Bola Amoke Awotide

Impact of agricultural technology adoption on asset ownership: the case of improved cassava varieties in Nigeria

Using household survey data from a sample of about 850 households selected from six States in south-west Nigeria, this paper analyses the effects of the adoption of improved cassava varieties (ICVs) on asset ownership among smallholder farmers. The results of the linear regression with endogenous treatment effects showed that adoption of ICVs is positively related to asset ownership. The results further showed that ICVs had greater impact on asset ownership among female-headed households. The impact analysis using propensity score matching (PSM) showed a significant and positive effect of adoption of ICVs on asset ownership and a negative effect on asset poverty. The empirical results suggest that improved agricultural technologies can play a key role in strengthening asset ownership of smallholder farmers for increased agricultural productivity and income generation.

Assessing the extent and determinants of adoption of improved cassava varieties in south-western Nigeria

This paper investigates the determinants of adoption of improved cassava varieties in southwestern Nigeria. The data come from a farm household survey of 841 households selected using a three-stage stratified random sampling procedure. The data collection was conducted in 2011 by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Nigeria. Empirical estimates of a Double-Hurdle model revealed that adoption increases with the age of the household head and is influenced by the gender of the household head, hired labour, cultivated land, and access to credit. The results further showed that the intensity of adoption is influenced by hired labour and farm size; access to information about the improved cassava varieties is determined by the age, gender, and level of education of the household head, and by off-farm income.

Production and scale efficiency of maize farming households in South-Western Nigeria

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to estimate production and scale efficiency of maize producing farms in South-Western Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach - – This study is based on a semi-parametric approach and uses a combination of econometrics and linear programming to build two stage Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model. Findings - – Model findings shows existence of production and scale inefficiencies in maize production. The study concludes that there is still room for efficiency improvements in the existence of the current maize production technology. It also finds several socio-economic variables such as, off-farm work, education, extension services and credit, which positively impact on technical efficiency of farm households. Practical implications - – Efficiency indicators could be used to monitor resource use efficiency in crop production by local government. Social implications - – Efficiency improvements will increase maize production in the country which in turn reduce social unrest and food insecurity. Originality/value - – This study is one of the first which has employed DEA approach to analyze maize productivity and pioneer in using non-traditional bootstrapping approach to obtain robust efficiency scores in the case of Nigeria.

Access to Subsidized Certified Improved Rice Seed and Poverty Reduction: Evidence from Rice Farming Households in Nigeria

This study assessed the impact of access to Subsidized Certified Improved Rice Seed (SCIRS) on poverty reduction among rice farming households in Nigeria, using cross-sectional data of 563 rice farmers selected from three states, representing the three major rice producing ecologies. Due to the problem of endogeneity and non-compliance, this study adopted Local Average Treatment Effect (LATE) estimation techniques to provide a reliable estimate of the impact of access to SCIRS on poverty reduction. The study showed an observed increase of 20 % in output for all the respondents. Farmers in the treated group had a 15 % increase in rice output and an 11 % increase in income after the intervention. Poverty incidence, and depth and severity by gender and rice ecologies reduced among the treated after the intervention. The result of the LATE estimate showed an impact of US

The impact of seed vouchers on poverty reduction among smallholder rice farmers in Nigeria

221.98 on revenue from rice production. However, the impact on revenue was higher among the male-headed households (US

Wealth Status and Agricultural Technology Adoption Among Smallholder Rice Farmers in Nigeria

441.41) than the female-headed households (US

Impact of Access to Subsidized Certified Improved Rice Seed on Income: Evidence from Rice Farming Households in Nigeria

142.16). The intervention was also pro-poor in nature, as it had a higher impact on the poor (US

Agricultural technology adoption, commercialization and smallholder rice farmers’ welfare in rural Nigeria

430.07) than the non-poor (US

Agricultural Technology Adoption, Market Participation and Rural Farming Households’ Welfare in Nigeria

97.60) farming households. Therefore, granting farmers’ access to SCIRS can be a route out of prevailing poverty in Nigeria. This study recommends that the existing seed certification and subsidy system should be properly monitored and implemented to ensure that farmers get access to seed of good quality at the right time and at affordable prices.