List of Rural and Agricultural Sociology subject articles

Open Access Article

1 - Livelihood assessment of the fish farmers converted from agricultural farming in selected areas of Mymensingh district, Bangladesh
Md. Rahman Md. Asaduzzaman Shahali Mitul Md. Islam Limon Deb

The study was undertaken to determine the socio-economic impact on agricultural farmers converted to fish farmers of Muktagachha Upazila in Mymensingh district. Questionnaire survey method was followed to collect data from the sample farmers. From the survey it was foun More

The study was undertaken to determine the socio-economic impact on agricultural farmers converted to fish farmers of Muktagachha Upazila in Mymensingh district. Questionnaire survey method was followed to collect data from the sample farmers. From the survey it was found that all 30 fishermen were male. Large portions (34%) of the fishermen were in the age group between 41 and 50. It was also found that 86% of the fishermen families lived in joint families and 57% family consist of 6 to 10 family members. All the fishermen families enjoyed electricity facility. Major portion of the fishermen took their health service from the Upazila Health Complex. Moderate educational status were observed in the study area though 14% possessed no education, 20%, 22%, 14% and 9% were educated up to primary, SSC, HSC and higher education, respectively. Majority of the farmers (50%) used their own land for fish farming. Only 7% fishermen borrowed loan from commercial bank/friends or relatives while 67% used their own money for culturing fish. Only 8 fishermen (27%) had received training on fish culture. About 86 % farmers increased their family income through fish farming. Almost every fisherman expressed that they were happy but not fully satisfied by culturing fish due to some obstacles. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

2 - Effect of Land Fragmentation on Smallholders’ Productivity in Imo State, Nigeria
Onwuchekwa Iheke Ebuka Amaechi

This study analyzed the determinants of the productivity of smallholder arable crop farmers with a particular focus on land fragmentation using the Simpson Index as measures of land fragmentation in Imo state of Nigeria. Data collected by using structured questionnaire More

This study analyzed the determinants of the productivity of smallholder arable crop farmers with a particular focus on land fragmentation using the Simpson Index as measures of land fragmentation in Imo state of Nigeria. Data collected by using structured questionnaire and interview schedules were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics; Simpson index and regression analysis. Results showed that a greater percentage of the respondents were females, while the average age of the respondents was 52 years. About 90% of the respondents had formal education. The average farm size cultivated by the respondents was about 1 ha. Farming was the primary occupation of majority (73.33%) of the respondents. About 63.33% of the respondents were not visited by extension agents during the last cropping season. The Simpson index was 71.91%, indicating high degree of land fragmentation. The significant factors influencing the productivity of the farm were fragmentation, fertilizer, labour, and planting materials. Land reform policies and programmes that would give farmers access to more contiguous land holdings for increased agricultural production was recommended. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

3 - Comparative Benefits of Mobile Telephone in Selected Rural and Urban Locations of Obio/Akpor Local Government
Franklin Nlerum Anthony Nnodim

The study comparatively identified the benefits of mobile telephone to users in selected rural and urban locations in Obio/Akpor local government area of Rivers State, Nigeria. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used in selecting 60 rural and 60 urban More

The study comparatively identified the benefits of mobile telephone to users in selected rural and urban locations in Obio/Akpor local government area of Rivers State, Nigeria. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used in selecting 60 rural and 60 urban phone users to have a total sample size of 120 respondents. Structured questionnaire was used to generate data that were analyzed descriptively. T-test was used for hypothesis testing. Socio-economic characteristics revealed that 53.33% and 50.33% of the respondents were females in rural and urban locations respectively. Majority (90.00%) of the urban respondents made use of MTN service provider than 83.33% of the rural respondents. Also, more (88.33%) of the rural than the urban (85.00%) respondents used Nokia mobile phones as the highest. The highest benefit with 100.00% in both rural and urban locations was to socialize with friends and relations. The mean of the benefit of the use of mobile telephone was more in the rural location with 51.19% than the urban location with 46.86%. The t-test result to show the difference in the benefits of mobile phone between rural and urban location users was significant at 0.05 level of significance (p-value = 0.022 0.05). Accessing agricultural extension information was the least benefit in the use of mobile phone as shown by 5.00% of rural users and 3.33% of urban users. Improvement of communication between the extension agents and farmers with the use of mobile telephone is recommended in the study area. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

