ABSTRACT
This study investigated the dimensions of urban farmers in Edo State including the constraints that characterize this farming system. It profiled the farmers’ socio-economic characteristics, examined the dimension/types of urban agricultural activities carried out and identified important constraints faced by the farmers. Data were collected from 124 urban farmers sampled from the three major towns in each of the three senatorial zones of the State. The data were analysed using frequency distribution, percentage and mean while Cochran Q and Friedman tests were used to test the hypotheses of the study. The findings revealed that most respondents were male (72.58%), married (81.45%) and fairly young (average age was 35 years), and a mean family size of seven. The major agricultural activities practiced by the respondents were vegetable production (49.19%), cultivation of food crops (45.16%) and rearing of poultry (43.55%). Cochran Q test (χ2 = 186.872; P<0.05) identified these three enterprises to be the most significant farming activities in the study area. The major constraints faced by the farmers were inadequate capital (mean=3.45), high production cost (mean=3.40), high cost of labour (mean=3.35), limited access to credit (mean=3.32) and inadequate land (mean=3.23). Friedman test (χ2=18.013; P<0.050) revealed inadequate capital, limited access to credit and high production cost to be the most significant production limitations faced by the farmers. In conclusion, the results showed that urban farmers are engaged in several agricultural activities. However, considering the production constraints encountered by them, it is recommended that farmers’ access to cheap credit be looked into to enhance their access to capital. |
