Determinants Of Crop Farm Size Amongst Rural Farmers in ideato North Local Government Area Of Imo State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

This study was designed to examine the determinants of crop farm size in Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo state: A total of 90 farmers from six villages in the Local Government Area were randomly selected. Data, which comprised information on the Socio-economic characteristics of farmers were collected using well-structured questionnaires and personal interviews. Objectives 1, 2 and 3 were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as percentage, frequency distribution tables and averages. Multiple regression techniques were used to analyze the determinants of crop farm size of the respondents. The result shows that 66.6% of farmers in study area acquired their land through inheritance the major soil practices adopted by farmers in the study area were mixed cropping, mound making and shifting cultivation. The price of acquiring land is high. Less than 25% of the farmers purchase land for agricultural production. Household size, labour fertilizer and farming experience positively influence crop farm size while farm income and age negatively influence crop farm size. Appropriate policies needed to increase farm size in rural areas were recommended.