4 - Assessment of the use of Rural Radio as an Agricultural Information Dissemination Tool among Rural Farmers in Dekina Local Government of Kogi State, Nigeria.
Adejo P. E. Adejo O. Ahmed A. Bello D

ABSTRACT The study assessed the use of rural radio as agricultural information dissemination tool among farmers in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State. The specific objectives were to: describe the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents, identify rural More

ABSTRACT The study assessed the use of rural radio as agricultural information dissemination tool among farmers in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State. The specific objectives were to: describe the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents, identify rural and agricultural programmes normally aired on radio, find out the level of patronage of the programmes, identify the convenience of the time of presentation to the target audience, identify the necessity for rural radio among the rural farmers, identify the problems militating against the listening audience of the rural radio. A 3 – stage sampling technique was used to randomly select 150 respondents for this study, using a well structured questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results of the finding shows that majority of the respondents listened more to their traditional programmes on daily basis. The major constraints to the respondent’s listenership of the radio programmes were language barrier and lack of feedback amongst others. It was recommended that agricultural and rural development information be coded in the form of traditional/local music or incorporated into the traditional music to arouse the interests of the target audience and move to take actions and that research messages should be translated into the simplest language possible and translated to the prevalent languages. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

5 - Effects of Agricultural Child Labour on Children’s Perception of Farming Occupation in Delta State, Nigeria
Albert Ofuoku Angela Izukanne Emodi

This study examined the effects of agricultural child labour on children’s perception of farming occupation in Delta State, Nigeria. A total of 336 respondents comprising of 112 farming household heads and 224 children in the selected households were used for the More

This study examined the effects of agricultural child labour on children’s perception of farming occupation in Delta State, Nigeria. A total of 336 respondents comprising of 112 farming household heads and 224 children in the selected households were used for the study.Farming activities of the children were highest during weekends. Highest level of participation was recorded in herbicide and pesticide application. A participation index of 0.55 was recorded for children from the farming HHs. It was concluded that the socio-economic status of the HH heads and the need to transfer farming knowledge and skills through generations encouraged farming HH child labour in agriculture and the level of participation of the children in agricultural activities influenced their perception on farming occupation negatively. It is recommended that farming HH heads should be educated on the implications of child labour in agriculture; children should be allowed or made to participate in non-hazardous farming operations; children should be educated motivationally on the importance of farming occupation Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

6 - The Impact of Rural-Urban Migration on Poultry Production in the Niger Delta Region, Nigeria
Albert Ofuoku Oghenesuvwe Okpara Oghenebrorhie Obakanurhe

This study was conducted to reveal the impact of rural-urban migration on broiler production in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. Data were collected from 795 household heads and farmers/managers/supervisors of 25 selected broiler farms in the study area. Descriptive s More

This study was conducted to reveal the impact of rural-urban migration on broiler production in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. Data were collected from 795 household heads and farmers/managers/supervisors of 25 selected broiler farms in the study area. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis was utilized to analyze the data. Able bodied young men constituted most of the rural-urban migrants. All the broiler farmers visited except 5 experienced labour shortage. Consequent upon labour shortage, most of the farms could not stock birds up to full capacity of their pens. This translated into foregone revenue for the poultry farms. Rural-urban migration significantly and positively correlated with shortage of labour, under stocking and foregone revenue. It was recommended that the States governments in the Niger Delta Region should embark on infrastructural development for the rural areas and encourage farmers to adopt mechanized/automated poultry farming operations in collaboration with donor agencies so as to make provision for lost labour in the broiler farming. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

7 - Assessing Cost Effective Management Options of Eichhornia crassipes in Ecotourism Ramsar Sites, Nepal
Ram Asheshwar Mandal Pramod Kumar Jha Nir Krakaue Ajay Jha Tarendra Lakhankar

Ecotourism is growing business in Nepal due to domestic and international visitors. Specifically, natural lakes in Ramsar sites are very potential avenues for boating, scenic beauty and study the aquatic ecosystem. However Eichhornia crassipes has been threatening the b More

