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Determinants of commercialization and food security of cassava producing households in Abia State, Nigeria


C.N. Nwachukwu
C.I. Ezeh

Abstract

The study examined the determinants of commercialization and food security of cassava producing households in Abia state, Nigeria. It specially analyzed the factors that influenced the commercialization of cassava and food security of households. The study employed multistage sampling technique in the selection of one hundred and twenty households from whom data and information were elicited using pre-tested and structured questionnaire. In data analysis, multiple regression model, probit model and food security indices were used. Analysis of the factors that influenced commercialization of cassava producing household using Cobb Douglas function of the multiple regression model, revealed that the coefficients of farm size, household size, age, output, off - farm incomes, planting materials and access to credit were statistically significant at varied levels. The coefficient of multiple determination R2 was 0.759. The determinants of food security using the probit model depicted that household size, off-farm income, output, access to consumption credit, remittances and farm size were statistically significant at varied levels. The pseudo R2 gave a value of 0.730. The study recommended that the land use act should be reviewed and made more operational to serve the interest and ambition of farmers who would want to engage in commercial cassava production or a related venture at least to increase employment in the sub-sector.

Keywords: Determinants, Agricultural Commercialization, Cassava, and Food Security


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print ISSN: 0300-368X