ECONOMICS AND TECHNOLOGICAL GAP RATIOS OF AGROFORESTRY PRODUCTION IN RURAL AREAS OF KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA: IMPLICATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
This study evaluated the economics and technological gap ratios (TGRs) of
agroforestry production in rural areas of Kaduna State, Nigeria: Implication for
environmental resource management. A multi-stage sampling technique was
used. A total sample size of 120 respondents comprising of 62 (51.67%) male
agroforestry farmers and 58 (48.33%) female agroforestry farmers were selected.
Primary data were collected with the aid of a well-structured and a well-designed questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the following tools: descriptive statistics,
stochastic production efficiency frontier model, stochastic meta-efficiency
frontier model, and principal component model. The farm size, labour input,
chemical input, fertilizer input, and agroforestry tree density contributes
positively to output of male, female agroforestry farmers as well as pooled data
respectively. The average agroforestry farmers achieve 83.1% (male), 64.7%
(female) and 72.8% (pooled) of their frontier output given their present
technologies. In other words, agroforestry farms are losing 16.9%, 35.3% and
27.2% of their maximum potentials output to inefficiencies. The mean technical
efficiency relative to meta-frontier was estimated to be 74%, 47% and 59% for
the male, female agroforestry farmers and the pooled data respectively. Based on
the estimated technological gap ratios (TGRs) of 90%, 73% and 82% for the male,
female agroforestry farmers and the pooled data respectively, the average male
and female agroforestry farmers and the pooled data could be more technically
efficient by increasing their output and closing the gaps of 10%, 27% and 18%
respectively. The study recommended that farmers should be educated on the
benefits of agroforestry production technologies.