Ecotourism is growing business in Nepal due to domestic and international visitors. Specifically, natural lakes in Ramsar sites are very potential avenues for boating, scenic beauty and study the aquatic ecosystem. However Eichhornia crassipes has been threatening the beauty, ecosystem and eco-tourism business. This research was objectively carried out to explore income generation from ecotourism and determine socio-economic management of Eichhornia crassipes for manure or biobriquette. Four Ramsar sites namely Beeshazari, Maipokhari, Lakes Clusters of Pokhara and Jagdishpur Lakes were selected for the study. Data were collected through expert consultation organizing four workshops, direct observation and sampling. Meanwhile record of manpower, removal cost and utilization of Eichhornia crassipes were also collected. Affected sites of Eichhornia crassipes were calculated analyzing the current image of Google earth pro using ArcGIS. Samples were collected establishing sixty plots of 1m×1m and these were analyzed. Altogether about US$ 785260 was earned from tourism business between 2011 to 2015. The highest income was generated about US$ 397500 between 2011 to 2015 from visitors of Lakes of Pokhara. Removal cost of Eichhornia crassipes was the highest about US$ 108.09 ha-1 of Beeshazari Lakes in 2015. Farmers could save cost about US$ 31931 using Eichhornia crassipes as manure and that could be nearly US$ 38315 for biobriquette in 2015. The B/C ratio, NPV and Profit Index could be nearly 6.13, 96059.91 and 7175.11 using Eichhornia crassipes of Beeshazari Lakes as manure while 4.81, 105868.50 and 12415.63 using it as biobriquette. The study could contribute design the ecotourism policy. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

8 - Impact of Dust storm on Agricultural Production in Iran
Tahere Maleki Mariyeh Sahraie Fatemeh Sasani Mahana Shahmoradi

One of the environmental concerns during the past decade is dust pollutant. This phenomenon is extensively known around the globe. In Iran, this destructive phenomenon has created serious problems among environmental policy-makers in general and agricultural producers i More

One of the environmental concerns during the past decade is dust pollutant. This phenomenon is extensively known around the globe. In Iran, this destructive phenomenon has created serious problems among environmental policy-makers in general and agricultural producers in specific. Kermanshah Province is located near Iraq, a neighboring country in west part of Iran. It is believed that Iraq is mostly blamed for developing dust into different parts of Iran. The impact of dust on agriculture is not known. Specifically, it is not known how agricultural producers in Sarpol-e-Zahab Township are affected by dust phenomenon. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study was to determine the impact of dust on agricultural production. Using purposeful sampling, farmers and agricultural specialist as well as natural resource experts participated in this study. Deep interview as well as observation and audio recording were used to collect data. Grounded theory approach was used to analyze the data. Results revealed that dust has impacted orchard farmers, bee farmers, rose and grape growers differently. Results also revealed that orchard farmers and bee farmers were affected most by dust storm in the region. Overall, dust is a phenomenon that can only be mitigated if farmers are to adapt effective strategies. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

9 - Access and Utilization of Government Health Facilities by Rural Farm Households: Evidence from Kogi State, Nigeria.
Ufedo Shaibu Mohammed Ibrahim

The study analyzed farm households’ access and utilization of government health facilities in Kogi State, Nigeria. Specifically, it described the socioeconomic characteristics of farm households, determined the level of accessibility to health facilities by farm h More

The study analyzed farm households’ access and utilization of government health facilities in Kogi State, Nigeria. Specifically, it described the socioeconomic characteristics of farm households, determined the level of accessibility to health facilities by farm households, and determined the factors that drive farm households’ utilization of government health facilities. A two staged random sampling technique was used to select one hundred (100) farm households and twenty (20) government-owned health care facilities from four Local Government Areas in the State. Data obtained through structured questionnaire and spot assessments were analyzed using descriptive statistics, indices of accessibility and binary logit regression model. The indices of accessibility revealed that there is unequal access to government health facilities (medical personnel and infrastructure) in the area. The binary logit model indicated that farming experience (p<0.01), distance to health centre (p<0.05), and cost of treatment (p<0.001) negatively influenced the utilization of government health facilities, while gender (p<0.05), education (p<0.05), and numbers of dependants (p<0.05) directly influenced government health care facilities utilization among farm households. It was suggested based on findings from the study that government needs to urgently engage and deploy more medical personnel and facilities to rural areas. Also, intervention programmes such as construction of good access will reduce travelling distance to health facilities. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

10 - Assessment of Poverty Alleviation Strategies Used By Rural Farming Households in Ondo State, Nigeria
Felix. Oladipo Abdulrazaq Daudu M. Kuye

Poverty has plagued many rural farming household in Nigeria. Despite several approaches adopted by Government to ameliorate poverty among its citizenry, the number of people living in impoverished condition has continued to rise. This study therefore aimed at assessing More

