标题：COMPARATIVE ECONOMIC AND ENTREPRENEURIAL ANALYSIS OF PESTICIDES TREATED AND NON-TREATED COWPEA ( Vigna unguiculata, L Walp ) FARMS IN ABUJA, NIGERIA
期刊名称：The Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa (JSDA)
电子版ISSN：1520-5509
出版年度：2016
卷号：18
期号：1
页码：1
出版社：Institute of Sustainable Development in Africa
摘要：Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L Walp) is a crop with high potentials for sustainable agriculture and food security in sub- Saharan Africa. Cowpea is very sensitive to pests and chemical protection of the crop is financially profitable and sustainable. Farmers will adopt new co wpea technologies with substantial and sustainable economic benefits. This study compared economic and entrepreneurial benefits of pesticides treated farms to non-treated cowpea farms in Abuja, Nigeria. The research used primary data obtained through questionnaire by interview method. Multi -stage sampling technique was adopted. The stud y employed descriptive statistics to draw conclusion on the socio -economic profile of the farmers. Gross margin analysis established the economic effect of pesticides application on cowpea production. Also, ordinary least sq uares regression analysis was adopted to isolate the variables influencing cowpea output in the area. The study revealed that cowpea farmers with treated and non -treated farms are in their active age and had formal education. Family size (X 5 ) and hired labour X 6 dictates the output of co wpea treated farms at P < 0.01 respectively. Relative large families provide readily available labour for timely execution o f farming activities. Economic profitability in the production of co wpea is a function of the adoption of spray pesticides application. The gross margin of pesticides treated cowpea farm is 154,583.33 Naira per farmer per production season per hectare higher than that of non-treated farms with gross margin of 72,709.30 Naira. Cymbush application is the most used pesticides sprays for cowpea farms. Costs of pesticides and management of pesticides (integrated pest management) are among factors militating against pesticides usage in the area. The study concluded that cowpea production without pesticides is not economically profitable compares to that with pesticides application. Agricultural sustainability arises from shifts in the factors of agricultural production, from use of fertilizers to nitrogen -fixing legumes, from pesticides to emphasis on natural enemies, from ploughing to zero tillage. A necessary condition for sustainable agriculture is that large numbers of farming households must be motivated to use coordinated resource management. The success of sustainable agriculture therefore depends not just on skills and knowledge of individual farmers, but on actio n taken by groups or communities as whole. The study recommends that training and capacity building of cowpea farmers on use of pesticides (integrated pest management) is necessary. Costs of pesticides should be affordable.
关键词：Pesticides Treated and Non-Treated; Cowpea Farms; Economic and Entrepreneur; Nigeria
