Family Labour Utilization among Small Scale Arable Crop Farmers: Evidence from Akoko South West Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study focused on the use of family labor by arable crop farmers in Ondo State, aiming to understand their involvement in farming and its implications for income and employment generation, particularly for the youth. The research specifically assessed the availability of family labor and its utilization level among farmers. A two-stage sampling procedure was employed to select 120 arable crop farmers across the Local Government Area of the State. Data were gathered using structured questionnaire and interviews for quantitative analysis, and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) for qualitative insights. The data were analyzed using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) at a 0.05 significance level, and qualitative data were transcribed following standard transcription guidelines. The findings revealed that only 31.9% of the respondents utilized family labor, with 21.0% of this labour comprising the farmers' direct children. Family labor was primarily employed for activities like planting (x̅ = 3.31), weeding (x̅ = 2.72), processing (x̅ = 2.13), and fertilizer application (x̅ = 2.01). The OLS results indicated that age (t = -4.28; p < 0.000), years of experience (t = -5.96; p < 0.000), and farm size (t = 4.16; p < 0.000) significantly and positively influenced the use of family labor. The study concluded that arable crop farmers predominantly relied on hired labor, with family labor being employed for less physically demanding tasks, excluding land clearing and tree felling. It is recommended that the government should design a programme that could encourage youth to stay in the farming communities with the primary aim of making them available for family labour.

Keywords

• Arable crops
• Evidence
• Family labour
• Farmers
• Small scale
• Utilization

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