ABSTRACT

This study examined the impact of Fadamaprogrammeon productivity, food and poverty status of root and tuber crop farmers in central States of Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 934 farmers with 427 respondents from programme participants and 507 respondents from the non-participants. Primary data were collected on socioeconomic variables, (age, and educational level, farm size, farming experience and non-farming activities of the respondents); input - output level and house hold expenditure of participants and non-participants using structured questionnaires and interview schedules. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, net farm income analysis, double difference estimator, stochastic production function analysis, logit regression model ,Foster, Greer and Thorbeeke food security index and Foster, Greer and Thorbeeke (FGT) poverty indices. The results shows that Age, family size, farmers' level of education, farm size and farmers' farming experience were the socio-economic factors identified in the study area. The net farm income (NFI) for Fadama III root and tuber crop participants and non-participants before programme intervention isN268,195.04 /Ha and N287,768.09 /Ha respectively before the programme intervention,while the net farm income after the programme intervention is N639,584.75,584.75 and N511,515.40/Ha for participants and non-participants respectively. The change in income is 50% and 38% for participants and non-participants respectively while the change in net farm income (NFI) was 58% and 44% for participants and non-participants respectively. The double difference figure of 298779.86,F-chow statistic shows that Fadama III root and tuber crop scheme had an impact on the participants' productivity; propensity match score of 61.86215, and Z-statistics shows that Fadama III root and tuber crop scheme had impact on participants â€- productivity, food security and poverty status in the study area. The problems encountered by the farmers in the study area are high cost of input, limited finances, bad roads, low produce prices, inadequate fixed inputs, poor marketing practices, high cost of labour, poor storage facilities, non-availability of water and shortage of fertilizer. The study recommends that farmers should be advised through the Agricultural Development Programme of Benue, Kogi and Plateau States on how to allocate and the use of their resources in other to enhance their net farm income, productivity, food security and poverty status, since the mean levels of technical, allocative and economic efficiencies were below the optimum level, there is scope for increasing the levels of technical, allocative and economic efficiencies respectively through the adoption of the best technologies or techniques in root and tuber crop production, there is the need for the National Orientation Agencies at both federal and state level should embark on vigorous enlightenment programme on the need for reduction in family size, farmers are encouraged to form cooperative societies to enhance bulk purchase of input which will reduce input cost and ensure timely supply of same, high costs of inputs were identified as a problem in root and tuber crop production and there is the need for policy makers to pursue opportunities for regional cooperation in international input procurement and to facilitate privatization and competition in input distribution.