Victor O. Okoruwa

Crop-livestock competition in the West African derived savanna: Application of a multi-objective programming model

Abstract In West Africa, crop-livestock mixed farming is emerging from the currently predominant nomadic pastoralism and agropastoralism. It is hypothesized that competitiveness between crop and livestock enterprises may be an important determinant of the pace of this evolution. A field study in the derived savanna of southwest Nigeria shows that at the current stage of evolution, as a crop farmer adds livestock to his business, there is a small gain in the beginning, then an increasing rate of substitution between crop and livestock follow. As a livestock rearer engages in crop production, there is a decreasing rate of substitution between livestock and crop. This situation derives from the fact that crop production is more intensive than livestock production, which depends principally on grazing natural pastures. Results indicate that if increased population pressure and cropping intensity severely limit access to grazing land, farm and herd sizes will become smaller, then the degree of integration between crop and livestock will increase significantly.

Estimating nutrition-income elasticities in sub-Saharan Africa: implications on health

The study estimates calories, proteins and fats-income elasticities in sub Saharan Africa (SSA). Annual time series data for 43 countries covering 1975-2009 that yields a balanced panel was employed for the analysis. The nutrient-income elasticities are estimated based on the aggregate Engel Curve framework using Feasible Generalized Least Square (FGLS) technique that is robust to autocorrelation and non-parametric plot. The empirical results show that a 10% increase in income will lead to about a 0.90%, 0.87%, and 0.73% rise in fats, proteins and calories supply, respectively in the region. This shows that the estimated nutrient-income elasticities are of small size. Other results show that the relationship between calorie and protein-income was found to be non-linear at higher income and diminished, as revealed by the estimated aggregate Engel Curve and non-parametric plot.

Impact of electronic-wallet system on farmer’s welfare in Oyo State, Nigeria

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of e-wallet on farmer’s welfare in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach Primary data were used to collect information on 81 users and 123 non-users of e-wallet system. Foster, Greer and Thorbecke (FGT) analysis was used to profile farmer’s poverty status, while propensity score matching (PSM) was used to assess the impact of e-wallet on welfare using per capita expenditure as its proxy. Findings The FGT analysis shows that poverty incidence, depth, and severity were found to be higher among non-users of e-wallet than its users. The PSM analysis showed that e-wallet had a positive impact on welfare; Rosenbaum sensitivity analysis revealed that the findings are sensitive to hidden bias due to unobserved characteristics. Research limitations/implications The relevance of matching method depends on data availability for the specific policy problem. Hence, the study is limited to the use of the PSM because of the limitation of household data availability to only a sample of farmers in Oyo State. Originality/value This paper examines the impact of the new system of input distribution (e-wallet) on farmer’s welfare.

Cost efficiency among rice millers in Southwest Nigeria

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the efficiency of rice millers and determine factors influencing cost efficiency in Southwest Nigeria using the cost route approach. Design/methodology/approach The paper analyses cost efficiency of rice millers using primary data collected from 62 respondents through a structured questionnaire. A multi-stage sampling procedure was employed for this purpose. The profile of rice millers and mills were derived using the descriptive analysis. Cost efficiency of the millers was obtained using the quadratic cost function analysis, and Tobit regression was used to determine factors that influence cost efficiency. Findings The results showed that cost efficiency indexes range from 1 to 57 percent averaging at 20.2 percent. Large rice mills were found to be most efficient with the mean cost efficiency of 25 percent. Paddy, transport and energy costs contributed positively and significantly (p=0.05 and p=0.01) to cost efficiency. Milling capacity and machine age increase cost efficiency while the distance to purchase paddy and quantity of diesel used reduces cost efficiency. Social implications The paper shows that there is enough potential for rice millers to improve their cost efficiency based on the available technology. This has a direct implication on the economy through the increased domestic production and processing of rice to meet the increasing demand for locally produced rice. Originality/value The paper attempts to bridge the gap in the literature of cost efficiency among rice millers in Nigeria, and specifically in the application of the normalized quadratic cost function in estimating cost efficiency in the rice milling sector in Nigeria.

Productivity of Oil Palm Production Systems in Edo and Kogi States, Nigeria: A Total Factor Productivity Approach

Self-sufficiency in domestic palm oil supply remains unattainable in Nigeria, despite the various efforts of government to revive the subsector. The contribution of oil palm to employment and income in Nigeria is enormous. However, there is dominance of smallholders, low yield and inadequate documentation on productivity of the Oil Palm Production systems in the country. Thus, this study investigates Total Factor Productivity (TFP) of oil palm production systems in Edo and Kogi States, Nigeria using Tornqvist TFP index. Data were collected by administration of structured questionnaires using multistage sampling procedures. The results showed that the oil palm production in the study area is structured into small (≤ 10 hectare (ha), medium (11 – 50 ha) and large (≥ 51 ha). The TFP of the large, medium and small scale OPPS were 1.04, 0.99 and 0.82, respectively, while the overall TFP was 0.92. The large scale system had the highest productivity, followed by medium scale system in palm oil production in the study areas. Therefore, Promotion incentives should be directed to large and medium scale systems with upgrading of small scale farmers to medium scale farmers. Keywords; productivity, oil palm, small, medium and large scale oil palm production systems