Technical efficiency of agroforestry production technology among smallholder farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria

Year 2023, , 362 - 373, 29.06.2023

Olugbenga Omotayo Alabı , Godbless Friday Safugha

https://doi.org/10.31015/jaefs.2023.2.15

Cited By: 2

Abstract

This study evaluated technical efficiency of agroforestry production technology among smallholder farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was adopted. A total sample size of 120 smallholder agroforestry farmers was used. Primary data were collected with the aid of structured and well-designed questionnaire. Analytical tools used were: descriptive statistics, farm budgeting techniques, financial analysis, stochastic production frontier model, and principal component model. About 85% of agroforestry farmers were male, while 15% were female. Also, 87.50% of agroforestry farmers were less than 50 years of age. The mean age was 45 years. Furthermore, 85% of agroforestry farmers had formal education and were literate. The household sizes were large with mean value of 6 members per household. The agroforestry systems practiced include: alley farming, shelterbelts, wind breaks, home gardens, api-silviculture, aqua-forestry, retaining tree on farm land, taungya systems, farmed parkland, and silvo-pasture. The result of the farm budgetary technique show that agroforestry farming was profitable among the smallholder farmers in the study area. The result of the maximum likelihood estimates shows that the significant factors influencing output of agroforestry production technology were: seed input (P<0.05), farm size input (P<0.01), fertilizer input (P<0.10), labour input (P<0.10), and chemical input (P<0.01). The significant factors influencing technical inefficiency of agroforestry production technology were: gender (P<0.10), marital status (P<0.01), education level (P<0.01), experience in agroforestry production (P<0.01) and size of households (P<0.10). The average technical efficiency score obtained by the smallholder agroforestry farmers was 40.18%. The constraints facing agroforestry farmers include: lack of training and capacity building, inadequate extension officers, lack of improved seeds, lack of credit facilities, lack of fertilizers, and lack of agroforestry tree seedlings. The study recommends that agroforestry tree seedlings should be made available to farmers, credit facilities should be provided for easy access to agroforestry production technologies, extension officers should be employed, and improved seeds, fertilizers should be provided for increased productivity.

