Scientific Papers Series Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and Rural Development Vol. 20, Issue 3, 2020 PRINT ISSN 2284-7995, E-ISSN 2285-3952 OPTIMAL RESOURCE ALLOCATION IN YAM-BASED CROPPING SYSTEMS IN YORRO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF TARABA STATE NIGERIA Dengle Yuniyus GIROH Modibbo Adama Univeristy of Technology, Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, P.M.B 2076, Yola, Nigeria. Email: [email protected] Corresponding author: [email protected] Abstract Rising rural population densities in Nigeria are profoundly affecting farming systems with localized land pressures being experienced by many rural farmers. This study was conducted to examine optimal resource allocation in Yam- based cropping systems among farmers in Yorro Local Government Area of Taraba State, Nigeria. Primary data used for the study were collected from 142 farmers using structured interview schedule. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and linear programming model. Results revealed that respondents were small-scale farmers characterized by large family size and were well experienced in farming with a mean farming experience of 23 years. Respondents adopted mixed cropping as a result of scarcity of land and to avoid crop failure. Profitability analysis revealed that yam based cropping systems were profitable where Yam/Cowpea/Sorghum had the highest gross margin of N372,500.00 followed by Yam/Maize/Groundnut/Cowpea (N362,990.00) respectively. Linear programming model recommended yam/cowpea/sorghum and yam/maize/groundnut/cowpea out of the five enterprises. For yam/cowpea/sorghum, the existing plan allocated 2.36 ha while the optimal plan obtained from the programming recommended 4.37ha. For yam/maize/groundnut/cowpea, the existing plan allocated 2.08ha while the optimal plan recommended 1.11ha. The optimal farm plan recommends that yam-based farmers should allocate resources in such a way that the two crop enterprises are produced according to this hectarage allocation to maximize Total Gross Margin of N2,031,084.08/ha. Key words: optimal plan, profitability, linear programming, yam- based, Yorro, Nigeria INTRODUCTION world with 70% of the world output followed by Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Benin and Togo [8]. Root and tuber crops are important in food The crop yield depends on how and where the security and income for 2.2 billion people in setts are planted, sizes of mounds, interplant developing countries and crops comprise crop spacing, provision of stakes for the resultant covering several genera. They are staple food plants, yam species, and tuber sizes desired at crops, being the source of daily carbohydrate harvest. Small-scale farmers in West and intake for the large populace of the world. Central Africa often intercrop yams with Root and tuber crops refer to any growing cereals and vegetables. Yam based crop plant storing edible materials in subterranean mixture (YBCM) is a common crop mixture root, corm or tuber and yam is a member of system practised in farming communities of this important class of food [1].Yam is an Nigeria. Yam, the based crop of YBCM, is an important food crop especially in the yam important food crop in Nigeria [4]. The crops zones of West Africa, comprising, Nigeria, in YBCM are arable crops which are food Cameroon, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Cote crops planted and harvested at maturity within d’Ivoire. This zone produces more than 90% one production cycle or season. However, of the total world production which is crop mixture is a viable strategy for spreading estimated at about 20 – 25 million tonnes per the risks of crop failure and labour demands year [13]. The biggest yam harvest, globally for critical operations of sowing, weeding and was in 2008 when world produced 54 million harvesting [3]. Yam-based cropping system is metric tonnes of yam, with Nigeria producing a system in which yam production is the an annual average of 35.017 metric tonnes [4]. predominant rural activity among several Nigeria is the main producer of yam in the other crops, livestock or off-farm production 267 Scientific Papers Series Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and Rural Development Vol. 20, Issue 3, 2020 PRINT ISSN 2284-7995, E-ISSN 2285-3952 activities. The practice of intercropping is concerned with the optimal allocation of popular because of its advantages over sole limited resources to various competing cropping which include yield stability, demands. It is a mathematical method of security and higher profitability due to higher optimizing problems towards achieving the combined returns per unit area of land. The best outcome as solutions. It was developed practice of inter cropping controls erosion and by Charnes and Coopers in 1961 and has been weeds and allows a more even distribution of widely used in Agriculture and Management farm labour than sole cropping and serves as Sciences. enterprise combination which is a security Ibrahim [5] examined optimal maize-based against crop failure. The cropping enterprise in Soba Local Government Area of combination is also