Influence Of Socio-Economic Factors On Crop Farmers’ Production In Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Lga Of Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper investigated the influence of socio-economic factors on crop farmers production in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State. Purposive and stratefied random sampling techniques were used to select the locations of Green River Project, cooperative societies and respondents. Using structured questionnaire, a field study was conducted with one hundred and twenty GRP farmers. A multiple regression analysis showed that years of farming experience, farm size and value of input were statistically significant as 5.0 percent level of probability. The combined effects of explanatory socio-economic variables (Age of farmers, years of farming experience, family size, annual farm income, educational level and value of inputs explained 40.2% of the total variation in the value of output of GRP farmers which were statistically significant at 10% probability level. Since positive influence of the variable inputs on the production has been noted, stakeholders should increase the level of subsidy farm inputs so as to make the inputs available and affordable to the farmers. It is therefore recommended that the project should supply inputs on time and made affordable, since farming is time bound, in order to improve on the beneficiaries agricultural output.

Keywords: Influence, socio-Economic, Green River Project