Farm-level determinants of access to land by arable crop farmers in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study was carried out to examine the farm-level determinants of access to land by arable crop farmers in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to select
80 arable crop farmers from four autonomous communities. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Logit regression model. Result from the descriptive statistics showed that (55%) of the farmers were male
headed, majority of the farmers had secondary education; while farm size was relatively low. With respect to the methods of land ownership and acquisition, the result revealed that majority of the lands for arable crop
farming were owned or acquired through inheritance (92.5%), communal (72.5%) and purchase (50%) respectively. Consequently, the level of access to land for arable crop farming showed that 42% of respondents had moderate access, 35% had high access, while 22% had low access to land for arable crop farming. The result of the logit regression indicated that age, sex, household size, number of years spent in school, cooperative membership and credit amount significantly influenced access to land by arable crop farmers. Communal land ownership and male dominance were identified as constraints to access to land for arable crop farming in the study area. The study therefore, recommended strengthening of relevant institutions so as to enable farmers’ access required land for arable crop farming without gender disparity.

Key words: farm-level, determinants, land access, arable crops and Logit