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The study explores the influence of gender discrimination on the agricultural economic efficiency gap between women and men farmers in Nigeria's Kano State, as part of the USAID MARKETS II initiative. A structured questionnaire supported by an interview schedule was utilized to extract cross-sectional data from 189 participants selected by a multi-stage sample technique using a simple cost-route strategy. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to the acquired data. Gender disparity has both an effect and an impact on the farm economic efficiency of women farmers, putting them at a disadvantage compared to their male counterparts, according to scientific research. Besides, the extension gap which affected the farm economic efficiency of the women farmers compared to the men is due to gender stereotype. Further, in isolating the impact of gender differential, it was observed that gaps of technical and cost efficiencies between the two genders owe majorly to gender discrimination. In addition, both gender discrimination and the endowment factor had an equal contribution to the yield gap between the two groups. However, the profit efficiency gap between the genders is due majorly to endowment effect. In general, it can be concluded that gender discrimination, i.e. gender inequality and gender stereotype, has slowed the active engagement of women beneficiaries in the program, hence impeding the continuation of their farm businesses. As a result, in order for the program to be sustainable, it should include a gender budget in its strategy, allowing women to break the curse of gender inequality, which has limited access to and control over productive resources.

This research determined price volatility spillovers among major wheat markets in the world using time series data (1966-2018) of six major wheat producing countries in the world. The data were sourced from FAO and UNCTAD databanks and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, multiple regression, unit root test and GARCH models. The findings showed that there is low and high persistence in the wheat prices of Canada and USA; and, Australia and India, respectively. Thus, it was established that the prices in the former markets were characterized by short memory; the effect of shock is temporary as the prices return to the attractor level within a short period. However, bad news on the prices of the latter markets has pronounced effect and takes a longer period for the price series to normalize. On the other hand, French and Chinese market price series exhibited an explosive pattern; the price series have infinite memory and the effect of innovation is permanent as price series will not normalize. Therefore, it can be concluded that the future trade of wheat is useful in the market given the persistence behavior of the prices as their price trends are tailored towards a rational expectation rather than a naïve expectation. However, for the market prices that are explosive, the market participants should focus on rational market expectation as a trade barometer.

The present research determined the performance of Nigerian livestock sector using dated data that spanned from 1981 to 2019. The data were sourced from FAO, UNCTAD and Central Bank of Nigeria data banks; and, data analyses were achieved using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Based on the findings it was inferred that the livestock sector has efficient integration with the macro-economic indicators that prevailed in the economy. However, the degree of integration of the sector was inefficient despite the stability of the sector which owes to delay in the ability of the sector’s equilibrium to correct its disequilibrium. Furthermore, poor utilization of sector’s fund, high inflation, red-tapism and economic pilfering were the macro-economic indicators that affected the performance of the sector. The empirical evidences showed that the directions of the sector Gross domestic product (GDP) and production was influenced by the internal and external economics respectively. Thus, the study urge the policymakers to strengthen the internal mechanism that checkmate the utilization of the funds allocated to the sector and should encourage domestic production of agro-allied products so as to protect the economic from being vulnerable to foreign market shocks. Also, trade policies viz. export promotion of livestock products and stringent embargo on importation of livestock products should be enhanced, thus enhancing the stability of the sector’s economy.

This study determined market integration of wheat in the world using price time series (1966-2018) of major world producing countries. The data were sourced from FAO database and data analysis were performed using unit root tests, Engel-Granger and Johansen co-integration tests, Granger causality and impulse response tests, restricted vector auto-regression (VAR), and auto-regression integration moving average (ARIMA) models. The empirical evidence showed that the law of one price (LOP) or parity in prices failed to hold in these markets due to poor co- integration among these markets. Furthermore, the wheat prices of Indian, USA and China markets were efficient as they established long-run equilibrium. However, Australian, Canadian and France markets were observed to be autarkic markets as short-run disequilibrium adjustment processes will not lead to stable long-run prices. It was established that USA market prices is a relative follower and plays little or no role in the global wheat trade. Therefore, the study recommends that a network of wheat commodity network across the globe at almost equal distance from each other for the enhancement of market integration and price transmission should be designed., Bu çalışma dünyanın önde gelen üretici ülkelerinin fiyat zaman serilerini (1966-2018) kullanarak buğdayın dünyadaki piyasa entegrasyonunu belirlemiştir. Veriler FAO veri tabanından alınmış ve birim kök testleri, Engel-Granger ve Johansen eşbütünleşme testleri, Granger nedensellik ve dürtüsellik testleri ve kısıtlı vektör otoregresyon (VAR), otoregresif entegre hareketli ortalama (ARIMA) modelleri kullanılarak veri analizi yapılmıştır. Elde edilen bulgular, tek fiyat (LOP) kanununun veya paritenin, bu piyasalar arasındaki zayıf eşbütünleşme nedeniyle bu piyasalarda geçerli olmadığını göstermiştir. Ayrıca Hindistan, ABD ve Çin piyasalarının buğday fiyatları uzun dönemli dengeyi sağladıkları için etkindir. Ancak, Avustralya, Kanada ve Fransa piyasalarının, kısa vadeli dengesizlik ayarlama süreçleri istikrarlı uzun vadeli fiyatlara yol açmayacağı için otarşik piyasalar olduğu gözlemlenmiştir. ABD piyasa fiyatlarının göreli bir takipçisi olduğu ve küresel buğday ticaretinde çok az rol oynadığı veya hiç rol oynamadığı tespit edilmiştir. Bu nedenle, çalışma, piyasa entegrasyonunu ve fiyat aktarımını geliştirmek için dünya çapında birbirinden neredeyse eşit mesafede bir buğday emtia ağının tasarlanmasını önermektedir.