Keywords

Technical Efficiency, Agroforestry Production Technology, Kaduna State, Nigeria

References

• AAC (2014)., Benefits of Agroforestry, Agriculture and Agro-food Agency of the Government of Canada, Montreal.
• Adekunle, V.A (2009). Contributions of Agroforestry Practice in Ondo State, Nigeria, to Environment Sustainability and Sustainable Agricultural Production. Africa Focus 22, 2, 27 – 40
• Alabi, O.O., Oladele, A.O & Oladele, N.O (2020). Economic Market Decisions among Marginal Maize Farmers in Abuja, Nigeria: Applications of Double Hurdle Model and Factor Analysis. Russian Journal of Agricultural and Socio-Economic Sciences, 8(104), 114 – 125. DOI: https://doi.org/ 10.18551/rjoas.2020-08.14.
• Alabi, O.O., Oladele, A.O., & Maharazu, I (2022). Economies of Scale and Technical Efficiency of Smallholder Pepper (Capsicum species) Production in Abuja, Nigeria. Journal of Agricultural Sciences, (Belgrade), 67 (1), 63 – 82. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2298/JAS2201063A.
• Alabi, O.O., Safugha, G.F.,& Aluwong, J.S. (2023). Cost Efficiency and Profitability Analysis of Rice (Oryza sativa) Production among Smallholder Farmers in Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. Australian Journal of Science and Technology, 7 (1), 1-8
• Alavalapati, J.R.R., Shrestha, R.K., Stainback, G.A & Matta, J.R (2004). Agroforestry Development: An Environmental Economic Perspective. Agroforestry Systems, 61, 299 – 310.
• Alemu, M.M (2016). Indigenous Agroforestry Practices in Southern Ethiopia: The Case of Lante, Arba Minch. Open Access Library Journal, 3, e3278 http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1103278
• Amaza, P.S & Tashikalma, A.K (2003). Technical Efficiency of Groundnuts in Adamawa State, Nigeria. Journal of Arid Agriculture, 13, 127 – 131
• Amaza, P.S. & J.K. Olayemi. (2000). An Investigation of Production Efficiency in Food Crop Enterprises in Gombe State, Nigeria”. Journal of Rural Economics and Development, Dept of Agricultural Economics, University of Ibadan, 113(2), 111-122.
• Amonum, J.I., Babalola, F.D., & Agera .S.I.N (2009). Agroforestry Systems in Nigeria: Review of Concepts and Practices. Journal of Research in Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, 1 (1), 18 – 30.
• Ben-Chendo, G, N., Lawal, N., Osuji,M.N., Osugiri, I.I., & Ibeagwa, B.O (2015). Cost and Returns of Paddy Rice Production in Kaduna State, Nigeria. International Journal of Agricultural-Marketing, 2 (5), 084 – 089.
• Coker, A.A.A,Ibrahim, F.D.,& Ibeziako, U.N. (2018). Influence of Agricultural Technology Utilization on Technical Efficiency of Cowpea Farmers in Nigeria: Evidence from Parametric Analysis. Russian Journal of Agricultural and Socio-Economic Sciences, 2(75), 162-171
• FAO (2015). Agroforestry, Rome, Italy. http://www.fao.org/forestry/agroforestry/80338/en/ Idumah, F.O. Famuyide, O.O. &. Owombo, P.T. (2015). Estimating the Production Efficiency of Food Crop Farmers Under Agroforestry System in Edo State, Nigeria. World Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 11(1), 01 – 07.
• Ingwe, R.,Ushie, M., Ojong,F.E., & Okeme,I (2009). Pursing Sustainable Development through Agroforestry in Nigeria: Geodemographic and Spatial Analyses of Agroforestry Implementation in 36 States and Capital Territory. Journal of Sustainable Development Africa, 11 (4), 101 – 133.
• Jamala, G.Y., Shehu, H.E. Yidau, J.J & Joel, L (2013). Factors Influencing Adoption of Agroforestry among Smallholder Farmers in Toungo, SouthEastern, Adamawa State, Nigeria. IOSR Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicology, and Food Technology, 6, 6, 66 – 72.
• Jose, S (2009). Agroforestry for Ecosystem Services and Environmental Benefits: An Overview. Agroforestry Systems, 76, 1 – 10.
• Luqman, M., Saqib, R., Karim,M., Nawab, K., Rehman, A, & Muhammad, Y (2018). Socio- Economic Impacts of Agro-Forestry on Livelihoods of Rural Households in Southern Region of the Punjab, Pakistan. Sarhad Journal of Agriculture, 34, 4, 880 -887
• Mbow, C (2015). Agroforestry can form an Effective and Fair Pathway to Achieve Food Security and Agricultural Sustainability in Africa. Climate Change and Development. ICRAF, World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi.
• Nwahia, O.C., Balogun, O.S., Balogun, O.L., Emeghara, U.U., Onwegbunam, N.E., &Bala, U.J. (2020). Analysis of Technical, Allocative and Economic Efficiency of Rice Farmers in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Russian Journal of Agricultural and Socio-Economic Sciences, 10(106),135-143 Ogundari, K. & S.O. Ojo. (2007). Productivity Potential and Technical Efficiency of Agro- Forestry-based Technologies in South-Western Nigeria. Journal of Agriculture & Social Sciences, 3(2)47–51.
• Olukosi, J.O & Erhabor, P.O (2015). Introduction to Farm Management Economics: Principles and Applications. Agitab Publishers Limited, Zaria, Kaduna, Nigeria pp77 – 83
• Villano, R & Fleming, E (2004). Analysis of Technical Efficiency in a Rain-Fed Lowland Rice Environment in Central Luzon Philippines using a Stochastic Frontier. Paper Series in Agricultural and Resource Economics, No. 15, University of New England, Armidale
• Yamane, T (1967). Elementary Sampling Theory, Volume 1: 371 – 390, Englewood Cliff: Prentice Inc.
• Yusuf, H.O. & Abdulrahman, S. (2018). Evaluation of Gender Differential in Resource Utilization and Estimation of Efficiency Under Accelerated Rice Production Programme in Kogi State, Nigeria. Journal of Agriculture and Environment, 14 (2), 31-39.