Assessment of factors influencing cocoyam production among farmers in southeast zone of Nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed factors influencing cocoyam production in southeast Nigeria. The data for the study were collected from 288 farmers. An interview schedule with a well structured questionnaire was used for the study. The data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentages and mean. Ordinary least square regression analysis was used for the analysis of factors influencing cocoyam production. The result of the multiple regression analysis of the factors influencing cocoyam production shows an R² value of 0.822 which indicates that 82.2% of the total observed variations in the dependent variable were accounted for. F–statistics was significant at1% indicating the fitness of the model used. The result also revealed that seven variables were statistically significant and conforms to the researcher’s a prior expectation. The major production related factors influencing cocoyam production output were land, access to credit, farm size, farming experience, fertilizer and planting materials. Result of the three point likert scale on the constraints militating against cocoyam production showed inadequate fund with the mean of (X =2.71) and high mortality rate of cocoyam (X=2.68) as the major constraints to cocoyam farming. It was recommended that Agricultural credit should be made available and accessible to cocoyam farmers for increased farm size and for increased cocoyam production.

Keywords: cocoyam production, tuber crops