Factors influencing risk aversion among maize farmers in the Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria: implications for sustainable crop development programmes

The attitudes of farmers towards risks influence their decision to invest into farming. Understanding the factors that influence these attitudes is important for crop development. This paper uses a combination of Ridge and Tobit regression analyses to determine the factors influencing risk aversion...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Olarinde, L.O., Manyong, Victor M., Akintola, J.O.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: 2010
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/89382
_version_ 1855521528002641920
author Olarinde, L.O.
Manyong, Victor M.
Akintola, J.O.
author_browse Akintola, J.O.
Manyong, Victor M.
Olarinde, L.O.
author_facet Olarinde, L.O.
Manyong, Victor M.
Akintola, J.O.
author_sort Olarinde, L.O.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The attitudes of farmers towards risks influence their decision to invest into farming. Understanding the factors that influence these attitudes is important for crop development. This paper uses a combination of Ridge and Tobit regression analyses to determine the factors influencing risk aversion among maize farmers in the Northern Guinea Savanna agro-ecological zone of Nigeria. Preliminary categorization of a cross-sectional sample of 348 farmers show that 8.91% are risk preferers, 48.56% are risk averters while the remaining 42.53% are risk neutral farmers. Risk aversion among the sampled farming households was found to be influenced by socioeconomic factors (e.g. age of household head, household size) and farm specific variables (e.g. proportion of income from maize, non-farm income). Probability and elasticity estimates from further Tobit analysis revealed that an improvement on the variables considered can actually reduce high risk aversion. The key socioeconomic and farm specific variables that have direct bearing on the farmers’ risk attitudes, as revealed in this study, indicate the important and crucial role that extension could play in sensitizing both the research, donor agencies, government and the famers on the need to target particular areas of the farm families’ needs. Since the major issues raised here impinge on the farmers’ financial status, enterprise diversification which can guarantee the security of the farmers’ immediate financial future is a key element in planning at regular farming seasons and intervals. This will in effect, result in increased maize productivity. The findings in this study have policy implications for crop development programmes.
format Journal Article
id CGSpace89382
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2010
publishDateRange 2010
publishDateSort 2010
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace893822023-02-15T06:50:07Z Factors influencing risk aversion among maize farmers in the Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria: implications for sustainable crop development programmes Olarinde, L.O. Manyong, Victor M. Akintola, J.O. farmers maize savannas ridge tillage regression analysis The attitudes of farmers towards risks influence their decision to invest into farming. Understanding the factors that influence these attitudes is important for crop development. This paper uses a combination of Ridge and Tobit regression analyses to determine the factors influencing risk aversion among maize farmers in the Northern Guinea Savanna agro-ecological zone of Nigeria. Preliminary categorization of a cross-sectional sample of 348 farmers show that 8.91% are risk preferers, 48.56% are risk averters while the remaining 42.53% are risk neutral farmers. Risk aversion among the sampled farming households was found to be influenced by socioeconomic factors (e.g. age of household head, household size) and farm specific variables (e.g. proportion of income from maize, non-farm income). Probability and elasticity estimates from further Tobit analysis revealed that an improvement on the variables considered can actually reduce high risk aversion. The key socioeconomic and farm specific variables that have direct bearing on the farmers’ risk attitudes, as revealed in this study, indicate the important and crucial role that extension could play in sensitizing both the research, donor agencies, government and the famers on the need to target particular areas of the farm families’ needs. Since the major issues raised here impinge on the farmers’ financial status, enterprise diversification which can guarantee the security of the farmers’ immediate financial future is a key element in planning at regular farming seasons and intervals. This will in effect, result in increased maize productivity. The findings in this study have policy implications for crop development programmes. 2010 2017-11-14T08:07:52Z 2017-11-14T08:07:52Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/89382 en Limited Access Olarinde, L.O., Manyong, V.M. & Akintola, J.O. (2010). Factors influencing risk aversion among maize farmers in the Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria: Implications for sustainable crop development programmes. Journal of Food, Agriculture & Environment, 8(1), 128-134.
spellingShingle farmers
maize
savannas
ridge tillage
regression analysis
Olarinde, L.O.
Manyong, Victor M.
Akintola, J.O.
Factors influencing risk aversion among maize farmers in the Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria: implications for sustainable crop development programmes
title Factors influencing risk aversion among maize farmers in the Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria: implications for sustainable crop development programmes
title_full Factors influencing risk aversion among maize farmers in the Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria: implications for sustainable crop development programmes
title_fullStr Factors influencing risk aversion among maize farmers in the Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria: implications for sustainable crop development programmes
title_full_unstemmed Factors influencing risk aversion among maize farmers in the Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria: implications for sustainable crop development programmes
title_short Factors influencing risk aversion among maize farmers in the Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria: implications for sustainable crop development programmes
title_sort factors influencing risk aversion among maize farmers in the northern guinea savanna of nigeria implications for sustainable crop development programmes
topic farmers
maize
savannas
ridge tillage
regression analysis
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/89382
work_keys_str_mv AT olarindelo factorsinfluencingriskaversionamongmaizefarmersinthenorthernguineasavannaofnigeriaimplicationsforsustainablecropdevelopmentprogrammes
AT manyongvictorm factorsinfluencingriskaversionamongmaizefarmersinthenorthernguineasavannaofnigeriaimplicationsforsustainablecropdevelopmentprogrammes
AT akintolajo factorsinfluencingriskaversionamongmaizefarmersinthenorthernguineasavannaofnigeriaimplicationsforsustainablecropdevelopmentprogrammes