Analysis of Economic Cost of Agricultural Land Degradation in Southeast Nigeria

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the economic cost of agricultural land degradation and determine the constraints to the use of agricultural land degradation control measures in southeast Nigeria. Southeast Nigeria is the study region. All of southeast Nigeria's registered crop farmers make up the study's population. The sample size of 300 farmers was determined based on Cochran’s formula for an infinite population. A multistage purposive and random sampling process was used to choose the study's respondents.  Data were collected from primary sources using a questionnaire augmented with a face-to-face interview in 2023 and analysed using percentages, mean score, economic cost method, and factor analysis. Results showed that a farmer had a loss of about N11,973.04/ha, approximately (US$16.179/ha), to agricultural land degradation. The major constraint to the practice of agricultural land degradation control measures was economic constraints. The study recommends that, since most of the farmers use nutrient replacement as agricultural land degradation control measures, the government should subsidize the cost of fertilizer to increase usage by farmers. Our research is unique in the field of environmental degradation since many authors dwelled on geophysical erosion, soil loss, gully erosion, productivity loss and soil wash erosion, our study assessed economic cost of agricultural land degradation using replacement cost method (cost of replacing destroyed plants; cost of establishing conservation measures and cost of seeds and seedlings replacement and use of labour hours lost). Also, this study considered the degree of consciousness of the farmers to sheet/soil wash erosion as it affects the study area, while most other studies considered the geophysical aspect. The findings of this research will inform policymakers on how loss in productivity can affect the prospects of growth in the national output. To the farmers, it will help them identify the economic cost of agricultural land degradation per hectare of land.  To the government, the cost of land degradation will be known, and this will help them in their plans. To the general public, constraints to the use of agricultural land degradation control measures will be known and work hard to eliminate it, and to researchers and scholars, this will serve as a reference material for further research.