agriculturally compatible. Kaduna State, Nigeria using linear In 2010, the world harvested 48.7 million Progamming analysis. The result indicated tonnes of yam, 95 percent of which was that a gross margin of N56,920.30 was produced in Africa. Rising rural population obtained in the planned farm as against densities in Nigeria are profoundly affecting N26,282.00 per hectare of maize/cowpea in farming systems and indeed the overall unplanned farm. Ibrahim and Omotesho [6] trajectory of economic systems in ways that examined an optimal enterprise combination are underappreciated in current discourse. for vegetable production under Fadama in Population pressure is linked in one way or North central Nigeria. The result of optimal another to the shrinking size of most plan obtained achieved 88 percent of the goals smallholder farms over time; more continuous considered. Igwe et al. [7] applied a linear cultivation of fields, contributing to land programming model (LP) model and degradation and unsustainable forms of determined the optimum enterprise agricultural intensification; the rise of land combination in Abia State in Nigeria. The rental and purchase markets and changes in result showed that out of the twelve land allocation institutions, all of which are production activities made up of ten cropping rapidly altering farm structure; and the activities and two fish enterprise, only two challenges that Nigeria is currently were recommended by the model for farmers experiencing in achieving broad-based and to achieve a gross income of N342,763.30. inclusive forms of farm income growth. The Maurice [10] examined optimal production extent, distribution and exploitation of land plan and Resource Allocation in food crop are factors that have long been identified as production in Adamawa State, Nigeria using fundamental influences on agricultural linear programming. The result showed that development paths and poverty reduction [9]. out of the eleven basic activities included in Nigeria is typically characterized as land the LP model, only three activities entered the abundant, with the implication that land programme namely sole groundnut (0.28ha), endowments pose no serious constraint for maize/sorghum (0.26ha) and agricultural development, but our starting maize/sorghum/cowpea (1.88ha). He further point for studying the impacts of population reported that food crop farmers should density is the recognition of Nigeria’s allocate their resources in such a way that spatially heterogeneous distributions of rural three crop enterprises could be produced populations, giving rise to acute localized land according to the hectares allocated. pressures being experienced by many rural Despite wider application of linear farmers. programming in many studies, its application Linear Programming (LP)is a mathematical in yam based cropping system in particular is model which seeks to maximize profit or scanty. The broad objective of the study is to minimize cost as an objective function and analyze enterprise combination in a Yam- with objective function constraints which are based cropping systems in Yorro Local expressed as linear mathematical statement Government Area of Taraba State, Nigeria. and decision variables having continuous or The specific objectives were to describe the discrete values. The word “Programming” is socio-economic characteristics of yam 268 Scientific Papers Series Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and Rural Development Vol. 20, Issue 3, 2020 PRINT ISSN 2284-7995, E-ISSN 2285-3952 farmers; identify the various crops in the yam- Method of Data Analysis based cropping systems; examine resource Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics allocation pattern and estimate cost and were used to analyse the data collected. The returns among respondents in the study area. descriptive statistics was used to achieve objectives i and ii while linear programming MATERIALS AND METHODS was used to achieve objective iii (resource allocation pattern) among respondents. The The Study Area. The study was conducted in gross margin analysis was used to estimate Yorro Local Government Area of Taraba costs and returns associated with yam based State, Nigeria. The Local Government Area cropping systems among lies between latitude 8.17˚N and 9.7˚N and respondents(objective iv). longitude 11˚ 66˚E and 11˚ 46˚E of The model is specified as follows: Greenwich meridian. The Local Government Area lies to the North-Eastern part of Taraba GM = TR - TVC .......................... (1) State, bordered by Zing Local Government Area to east, Lau Local Government Area to where: GM = Gross Margin TR = Total the North, Jalingo and Ardo-Kola Local Revenue and TVC = Total variable Cost . Government Areas to the West and Bali Local The linear programming model used is Government Area to the South. The Local expressed as: Government Area has a land area of 21,200 2 km with a projected population of 60,894 MaxGM=128,132.50X1+372,500X2+54976X3 people. The Local Government Area has +201990X4+362990X5+106,313X6≤ tropical climate marked by dry and rainy 330,450.70 ...........................................(2) seasons.