Analysis of selected Production Variables in yam Production in Northern Agricultural Zone, Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined selected production variables that affect small-scale yam farmers in the Northern Agricultural Zone, Cross River State, Nigeria. The objectives were to determine how selected production variables affect yam production, identify the constraints in yam production, and describe strategies used by yam farmers to improve yam production. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select a total of one hundred and eighty-nine (189) small-scale yam farmers. Data were gathered using a well-structured questionnaire. The collected data were examined through the application of descriptive statistical methods and regression analyses. Regression analysis revealed that the major resources that significantly affected yam production were fertilizers, herbicides, and farm size. The primary yam production constraints identified by farmers were the high cost of agrochemicals, inadequate access to credit facilities, high cost of labour, poor transportation networks, inadequate capital, and low prices for the yam produced. The findings revealed that early weeding, planting of healthy seedlings, and early harvesting to obtain additional yam crowns were strategies adopted by farmers to improve yam production. The study recommends that yam farmers join cooperatives for better loan access, expand cultivation areas to increase yield, reduce excessive herbicide use, increase fertilizer application, and collaborate with the government and private sector to improve infrastructure and market linkages and reduce postharvest losses.