Factors Influencing Cashew Farmers’ Output in Ejigbo Local Government Area, Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract

The factors influencing the cashew farmers' output in Ejigbo Local Government Area, Osun State, Nigeria were examined in this study. A sample of 120 cashew farmers was selected from communities in the local government area using a multistage sampling procedure. Primary data were collected from respondents using a structured interview schedule. Data were analysed using descriptive (means, frequency, and percentages), and inferential (regression analysis) statistics. Results reveal that the cashew farmers were aged, with a mean age of 60.00 years; male (86.67%); married (77.50%) with a mean household size of 7 persons per household with a mean of 4.02 years of formal education. The mean cashew farm size, years of cashew farming experience, and cashew output were 4.43 hectares, 23.63 years, and 63.47 tonnes per year respectively. Farm size and cashew farming experience influenced cashew output positively. Constraints to cashew production are the unavailability of farm inputs, low prices of cashew nuts, and poor infrastructural facilities.