Poverty has plagued many rural farming household in Nigeria. Despite several approaches adopted by Government to ameliorate poverty among its citizenry, the number of people living in impoverished condition has continued to rise. This study therefore aimed at assessing the poverty alleviation strategies used among farming household in Ondo State, Nigeria. A validated interview schedule and questionnaire were used to elicit information from 140 respondents. Data collected were subjected to both descriptive and inferential analyses. Findings of the study revealed that majority of the respondents were male (94.3%), married (76.5%) with most of them were educated with mean age of 50 years. Finding revealed that (72.4%) of the respondents had extension contact. It was also revealed that unemployment is king problem facing the respondents in the study area. The findings revealed that embarking on petty business was ranked highest among all coping strategies used by the respondents. The result of the hypothesis tested showed that marital status, farming experience and educational level of the respondents were positive and significant at p< 0.05. The study concluded that financial mismanagement was the major causes of poverty while they engaged in petty business as strategy to ameliorate the poverty among them. It is therefore recommended that the extension agents should be more proactive to encourage the rural farming household to intensify more effort in farming rather than petty businesses as this is most reliable and sustainable business to combat poverty. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

11 - Resolving Methods of Marital Discords and Conflicts of Rural Women – Field Study in Menia Governorate, Egypt
Elham Abdou Mohammed Aly

This study was performed to identify resolving methods of marital discords and conflicts among rural women in different dimension fields, as well to study the relationship among a number of independent variables and the resolving methods of these marital discords and co More

This study was performed to identify resolving methods of marital discords and conflicts among rural women in different dimension fields, as well to study the relationship among a number of independent variables and the resolving methods of these marital discords and conflicts among rural women. Rural women in Menia city, Minia governorate, Egypt were selected during this study. The study sample included housewives who were married and permanent residents in the village. Random sample of 187 house wives were selected for this purpose. Data were collected by using schedule. The study found positive correlation between variables of age, marriage period, monthly family income, media exposure of respondents and resolving methods of marital discords and conflicts. Whereas, negative correlation was found between variable of family size of respondent and resolving methods of marital discords and conflicts. The study also found that there were significant differences between the respondents in resolving methods of marital discords and conflicts when they are classified according to the family type, intervention of parents and relatives, employment status, and contribution to family income. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

12 - Factors Associated with Women Farmers’ Level of Control in Farmer-Groups in Kwara State, Nigeria
Kemi Omotesho Gbolagade Adesiji Adeniyi Akinrinde Oyindamola Aluko

Womenfarmers’ low level of access to productive resources has hindered the realization of their full potential in agriculture. While membership of farmer-groups has been recognised as an avenue for farmers to harness their resources, women farmers often suffer dis More

Womenfarmers’ low level of access to productive resources has hindered the realization of their full potential in agriculture. While membership of farmer-groups has been recognised as an avenue for farmers to harness their resources, women farmers often suffer discrimination in such groups as socio-cultural values encourage male dominance in most rural communities. The specific objectives of the study were to describe the socio-economic characteristics of women farmers who were members of farmers’ groups, identify the benefits derived from their membership and examine the level of control of women in the farmers- groups. A two-stage random sampling technique was used to select 142 respondents across the 315 registered crop-based farmers’ group in Kwara State. Data were obtained by the use of a structured interview schedule. Descriptive statistics and the Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation were used to analyse data collected. The result reveal that women farmers in the study area were middle-aged (Mean age=49.6years), poorly schooled (majority at primary level), with about 22years of farming experience on the average. The most important benefit derived from membership of farmer- groups was improved access to agricultural information (M.S=3.4). The level of control of women in farmer- groups was low (Mean score=2.21) and significantly influenced by age, annual income, level of education and farm size at p Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

13 - Resource Use Efficiency Andmisery of Sweet Potato Production Window into Financial Surplus for Households in Delta State, Nigeria
Theophilus Miebi Gbigbi

This study was conceptualized to determine resource use efficiency and misery of sweet potato production window into financial surplus for farming households in Delta State, Nigeria. Multiple sampling technique was applied in picking the samples. One hundred and sixty ( More

