Utilisation of sunflower crop among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Nigeria and Botswana

Abstract

Sunflower is a crop with high oil and economic values which portends its great potential for enhancing agricultural productivity and poverty alleviation among smallholder farmers. These notwithstanding, optimum benefit of the sunflower value chain have not been adequately harnessed. Conceived with the backdrop of lack of awareness about the commercial, nutritional and medicinal potentials of sunflower among the rural farm families, the study assessed the utilisation of sunflower among smallholder farmers in two southwestern states (Ogun and Ekiti) of Nigeria, and two districts (southeast and Kgatleng) of Botswana in sub-Saharan Africa. A total of two hundred smallholder farmers were randomly chosen from four purposively selected farming communities in southwestern Nigeria and Botswana districts. Results showed that 49 and 84% of the respondents were aware about the sunflower crop in Nigeria and Botswana, respectively, while only 10 and 25% cultivated the crop, respectively. The results further showed that all those (25%) who cultivated the crop in Botswana utilised it as animal feed only, while their Nigerian counterpart utilised it for variety of purposes. While 6 and 7% utilised it as animal feed and manure/fertiliser production, respectively, in Nigeria, 2, 5 and 8%, respectively, used it for cake/snack production, and traditional and ornamental purposes. Yet, another 6% cultivated the sunflower crop for seed oil extraction. The study concluded that, although, higher proportion of smallholder farmers from Botswana knew about and cultivated the sunflower crop, yet, their Nigeria counterpart utilised the crop more. The need for continuous popularization of the production and utilisation of sunflower crop among smallholder farmers was therefore recommended in both Bostwana and Nigeria.

Beyond Least Squares Assumptions: Quantile Regression Estimates of the Heterogeneity in Commercialization–The Case of Sunflower-Producing Households in North West Province, South Africa

“…For example, Mathagu et al (2018), studying market participation in Limpopo Province, South Africa, find evidence that smallholder farmers benefit from commercializing sunflower, but several socioeconomic constraints hamper their participation. Torimiro et al (2014) make a similar case that the economic benefits of sunflower crops point to promising potentials for increasing agricultural productivity and alleviating rural poverty.…”

“…Combined with other highvalue agro operations, farming sunflower positively impacts food security, wealth development, and poverty alleviation, making it an excellent option to promote the much recommended agricultural commercialization. The top features that emerge are that sunflower has considerable socioeconomic merit since it can offer roughly 25% of the edible oil requisite by South Africans and can be a viable source of income for agricultural households (Torimiro et al, 2014). Moreover, the rising demand for healthy vegetable oil and oilcake presents South African farmers, especially rural dwellers, with many opportunities in the sunflower sectors to boost their living standards.…”

Oilseed crop sunflower (Helianthus annuus) as a source of food: Nutritional and health benefits

“…South Africa remains a net importer of vegetable oil (sunfoil), approximately 219,000 tons' oil extracted from the seeds. The potential socio‐economic importance of sunflowers can be perceived as it can satisfy about 25% of edible oil needed by South Africans and as a possible source of income for the farming population (Torimiro et al., 2014).…”

Short Communication: Evaluation of quantitative and qualitative morphological characters of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) germplasm

“…In Malaysia, a research of biodiesel production from waste sunflower cooking oil and pure sunflower cooking oil had been done (Hossain and Boyce 2009). Meanwhile smallholder farmers in Nigeria have been using sunflower for animal feed, seed oil extraction, snack production, manure or fertilizer, ornamental, and traditional medicine (Torimiro et al 2014). Recently sunflower oil was evaluated for anti-microbial properties on different pathogenic organisms (Aboki et al 2012).…”