The gap in supply and demand of rice could be due to observable differentials in the allocative efficiency of the rice farmers in Nigeria. Therefore, the study focused on the determinants of resource-use efficiencies and profitability of lowland rice farmers of Enugu State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to collect cross-sectional data from 300 smallholder rice farmers across the six agricultural zones of the State. The gross margin (GM) analysis was used to estimate the profitability while the marginal value productmarginal factor cost (MVP-MFC) was used to evaluate the efficiency of rice farming. The Stochastic Frontier Cost Function was also used to estimate the determinants of resource use efficiency among lowland rice farmers in Enugu state. The results from the GM showed that rice production is profitable with an average rate of returns on investment (ROI) of 2.80. The MVP-MFC analysis showed that all the input factors hypothesized were over-utilised indicating the existence of large-scale resource-use inefficiency among lowland rice farmers of the state. Education and age were the only socio-economic variables that affected the allocative efficiency of the rice farmers. The study recommends a farm-level policy directed towards the encouragement of younger adults since they are more likely to adopt innovation and boost efficiency and investment in extension education for advisory services to facilitate resource-use efficiencies.

Honey marketing is an important off-farm economic activity for women's livelihood and sustenance. Despite this, there is scant information in the literature about the economic performance of women honey marketers. Therefore, this study investigates the economic performance of women marketers, its drivers, and its challenges. Data collected from 120 women honey marketers were analysed using descriptive statistics, gross profit, net profit, benefit-cost ratio, return on capital invested, operating ratio, marketing margin, and multiple regression. We found that honey marketing was a profitable venture, as indicated by the high gross profit (USD 262.08), net income (USD 257.03), marketing margin (56%), benefit-cost ratio (1.72), and return on capital invested (0.72) per 58.14 litres sold. Honey marketing also had a low operating ratio of 0.57. Thus, women honey marketers performed economically well. The significant factors that enhanced the profitability of honey marketing were education, experience in honey marketing, credit, and the quantity purchased. While age, purchasing costs, and transportation costs reduced honey marketing profitability. Inadequate capital and credit, price fluctuations, a poor road network, high transportation costs, adulteration, and poor marketing information were the major severe constraints faced in honey marketing. These call for the provision of credit, training, and education to honey marketers by the government to enhance the profitability of the enterprise.

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