This study was conceptualized to determine resource use efficiency and misery of sweet potato production window into financial surplus for farming households in Delta State, Nigeria. Multiple sampling technique was applied in picking the samples. One hundred and sixty (160) producers were erratically chosen and interviewed with structured questionnaire. The information gathered were evaluated with descriptive statistics, profitability index and double-log production model. The result indicated that they had average oldness of 38 years, 72.5% of respondents were female with mean family magnitude of 5 individuals and mean number of years spent on farming was 13 years and mean farm land of 0.81 ha and very many of them were educated. On the aspect of costs and returns, it was found that production of sweet potato was highly profitable as specified by the BCR (4.39). The double-log regression model result disclosed that labour, fertilizer, age of farmer, farm size, planting materials expenses and years of farming experience were significantly related with output at 1% and 5% probability levels. The results of resource use efficiency also showed that planting materials, fertilizer farm size and labour were underutilized. The constraints encountered were: inadequate fund, lack of storage and processing facilities and absence of extension visit It is recommended that government intervention is needed to reduce cost and facilitate increased sweet potato production. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

14 - Analysis of Factors Influencing Food Security Status of Female Headed Farm Households in Abia State, Nigeria
Kelechi Osondu

This study analysed factors influencing food security status of female headed farm households in Abia state, Nigeria. Multistage random sampling technique was employed in selecting 240 female headed farm households from whom data were collected using structured question More

This study analysed factors influencing food security status of female headed farm households in Abia state, Nigeria. Multistage random sampling technique was employed in selecting 240 female headed farm households from whom data were collected using structured questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, food security indices and probit regression technique. Results of analysis showed that mean age of the female farm households heads was 47.56 years, while, mean farm size, household size, annual farm income and non-farm income of the female headed farm households were 0.71 hectares, 6 persons, 154,086 Naira and 92,034.08 Naira respectively. Food security line of the female headed farm households was N9206.81, with food insecurity incidence of 0.5863 and food insecurity gap of 0.4067. Results of probit regression showed that age, dependency ratio, level of education, extension access, farm income, household size, household asset endowment and membership of association were significant determinants of food security status of female headed farm households. Results also showed that 78.75% of the female headed farm households were constrained by inadequate access to credit. Relevant government agencies should mobilize female heads of farm households in Abia State and encourage them to join cooperative associations, so that they can derive benefits associated with being members of agricultural cooperatives such as increased access to credit, extension information and agricultural input, with which to improve farm productivity, farm income and food security. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

15 - Determinants of Vulnerability to Poverty among Rice Farmers: A Case Study of Nasarawa Rice Hub
Babatunde Olanrewaju Opeyemi Gbenga Zubair Idris

The study examined factors influencing rice farmers` vulnerability to poverty, identified coping strategies employed by farmers to manage livelihood shocks that predisposes them to poverty and determined the impact of poverty on rice production in Nasarawa state, Nigeri More

The study examined factors influencing rice farmers` vulnerability to poverty, identified coping strategies employed by farmers to manage livelihood shocks that predisposes them to poverty and determined the impact of poverty on rice production in Nasarawa state, Nigeria. The study was carried out in Nasarawa rice hubs Nasarawa state. A two stage sampling technique was employed to select 121 rice farming households across 5 communities. Data was collect using questionnaire and personal interview and the data was analysed using household vulnerability index (HVI),fussy set analysis, regression analysis(ordered probit and OLS) as well as descriptive statistics. HVI analysis reveals that 16.5% of the households has low vulnerability to poverty, 65.3 has moderate vulnerability to poverty while 18.2% has high vulnerability to poverty. Ordered probit regression result reveals that access to information, number of shocks (idiosyncratic and covariate) exposed to by households, and years of farming significantly affect household vulnerability to poverty in the studied area. The study therefore, concludes that majority of the households are moderately vulnerable to poverty which implies majority of the household has been affected so hard that they need rapid-response poverty alleviation strategies to be liberated from poverty. It was also shown that rice farmers in the study area rely majorly on help from friends and relatives, also borrowed food in order to cope with livelihood threats. The study also concludes that Fulani herds men crisis, communal crisis, flood and poor linker roads are the major challenges facing farmers in the studied area. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

16 - Indigenous Food Crop Production and Extent Decisions among Farm Households in Northern Ghana
Alhassan Andani

Crop production diversification into indigenous and neglected food crops could result in increased access by farm households to diverse food nutrients. This paper identifies the determinants of the decisions by farm households in northern Ghana to produce indigenous foo More

