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The study examined factors that determined labor input of male and female managed farms among yam producing households in Paiko Local government area of Niger State. Primary data were used and a structured questionnaire was the instrument used to collect data. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 60 households from where 60 respondents (30 male and 30 female) were obtained. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data collected. The findings of the study revealed that 76.63% of the male respondents were aged 20-40 years, while 78.3% of the female were aged 20-40 years. Determinants of labor supply among the female managed farms had R 2 of 49% with family size, farm size and yam farming experience being statistically significant while among male managed farms, R 2 was 90.3% and farm size, age, wage rate, number of extension visits and family size were statistically significant. The major constraints to yam farming among the male yam farmers were lack of transportation and disease. On the other hand, the major constraints faced by the female farmers were time spent in household chores and transportation. It was recommended that Government should design policies that will help yam farmers to easily access loans at low interest. In order to ensure that the labor imputed into yam production is not wasted, farming inducement packages should be instituted. Such packages to be targeted at farmers include access to extension services and membership of cooperatives.

The study analysed the price trend and integration of prices of cowpea in Biu and Miringa markets of Biu Local Government Areas of Borno State, Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study were to: describe the trend of cowpea price variation between 2016– 2018; determine the degree of variation in the price of cowpea overtime in the study area and analyze integration between the markets. Secondary data were used for the study. Data on monthly prices of 100kg of cowpea for Biu and Miringa Markets were obtained from Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWSNET) office Biu Branch for the period of three (3) years (2016-2018). Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. The descriptive statistics used was graphical presentation of the trend of price data. While the inferential statistics used were the unit root test and Engle and Granger co-integration analysis. This study revealed that there were upward and downward trends in prices of cowpea grain in both Biu and Miringa markets for the period of the study. The variations observed in the prices were influenced by time and space. The stationarity test (ADF unit root test) showed that all the price series were non-stationary at levels. On differencing, stationarity was attained indicating that the prices were integrated of order one, which showed co-movement of prices between the two markets. Engle and Granger co-integration tests showed the existence of two co-integration equations. There is a strong need for private organizations and the Government through the producers and marketers of cowpea to provide more and better dissemination of market intelligence and information among the farmers and traders to improve knowledge which would help make the price more stable.

The study analysed price transmission in the Nigerian cattle market. Time series price data, for ten states (Borno, Cross River, Edo, Kano, Nassarawa, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Yobe and Zamfara) for the years, 2002-2017 were used for the analysis. The summarised result on Threshold Vector Error Correction model showed that positive and negative deviations for eight states (Borno, Cross River, Edo, Nassarawa, Osun, Plateau, Yobe and Zamfara) exceeded their respective threshold values. Also all the values of the above threshold values are not equal to the below threshold values,indicating the presence of asymmetric transmission. The presence of asymmetric transmission showed price changes along the chain (from farmer/marketer to consumer) was greater than the market costs of handling cattle and agents will be in a greater position to implement price changes before transmission takes place. This indicates strong asymmetric price transmission since price changes moved from bottom of the chain to the top. There is need to improve on the market information system in the country so that information will flow to all the markets.