A Gender based Economic Analysis of Cassava Production in North Central Nigeria: Implication for Poverty Alleviation in Nigeria

This study carried out a gender based economic analysis of cassava production with implication for poverty reduction among rural farm households in north central Nigeria. Two hundred and ten representative farm households were used for the study. Descriptive statistics, budgetary analysis and multiple regression model were the analytical tools for the study. The results of the descriptive statistics show that the female-headed households had lower access to productive resources than their male-headed counterparts. The budgetary analysis shows that cassava production was a profitable enterprise in the study area with net-farm income of N73,100 and N58,035 and capital turn-over of 1.50 and 1.46 for the male and female-headed households respectively. This also suggests a lower level of welfare for the female-headed households. The production function estimates show farm size in hectares, family labour in mandays, cassava stem in tonnes and fertiliser in kilograms were the significant variables explaining the variation in cassava output in the study area. The efficiency ratio analysis indicates that cassava stems were under-utilised while other significant variables were over-utilised. The study recommends that cassava production be used as a crop for poverty reduction among farm households in the study area judging from its profitability. The farm households were also advised to cut down on over-utilised resources and increase usage of under-utilised ones for optimal efficiency in production.