Crop production diversification into indigenous and neglected food crops could result in increased access by farm households to diverse food nutrients. This paper identifies the determinants of the decisions by farm households in northern Ghana to produce indigenous food crops using a double hurdle model estimation technique. The data show that producer households are relatively larger, with more young children and adult women than non-producer households. Producer households have larger farms that are dispersed in different locations, and are farther away from market centres compared to non-producer households. Decisions on crop choice and farm income utilization are made by women or jointly with men in producer households compared to their non-producer counterparts. Econometric results show that women’s utilization of crop income, farm size, being aware of the nutritional importance of indigenous crops, participation in food security projects, access to credit and distance to a market place significantly influence households decisions to produce indigenous food crops. Also, women’s utilization of crop income, farm size, having multiple land parcels, household size and having a bicycle tend to increase the diversity of neglected/underutilized crops while education, having more children and adult women constrain indigenous crop production diversity. The study recommends, for promoting the production of indigenous crops, strategies including provision of credit, empowerment of women, targeting distant communities relative to market centres and raising awareness about the nutritional relevance of indigenous food crops. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

17 - Identifying the Influence of Livelihood Indicators on Social Participation among Rural Farmers in Eastern Kogi State, Nigeria
Mathew Edoka Ufedo Shaibu

The study identified the influence of livelihood indicators on social participation among rural farmers in Eastern Kogi State, Nigeria. A total of 120 rural farmers were selected using a three-stage random sampling procedure. Questionnaire administration and structured More

The study identified the influence of livelihood indicators on social participation among rural farmers in Eastern Kogi State, Nigeria. A total of 120 rural farmers were selected using a three-stage random sampling procedure. Questionnaire administration and structured interview schedule were used to collect primary data. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics – percentage and mean and inferential statistics - binary logit regression analysis. The findings from this study revealed that the majority of the rural farmers were males (93.3 %) within middle age (34 years), and possessed formal education (85%). The perceived indicators of rural livelihood were on-farm income (M= 3.7), level of savings (M= 3.4), assets owned (M= 3.3), membership of organizations (M= 3.2), level of education (M= 2.8), and occupational status (M= 2.7). At p <0.05, the probability of social participation among rural farmers in the area was positively influenced by education (β=2.559), occupational status (β=2.894), access to loan (β=5.064), assets owned (β=2.565), and membership of organization (β=5.107). The study recommends the formation of cooperative societies and easy access to loan facilities for economies of scale, own more assets and as well, participate in rural developmental efforts. Also, there should be increased access to education. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

18 - Influence of Women on Crop Choice Decision Making among Farm Households in Northern Ghana
Alhassan Andani John Jatoe

This paper investigates the effect of women’s involvement in intra-household decision making on crop choice decisions, relative to indigenous food crops combinations by farm households. The study draws on choice theory and estimates a multinomial logit regression More

This paper investigates the effect of women’s involvement in intra-household decision making on crop choice decisions, relative to indigenous food crops combinations by farm households. The study draws on choice theory and estimates a multinomial logit regression model using a survey data of 271 farm households in three districts in Northern Ghana. The paper finds that women’s involvement in crop production decisions at the household level promotes the production of more diverse indigenous food crop mix (pulses, vegetables and oilseeds with cereals). Other factors such as larger land holdings; awareness of the nutritional significance of indigenous food crops in household diets; household size; presence of children; educational status and age of the household head; engaging in nonfarm activities; and distance away from the nearest market affect households’ crop choice decisions relative to indigenous food crop combinations. The paper concludes that women’s involvement in intra-household decisions promotes production of a more diverse indigenous food crop mix in northern Ghana and recommends that women’s participation in intra-household decision making should be supported and promoted, since that could help Ghana accelerate its attainment of food and nutrition security (SDG2). Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

19 - A Comparative Study on Educational Attainment of Migrant and Non-Migrant Households in Rural Areas of Tangail District in Bangladesh
Fahana Tiza Kazi Farid Lavlu Mozumdar

20.1001.1.22517588.2021.11.2.2.6

It is usually believed that there is variation in educational attainment between migrant and non-migrant households. Therefore, the objective of this study was to find out the differences in educational attainment of the households in terms of migration status. Primary More

It is usually believed that there is variation in educational attainment between migrant and non-migrant households. Therefore, the objective of this study was to find out the differences in educational attainment of the households in terms of migration status. Primary data were collected through structured interview schedule from 100 non-migrant and 100 migrant households of four villages under two upazilas in Tangail District, Bangladesh. Various indicators of educational attainment were analyzed by using descriptive statistics with a comparison between migrant and non-migrant households. Findings revealed that the number of school going children is lower in migrant households than that of non-migrant households. However, in migrant households, the percentages of primary and secondary levels of education are higher whereas, the percentage of tertiary level of education is higher in non-migrant households. The educational expenditure is comparatively lower and the percentage of total dropout is bit higher in migrant households than that of the non-migrant households. It can be concluded that remittances do not always trigger the educational attainment of the left behind children. Therefore, proper investment of remittances on education should be ensured in order to improve the educational attainment of migrant households. DOR:20.1001.1.22517588.2021.11.2.2.6 Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