Mevcut araştırma, otuz sekiz yıllık (1979-2017) bir dönem için yayılan zaman serisi verilerini kullanarak Suudi Arabistan Krallığı'ndaki ithal meyvelere olan talebi tahmin etmektedir. Veriler FAO ve UNCTAD veri tabanlarından elde edilmiş olup elma, muz, üzüm, portakal, ananas ve çilek için ithalat miktar ve değerlerini kapsamaktadır. Toplanan veriler, tanımlayıcı istatistikler ve Lineer Yaklaşık İdeal Talep Sistemi (LA / AIDS) modeli kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgulara göre ortalama bütçe payının elmada, marjinal bütçe payının ise portakalda en yüksek olduğu görülmüştür. Ampirik kanıtlar, elma, muz ve üzümün normal mallar olduğunu, portakal, ananas ve çileğin ise lüks mallar olduğunu göstermiştir. Ayrıca, telafi edilmemiş çapraz fiyat esnekliklerinin telafi edilmiş çapraz fiyat esneklikleri üzerindeki yüksek değerlerinden de anlaşılacağı üzere, gelir etkisinin ithal meyvelere olan talebi etkilemede fiyattan daha güçlü bir etki yarattığı tespit edilmiştir. Bu nedenle çalışma, ülkenin bu meyveleri, özellikle de gerekli olanları, dövizini en üst düzeye çıkarmak ve turizm nüfusu akışından yararlanmak için yoğun yerel üretime başlaması gerektiğini önermektedir. Böylelikle ülke ekonomisi, meyve ihraç eden pazarlardan gelen noksanlıkların bir sonucu olarak ortaya çıkabilecek her türlü pazarlama şokunu absorbe edebilecektir., The present research estimated the demand for imported fruits in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia using time series data that spanned for a period of thirty-eight years (1979-2017). The data were sourced from the FAO and UNCTAD databases and they covered import quantities and values for apple, banana, grape, orange, pineapple and straw berry. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Linear Approximate Almost Ideal Demand System (LA/AIDS) model. Based on the findings it was observed that apple has the highest average budget share while orange has the highest marginal budget share. The empirical evidence showed that all the fruit commodities are normal goods with apple, banana and grape been necessities while orange, pineapple and straw berry were luxuries. Furthermore, it was established that income effect waxed stronger effect than price in influencing demand for imported fruit commodities as evidenced from the high values of uncompensated cross-price elasticities over the compensated cross-price elasticities. Therefore, the study recommends that the country should embark on intensive local production of these fruit commodities especially the necessary ones so as to maximize their foreign exchange and take advantage of tourism population influx. By so doing the economy of the nation will be able to absorb any marketing shocks which might arise as a result of market imperfection from fruit exporting markets.

The results of the analysis showed that over the period growth rates of cassava production are 63.1, 5718 and 122.1 percent and the compound rates of growth of cassava area are 87.7, 610 and 6.69 percent for the pre-Structural Adjustment Programme, Structural Adjustment Programme and post-Structural Adjustment Programme periods respectively. Cassava productivity during post-SAP periods experienced relatively lower instabilitycompared to other two periods. However, stagnation was confirmed during the pre-SAP and SAP period. Moreover, there was a significant increase in the growth of cassava production in the post Structural Adjustment Programme period implies that the policy reforms in the period has favoured the effective increased in the growth of cassava production over that of other periods in Nigeria. Therefore, SAP programme despite growth in the production itdoes not significantly favors the productivity of cassava in Nigeria. The study, therefore, suggest consolidation of various initiatives and programmes by the Federal Government in the expansion and promotion of cassava toachieve higher yield in order to curb the widespread of food insecurity in the country.

