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AbstractThis study was carried out to analyse the perceived influence of COVID-19 preventive measures on the profit efficiency of smallholders’ cereal marketers in Cameroon. The study hypothesizes that COVID-19 preventive measures significantly influence cereal marketers’ profit efficiency. A method of sampling, involving multiple stages and random selection, was employed to choose a group of 747 cereal marketers, and was analysed via the stochastic frontier model and beta regression. Cereal marketers are aware of the COVID-19 pandemic (80%), and of the government preventive policy measures (63%). The number of days in lockdown, the costs of hand sanitizer and face masks negatively influence cereal marketers’ profit efficiency while community sensitization positively influence cereal marketers’ profit efficiency. Borrowed money from friends (73%), Borrowed of money from money lenders (69%), withdrawal of savings (70%), material/financial support (37%), sell off assets to meet the daily need (73%), reduction of the quality of meals eaten (66%), and sell off reserved food to earn more money (63%) are the copying strategies used by cereal marketers. The study did not involve control groups that face different levels of exposure, and suggest that control groups could help isolate the effects of preventive measures from other external factors and provide a basis for comparison for further studies. To make preventive outbreak measures effective, price subsidies should be implemented to enable the use and access of hand sanitizer and disposable face masks, and the continuous wide broadcasting through community sensitization.

Postharvest and storage of agricultural produce such as cowpea remains a significant challenge in sub-Sahara Africa. This study assessed gender differentiation on the determinants and intensity of adoption of Purdue-improved cowpea storage (PICS) bags in northern Nigeria. Primary data was collected via a well-questionnaire from Kano, Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi, Plateau, and the Niger States. Each State was purposively selected based on the concentration and availability of female PICS bag users. From the sampling frame 2989, 20% of male and female small-scale cowpea farmers were randomly selected, totalling 598 cowpea farmers. Descriptive and double-hurdle regression models were used. The result of the socioeconomic analysis indicated that farmers' mean age was 42 years, with an average of 8 persons per household and a dependency ratio of 1.19. Years of schooling were 10 with a farming experience of 25 years and 2.17 ha as the average farm size. Results of the Logit model in males were significant for (extension contact, PICS information from other farmers and radio sources, and cowpea income, bags non-available) and for females (age, awareness, extension contact, PICS information from other farmers and radio source, bags non-available). The truncated regression model was significant in males (cowpea income) and females (education, output, and bags non-available). Adopting PICS bag technology by cowpea farming households enhanced female farmers' adoption. Therefore, policymakers should implement methods to motivate female farmers to adopt this technology further.

AbstractThe recent trend of development policy makes emphasis on gender disparity in performance, especially in the agricultural sector whereby women partake and play a crucial role and their contribution to the sector cannot be overemphasized. However, the contention is whether such disparity in performance exists typically at old age or whether it exists at youth age as well. A representative household survey with structured questionnaires and assistance from extension agents who served as enumerators make use of multistage sampling techniques to collect datasets from 1019 young producer-marketers involved in the two value chains from three regions of Cameroon including Far North, North, and West Regions. Findings show that the mean profit efficiency for young males is 0.53, and 0.61 while for young females are 0.59, and 0.69 respectively. The result found a significant difference (.001; .002) in the profit efficiency among young males and females rice and maize producer-marketers due to socioeconomic and financial factors such as household size, cost of transport, tax paid, amount of credit received, membership to the association, cost of labour, cost of seed, cost of herbicides and cost of fertilizer. Findings indicate that there is a need to set up agrochemical and improved seed varieties subsidy schemes with special attention given to young female rice and maize producer-marketers given that cost of agrochemical and improved seed varieties significantly affect their profitability. Young females engaged in the rice and maize value chains could benefit from setting up labour-sharing arrangements for mutual help.

In this study, demand-side variables affecting the use of institutional finance with small-scale growers of roots and tubers profitability in Cameroon's southwest are investigated. Using a multi-step stratified and straightforward random sample process, 837 respondents were chosen. In study was found that as farm size grows, so does the likelihood of loan need. A farmer with more years of farming expertise has more opportunities to use and demand finance. Credit institutions are more willing to lend to couples because they believe they will be able to repay the loans collectively. Educated farmers are certain that using borrowing to grow their investment will yield output that will cover their loan repayments due to their knowledge of production processes and record keeping. Further, the profitability of institutional credit users for cassava, cocoyam, and yam was higher than that of non-users of institutional credit. New techniques for identifying financially disadvantaged rural poor in the Region should be created by focusing on metrics that would increase the efficiency of entrepreneurs and take them closer to the production frontier. One of these solutions may be for the government to encourage microfinance institutions to lend to businesses in the form of inputs rather than cash.

The physical and human capital stock of a country determines its economic development and functioning. Despite the Federal Government of Nigeria's initiatives and policies aimed at ensuring the country's long-term viability. Citizens' nutritional status is still a widespread issue that undermines productivity. For a period of 41 years, the impact of government expenditures and food importation on overweight and stunting was studied using dynamic ordinary least squares and simulation (1980-2020). Stunting and overweight are reduced as a result of food production and importation, according to the findings. Stunting and overweight will be reduced by 2.12 percent and 1.22 percent, respectively, if public spending increases and food imports are reduced by 30%. To complement public initiatives, the best alternative policy for improving Nigeria's nutrition status should focus on increasing government agriculture and health spending, as well as increasing food imports with a lower comparative advantage.

The purpose of the paper was to analyse the role of public agricultural spending as a panacea for agricultural subsector production in Cameroon. The data were taken from World Bank development database and processed using growth model, and error correction model. Despite the agricultural sector's significant contributions to the country's economy throughout the years, the country has made little headway in reducing it. Recent interest in the relationship between government spending and economic output has not focused on the central question of whether government spending, particularly agricultural spending increases agricultural subsector output or otherwise. With instantaneous and compound growth rates of 6.7 percent and 6.93 percent, 3.03 percent and 3.08 percent, 13.66 percent and 14.64 percent, respectively, the results demonstrated stagnation in agricultural and livestock subsector production and labor. In contrast, public agriculture spending increased at a faster rate, with instantaneous and compound growth rates of 6.09 percent and 6.27 percent, respectively. In the short run, agricultural land, labor, and public agricultural spending all have a substantial impact on animal productivity. Cutting public agricultural spending by 25% is the most cost-effective way to maintain crop and livestock production in the short term. Incentives such as tax reductions and infrastructure development should be established to attract more private investors, knowledge transfer, and significant capital inflows to ensure the agricultural sub-long-term sector's viability. In the short term, privatization of the government's agricultural development projects will be critical for efficient use of public resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated agricultural growth response to human capital development in Nigeria. Annual time series data covering a period of 1993-2017 were utilized to analyse the objectives. The result shows that recurrent expenditure on education contributed above 10% and capital expenditure on education contributed above 2% to agricultural growth in the long run. Primary school enrolment contributed above 20% and tertiary institution enrolment contributed above 1% to agricultural growth in the short run. The impulse response result shows that agricultural growth responded negatively capital expenditure on education but responded significantly to recurrent expenditure. There was minimal response of agricultural growth to both capital and recurrent expenditures on health. It was therefore recommended that capital expenditures on education and health be increased and channelled appropriately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]