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The study examined the structure and marketing efficiency of cassava in Ado-Ekiti Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Primary data were obtained using structured questionnaires and multistage sampling method was employed to select 183 respondents comprising 93 farmers and 90 marketers. The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index and Gini Coefficient were used to measure the degree of market concentration and the nature of competition in the market. The Herfindahl-Hirschman indices were 0.323, 0.346, and 0.316 for farmers, wholesalers, and retailers, respectively, suggesting that the market was uncompetitive at all levels. The computed values of Gini coefficient for cassava farmers, wholesalers, and retailers were 0.532, 0.465, and 0.569, respectively, indicating uneven distribution of income and uncompetitive market conditions. Two channels of cassava marketing were identified and the study demonstrates that the farmer-wholesaler-retailer-consumer channel had higher marketing efficiency and thus provides marketers with better opportunities for making more profits. Based on the findings, it is recommended that micro credit facilities should be made accessible to market actors to encourage investment and improve efficiency in cassava marketing. Keywords: Cassava, marketing efficiency, Ekiti, Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, Gini Coefficient

A study was conducted to assess- the food calorie intake and factors that determine food security status of fisherfolks in North-Central and North-Western Nigeria. Data were collected from 267 rural fishery households using a multi-stage random sampling procedure. The main tools of analysis include descriptive statistics, Cost of calorie intake and Tobit models. The study revealed that the fishery household heads were male dominated (94%); average age of 49 years with mean adjusted household size of 8. The estimated mean years of schooling of sampled fisherfolks were 3.5 years, largely skewed towards the informal education and below 2015 UNDP mean education index of 5 years for Nigeria. The calorie intake for the secured fisherfolks households recorded higher values for the entire food intake than the insecured households. The result showed that only 35.58% of the sampled fisheries households were food secured while majority (64.42%) of the sampled households were food insecured. The determinants of food insecurity status were socio-economic variables and those factors that influenced the food secured fisherfolks showed slight variation from those influenced households that were food insecured and where it did, it was not by the same magnitude and direction.  There is need for an appropriate policy mix that will promote the increased production of legumes and animal protein foods in the study area to raise and meet the minimum average protein required per caput per day. Food insecure households should be educate by extension agents through their cooperative societies to increase production of maize, sorghum, millet, rice and cowpea to enhance their food security status.

The objective of the study was to determine the potential impact of Purdue improved cowpea storage (PICS) technology on the income of users in north central states of Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure involved selection of 3 Local Government Areas (LGAs) each from 18 senatorial districts of six states, 108 villages. Thereafter 2,220 cowpea PICs stakeholders comprising 1,240 farmers and 960 traders were randomly selected by balloting technique. The study used primary data and structured questionnaire to interview users and non-users of PICS bag. Descriptive statistics, double difference estimator, propensity score matching (PSM) and logic model were used to analyze the data. The result showed a positive mean difference of ₦1,205.12 per 50 kg bag (p<0.01) in income between users and non-users before and after adoption of PICS technology. The result of logit model revealed that variables age, education status, employment status, income and quantity of cowpea used in the analysis were significant at different level of probability. The PSM adjusted with constant coefficient value of 1.000 was statistically significant at 1% level. Thus, the PICS technology was a better strategy adopted by farmers/traders to increase their income and improve their standard of living. Since majority of farmers and traders are young and educated, trainings, workshops and sensitization should be encouraged. This can be effectively done through Agricultural Development Programmes (ADP), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and attending farmer’s stakeholders meeting for sensitization. Keywords — Cowpea, impact, Propensity Score Matching (PSM), Purdue.

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