This research presents empirical analysis of economies of scale and cost efficiency of small scale maize production in Niger State of Nigeria, using multi stage sampling technique to elicit farm level survey data from 120 farmers in the study area via interview and administration of validated pre-tested questionnaire. Cobb-Douglas Cost stochastic frontier function was used to analyze the data collected. The results shows that there is a relative presence of economies of scale among the farmers meaning that an average farm in the sampled area produce at a minimum cost considering the size of the farm which is an indication that they operates in stage II of production surface (stage of efficient utilization of resource). This was further collaborated by the mean cost efficiency of 0.96 obtained from the data analysis which shows that an average farm in the sample area was about 96 percent close to the frontier cost, indicating that they are relatively efficient in allocating their scarce resources. The result ofthe analysis indicate that presence of cost inefficiency effects in the maize production as depicted by the significant estimated gamma coefficient of about 0.98 and the generalized likelihood ratio test result obtained from the data analysis.

This study attempts a proper empirical identification of their poverty status and the reasons for their poverty, through a profile of poverty incidence, manifestations and causes of rural poverty in Niger State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was employed in enumerating sixty farming household from four communities via administration of pre-tested questionnaire; viz., Kuta, Gwada, Mutum-daya. Data collected were analysed using both Descriptive, Foster-Greer-Thorbecke (FGT) model and Probit regression model.. For poor farmers, results indicated that the incidence of poverty was more among older farmers, and less among younger farmers. Results of the analysis of the FGT model showed that 36.6 percent of the farming households were poor. Based on the indices of the poverty depth, poor farmers required N 39.86 to escape poverty. However, there were some socio-economic factors which exacerbate poverty. Since livelihood status remained below the required levels for large parts of the rural populace during this research, identified poor households should be targeted for safety nets. Furthermore, the study therefore, suggests that poverty alleviation programs must focus on those factors which aggravate poverty, in order to employ several specialized approaches to tackle these multifarious problems.

The study applied a stochastic frontier profit function to measure profit efficiency of Egusi melon farmers’ in Bida LGA of Niger State, Nigeria, there by examining the opportunities available to the farmers in the LGA. A multistage sampling technique was used to select a total of 125 Egusi melon farmers’ from Bida LGA. The average profit efficiency of 87 percent indicates that an estimated 13 percent of the profit was lost owing to a mixture of both technical and allocative inefficiencies in Egusi melon production. In other words, profit efficiency among the sample farmers can be increased by 13 percent through improved use of existing production resources, given the current state of technology. From the inefficiency model, it was found that education, farm experience, access to credit, membership of cooperative, soil management techniques and extension contact were positively significant factors influencing profit efficiency. Consequently, investments in farmers’ education through effective extension delivery programmes and provision of credit will help farmers’ to increase their profit efficiency.

The results revealed that there was a high literacy level among sample farmers (95.4 percent) which is enough to support information on technology use. On an average total cost of 403139 was incurred while total revenue of 631316 was realized with a gross margin of 356906 and net income of 228177 per hectare per annum. The rate of return on investment of 0.56 implies that for every one naira invested, a return of 1.56 and a profit of 0.56 were obtained with production efficiency index of 1.56 reaffirming the ingenuity of the considerable level of profitability achieved in the enterprise. This showed that fish production in the study area was economically rewarding and profitable. It is capable of creating employment, augmenting income and improving the standards of living of the people. The government participation in fish farming is solicited to boost the quantity of fish available for consumption.

This study investigates the profitability of small scale maize production in Niger state of Nigeria using farm budgeting technique. The results showed that 67 percent of the farmers were male, 76 percent were within the economically active age brackets, while 68 percent had non-formal education. The cost and return analysis indicated that maize production was profitable with an average net farm income of N48, 109.00 per ha, and a gross ratio of 0.39; a production efficiency index (2.50) per farmer further adjudged the profitability of the enterprise, that is, the returns cover the cost of production almost three times. As maize is one of the most important staple foods of great socio-economic value in the study area, an improvement in the understanding of the level of profitability can greatly aid policy makers in enhancing policies that will promote profitability in production of the crop. In addition, improved access to farmlands, acquisition of formal education, improving rural financial markets and strengthening the existing extension services were recommended to improve profitability in maize production in the area.