20 - Farm households’ welfare and smallholder rice production in northern Ghana: Does all-year-round cultivation make any difference?
Alhassan Andani Mohammed Abdulai

20.1001.1.22517588.2023.13.2.2.0

The study used cross-sectional data collected from a randomly selected sample of 320 households in important rice growing areas in northern Ghana. The objective of the study was to assess the impact of all-year round rice production on the welfare of farm households. En More

The study used cross-sectional data collected from a randomly selected sample of 320 households in important rice growing areas in northern Ghana. The objective of the study was to assess the impact of all-year round rice production on the welfare of farm households. Endogenous Switching Regression techniques were used to estimate the true welfare effect of all-year round rice production. Descriptive results showed a mean distance from the food expenditure poverty line of GHS46.17 with a significant difference between participants’ (GHS16.03) and non-participants (GHS60.46). With only 6.3% of all-year-round rice producers being poor, as high as 23.6% seasonal rice producers are poor. Important factors contributing to higher household food consumption expenditure are farm size, non-farm work, contract farming and education whilst household size tends to reduce it. The study found that the observed per capita food expenditure (GHS 364.00) of farmers participating in all-year round rice production is much higher than their counterfactual per capita food expenditure of GHS 179.79, suggesting that engaging in all-year round rice production has a significant positive impact on household food consumption expenditure in northern Ghana where the bulk of the country’s rice is produced. The finding implies that all-year round cultivation of rice has a potential role in improving rural household welfare as higher consumption expenditure translates into enhanced food security and lower poverty status of farm households. The study recommends the expansion in irrigation infrastructure in northern Ghana to encourage more farm families to adopt all-year round cultivation of rice. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

21 - Gender Roles in Livestock Production among Urban Farming Households
Anthonia Asadu I.A Enwelu P.I. Ifejika E.M Igbokwe

This study identified different roles played by urban household members in livestock production in Southeast Nigeria. Data were collected from two hundred and ten (210) livestock keepers using interview schedule. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statist More

This study identified different roles played by urban household members in livestock production in Southeast Nigeria. Data were collected from two hundred and ten (210) livestock keepers using interview schedule. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The mean age of the farmers was 49.1 and a majority (86.7%) had at least primary education. A greater proportion (78.1%) of the respondents kept improved chicken and the dominant rearing system was intensive. Majority (88.2%) of the respondents indicated that men were responsible for building and maintenance of house for livestock. Buying of feed was done mainly by women (56.7%) while feeding the animals was carried out by all gender groups. Men generally take care of animal health. Therefore any intervention meant to improve urban livestock production should consider the various roles played by each gender. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

22 - Labour Migration and Rural Agricultural Production in Southwestern Nigeria
Odeleye Taiwo Grace

In recent years, Nigeria witnessed significant labour migration coupled with reduction in rural agricultural productivity. Youths abandoned farms for ventures with high returns and less drudgery in cities thus labour availability in peak agricultural seasons became scar More

In recent years, Nigeria witnessed significant labour migration coupled with reduction in rural agricultural productivity. Youths abandoned farms for ventures with high returns and less drudgery in cities thus labour availability in peak agricultural seasons became scarce. The declining farm population constituting mostly women and old men are not capable of producing sufficient food for the non-farm population. Hence, this study examined labour migration and rural agricultural production in southwestern Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 454 respondents for the study. Data were collected and analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings showed that farmers often used combination of local land less residents, contract labour and seasonal labour. Majority (90.4%) of the food crop and most (82.2%) of the tree crop farmers affirmed the existence of migration in their locality. They also indicated that both rural-urban and rural-rural streams of migration existed. Mann-Whitney U test also showed significant difference in labour availability for food (z=-4.38, p ≤ 0.05) and tree crops (z=-4.75, P≤ 0.05). Tackling rural-urban migration problems remain a panacea for increasing food production. Hence, policies that will focus on rural and agricultural development must be enacted. Manuscript profile

List of articles (by subject) Rural and Agricultural Sociology