Economics of Dry Season Vegetable Production in Selected Urban Areas of Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Vegetables play a significant role in supplying essential minerals, vitamins, and fibres, which are veritable sources of antibody supply. Vegetables are produced by farming households solely for consumption or commercial purposes for income generation, or both, and are cultivated under rain-fed or irrigation schemes. The survey was carried out to examine the economics of dry season vegetable production in selected urban towns in Oyo State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select a total of 180 farmers from three notable cities using well-structured questionnaires and interview schedules conducted by trained enumerators. The analytical tools employed to achieve the stated objectives were Descriptive Statistics (DS), Gross Margin Analysis (GMA), Multiple Regression (MR), and Likert Scale Ratings (LSR). Socioeconomic results revealed the average age (45 years), household size (7 members), experience (18.8 years), and married status (85%) among the respondents. The average revenue for seasonal vegetable sales was ₦490,379.99, while the annual gross margin estimated per farmer was ₦296,940.99. Total vegetable yield was found to be significantly influenced by years of education (0.1359; p<0.05), quantity of fertilizer (0.0938; p<0.10), experience (0.3804; p<0.01), and number of extension contacts (0.1716; p<0.01) received during the planting season. Lack of credit facilities and perennial shortage of farm labour were the challenges deterring exotic vegetable production among the farmers. It is recommended that credit be made available to farmers at an affordable interest rate and that infrastructures be developed in rural areas to address the issue of labour shortage.