Comparative Gender Differences in Profitability and Technical Efficiency of Rice Production among Smallholder Farmers in North Central Nigeria

Abstract

This study analyzed comparative gender differences in profitability and technical efficiency of rice production among smallholder rice farmers in the North Central Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was employed. Data were collected through the use of well-structured questionnaires from 1200 male smallholder rice farmers and also 1200 female sampled small scale rice farmers making a total of 2400 rice farmers. The following statistical and econometrics tools were used to achieve the specific objectives; descriptive statistics, budgetary technique, stochastic production frontier. The results show that the average age of the sampled male rice farmers was 37 years, while female rice farmers was 48 years. About 63.2% of the male farmers had formal education and also about 79.6% of the female farmers also had formal education. The results further show that rice production was profitable for both male and female small-scale rice farmers. The estimated mean value of technical efficiency attained by small scale male farmers was 85.3%, while female rice farmers was 62.7. The statistically significant factors influencing rice production for male small-scale farmers were: land size (P<0.01), labour (P<0.05), rice seed (P<0.05), fertilizer (P<0.01) and agrochemical (P<0.01), while the statistically significant factors influencing rice production for female rice farmers were: land size P<0.01, labour (P<0.01) rice seed (P<0.01) and agrochemical (P<0.05). The statistically significant factors influencing technical inefficiency of the male rice farmers were education (P<0.1), age (P<0.1), land size (P<0.05), experience (P<0.01), household size (P<0.05) extension contact (P<0.1) and cooperatives (P<0.01). The statistically significant factors influencing technical inefficiency for female farmers were: education (P<0.10), land size (P<0.05), experience (P<0.05), household size (P<0.05) and cooperatives (P<0.1).   The major constraints faced by male small scale rice farmers were: poor access to credit facilities, shortage of farm input, poor soil fertility, inadequate rainfall, and high cost of farm input. The female small scale rice farmers were also faced with the following constraints: poor soil fertility, problems of land ownership/discrimination, poor credit facility, high cost of labour, inadequate rainfall. Therefore, this study recommends that: Farm inputs like improved seed varieties, fertilizer inputs and agro-chemical inputs should be provided to both male and female smallholder rice farmers by Nigerian government and Non-Governmental Organizations at affordable rate and at curate timely, extension  n services should also be made available to small-scale rice farmers on the modern rice Production, male and female farmers should be encouraged to participate in cooperative societies so as to access loan to be able to use technologies in rice production which will further increase their production capacity that might lead into increase in income, improve their livelihood and food security