively impacted profit level. Using naturally occurring pesticides is more economically feasible than use of synthetic pesticides.