Effect of Labour Scarcity on Rice Production and Yieldin Guma Local Government Area of Benue State
Esther Seember Pinga *
Department of Sociology, Benue State University, Benue State, Makurdi, Nigeria.
David Gomez
Department of Agriculture, Office of the Director, Cape St. Mary’s Bakau, the Gambia.
Lamin K. M. Fatty
School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of The Gambia, Faraba Campus, P.O. Box-3530, Banjul, the Gambia.
Juliet Ogadinma Onyemma
National Root Crops Research Institute Umadike, Umahia, Abia State, Nigeria
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The study assesses the effects of labour scarcity on rice production and yield in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State. Survey research design was adopted; with a population of 5125 registered smallholder rice farmers, out of which 371 respondents were sampled using the multi-stage sampling strategy. The questionnaire was then used to collect data from the sample. Data collected was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPPS 20.0) from which simple frequencies and percentages were presented in tables and graphs to answer the research questions. Findings indicated that scarcity of labour for rice production is caused by Farmers/Herdsmen clashes, migration due to improved education; preference for other rural jobs, drudgery of farm activities as well as lack of basic social amenities in the rural areas. The findings also revealed that labour scarcity affects rice production and yield adversely in the study area as it leads to poor rice yields, smaller sizes of rice farms, poor income, preference for other crops as well increased poverty levels.
Keywords: Effects, labour scarcity, rice production, yield, Benue State