Determinants of farm-level productivity of cassava farmers under sole and mixed cropping systems in Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

Study on determinants of farm-level productivity of cassava farmers under sole and mixed cropping systems was conducted in Lapai and Wushishi Local Government Areas of Niger State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 120 croppers while cross-sectional data for the 2017/2018 production season were collected through a well-structured questionnaire with the assistance of extension agents and rained enumerators. Analytical tools included descriptive statistics, and total and partial productivity indices. The results of the summary statistics revealed that the mean output of farmers under mixed cropping system was higher than that of the sole cropping system and that sole croppers operated mostly on small-scale while mixed croppers operated beyond small-scale. The mean inputs used by mixed croppers were mostly higher than that of the sole croppers. The result of the factors affecting the farm level productivity of the cassava farmers revealed that farm size, agrochemical, age, sex and household size were common determinants for both cropping systems while sole cropping system had additional determinants which included labour, stem cuttings, capital inputs, educational level, marital status, years of farming experience, and membership of cooperative society at different probability levels.