Optimal Farm Plan in Sweet Potato Cropping Systems: The Case of Offa and Oyun Local Government Areas of Kwara State, North-Central Nigeria

摘要

This study examines optimal farm plan in sweet potato cropping systems. Primary data were collected, during the 2004-farming season, from ninety-eight sweet potato farmers who were selected from Offa and Oyun local government areas of Kwara State in the north-central zone of Nigeria. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the socio-economics characteristics of the sweet potato farmers. Linear programming model was used to determine the optimal farm plan. Descriptive analysis shows that 92.8% of the farmers were male while 7.2% were female. 67.3% were within the age range 31-50 years, 14.3% were above 60 years and the average age of the farmers was 43 years. 28.6% of the respondents were illiterates, while 71.4% had one forms of education or the other. 99% of the farmers have households with more than five members. Over 60% of the farmers cultivate maximum of 1.0 ha of sweet potato and only 2% cultivate more than 3.0 ha. The average farm size was 0.91 ha. The optimal crop combination was sweet potato/cassava cropping system and the optimal gross margin was N14766 ha 1. While capital was a limiting resource, land and labour were non-limiting and there were 0.06 ha of unused land and 3.13 man-days of unused labour. Increased capital investment is recommended for increased production of the crop.