ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF MILLET-BASED CROPPING SYSTEMS IN BINDAWA AND CHARANCHI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS, KATSINA STATE, NIGERIA BY Ahmed Danlami ABUBAKAR A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA, IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF MASTERS OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AND RURAL SOCIOLOGY, FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA, NIGERIA AUGUST, 2014 i DECLARATION I hereby declare that this thesis was written by me and it is a record of my own research work, except where reference is made to published literature and duly acknowledged. It has not been presented before in any application for a degree. ________________________ __________________ Ahmed Danlami ABUBAKAR Date ii CERTIFICATION This thesis titled “ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF MILLET-BASED CROPPING SYSTEMS IN BINDAWA AND CHARANCHI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS OF KATSINA STATE, NIGERIA‟’ by Ahmed Danlami ABUBAKAR meets the regulations governing the award of the degree of Master of Science in Agricultural Economics of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and is approved for its contribution to scientific knowledge and literary presentation. ________________________ __________________ Professor M.G. Maiangwa Date Chairman, Supervisory Committee ________________________ __________________ Professor Z. Abdulsalam Date Member, Supervisory Committee ________________________ __________________ Professor Z. Abdulsalam Date Head of Department Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology ________________________ __________________ Prof. Zoaka A. Hassan Date Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria iii DEDICATION This research work is dedicated to my family members in the academia for their enduring support and words of encouragement throughout the period of the study. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My sincere and profound gratitude goes to my thesis supervisors, Professor M.G. Maiangwa and Professor Zakari Abdulsalam for the useful suggestions, constructive criticisms, patience, understanding, guidance and advice as the research work progressed. To academic and non-academic staff members of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, especially Mrs. Mercy E. Azaka, I say thank you for your immeasurable assistance and words of encouragement during my stay as a student. To my wife, I say a big thank you for the patience and self- denial of so many good things of life, just to make the study a success. Ummul-khair, Mahmood and Abdul-Azeez are my children. May all of them have good health, long life and right opportunity to grow up and allow me to restore the lost glory. Miss Olubukola Alabi of National Forestry Research Institute, Afaka, Kaduna is not left out as she was more than a classmate to me for the role she played in my life. The staff of Katsina Agricultural Development Programme, particularly Mallam Gambo Abubakar Kankia and Mallam Aminu Mamman were of assistance in the identification of the millet farmers (village-wise), organizing the enumerators and administration of the questionnaire to the respondents. My sincere thanks and appreciation goes to Hajia Zuwaira and Mallam Sani Usman, both of National Agricultural Extension Research and Liaison Services (NAERLS), Zaria for coding the data and analyzing the coded data. Mr. I.A. Akaa spent his time reading the drafts to see that they conform to the prevailing post graduate format. My friends: Alhaji Sanusi Nalado (SUBEB Katsina) Ahmed S Bature (KIPDECO Katsina), Musa Idris, Bagu Justice, Danbinni (Tole), Kabir Danyusufa, Dangilmau, Abubakar JJ Katsina and a lot of others which space and time may not permit their names to be mentioned, provided support both morally and financially for the work. v ABSTRACT This study examined the economics of millet-based cropping systems in Bindawa and Charanchi LGAS, Katsina state. The specific objectives were to identify and describe the millet-based cropping systems; determine the inputs and output levels; determine the production functions; determine the resource use efficiencies; determine the costs and returns; and identify and describe the constraints associated with millet-farmers. Primary data were collected for the study, based on the 2010 cropping season using structured questionnaire administered on 160 millet-based farmers. The analytical tools used were the descriptive statistics, production function analysis and farm budget technique. The results of the study showed that the commonest millet-based cropping systems in the study areas were millet/sorghum (26.25%) and millet/sorghum/groundnut (25.00%). For inputs used, millet/sorghum/groundnut had the highest amount of land allocation of 82.3 hectares and sole millet had the least of 44.99 hectares. For seed, 26.64 GEW, 115.78 GEW, 149.61 GEW, 65.46 GEW were used for millet/sorghum, millet/sorghum/groundnut/cowpea, millet/sorghum/groundnut, millet/sorghum/cowpea, respectively and 39 kg was used for sole millet. For labour, 856 man-hours, 1163 man- hours, 882 man-hours, 866 man-hours and 675 man-hours were used for millet/sorghum, millet/sorghum/groundnut/cowpea, millet/sorghum/groundnut, millet/sorghum/ cowpea and sole millet, respectively. For fertilizer, 299 kg, 366 kg, 276 kg, 217 kg and 216 kg wereused for millet/sorghum, millet/sorghum/groundnut/cowpea, millet/sorghum/groun dnut, millet/ sorghum/cowpea and sole millet, respectively. For pesticides, 7.3 litres/ha and 7.2 litres/ha were used for millet/sorghum/groundnut/cowpea and millet/sorghum/cowpea, respectively. The mean yield of millet cropping systems showed that 1939.14 GEW/ha, 5910.54 GEW/ha, 5645.04GEW/ha, 2786.28 GEW/ha and 1902.3 kg/ha were obtained for millet/sorghum, millet/sorghum/ groundnut/cowpea, millet/sorghum/groundnut, millet/sorghum/cowpea and sole millet, respectively. The results of the production function analysis showed that for millet/sorghum, the coefficients of farm size (P≤0.05), seed (P≤0.1) and fertilizer (P≤0.1) were positive and significant. For millet/sorghum/groundnut/cowpea, the coefficients of farm size, labour and pesticide were positive and significant (P≤0.01 each). For millet/sorghum/groundnut, farm size (P≤0.01), labour (P≤0.05) and fertilizer (P≤0.01) were positive and significant. For millet/sorghum/cowpea, farm size (P≤0.05), seed (P≤0.01), labour (P≤0.05) and pesticide (P≤0.1) were positive and significant. For sole millet, only seed (P≤0.1) was positive and significant. The resource use efficiencies for the millet cropping systems showed that for millet/sorghum, farm size and seeds were under-utilized, but labour and fertilizer were over-utilized. For millet/sorghum/groundnut/cowpea, farm size was under-utilized but seeds, labour, fertilizer and pesticide were over-utilized. For millet/sorghum/groundnut, farm size, labour and fertilizer were under-utilised, but seed was over-utilised. For millet/sorghum/cowpea, farm size was under-utilized but seed, labour and fertilizer were over-utilized. For sole millet, farm size and seed were under-utilized but labour and fertilizer were over-utilized. The results of costs and returns analysis showed that the millet-based cropping systems were profitable, with gross margins per hectare of N5,713.85, N189,010.40, N42,744.3, N196,077.60 and N2,026.01 for millet / sorghum, millet / sorghum / groundnut/cowpea, millet / sorghum / groundnut, millet / sorghum / cowpea and sole millet, respectively. The average rates of return were 1.39, 9.28, 3.54, 12.63 and 1.17 for millet / sorghum, millet / sorghum / groundnut / cowpea, millet / sorghum / groundnut, millet / sorghum / cowpea and sole millet, respectively. The most vi important constraint in the millet cropping systems was inadequate fertilizer. Some of the recommendations made include advising farmers to use of optimal levels of inputs. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTENT PAGE Tile page ............................................................................................................... i Declaration ............................................................................................................ ii Certification .......................................................................................................... iii Dedication ............................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgement ................................................................................................. v Abstract ................................................................................................................. vi Table of Contents .................................................................................................. vii List of Table .......................................................................................................... viii List of Figures ....................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER ONE Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Problem statement ...................................................................................... 2 1.2 Objectives of the study ............................................................................... 3 1.3 Justification................................................................................................ 3 CHAPTER TWO Literature Review .................................................................................................