Abstract
This study evaluated factors influencing the allocative efficiency of the small-scale tomato (Lycopersicum species) production in Kaduna State, Nigeria: implications for food security and resource management. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 120 small-scale tomato farmers. The data from primary sources was collected with the help of a well-structured and well-designed questionnaire. This data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The result indicates that the mean age of the small-scale tomato resource farmers is 46 years old; the mean household size of the respondents is 7 persons, while the mean resource farm size is 1.17 ha. The minimum and the maximum allocative efficiency scores of the tomato farmers are 0.30 and 0.93 respectively. The results of the profitability analysis indicate that the tomato production is profitable with a gross margin and a net farm income of N550, 960 per ha and N497, 190 respectively. The gross margin and operating ratios are 0.69 and 0.28 respectively. The resource inputs and socio-economic factors influencing the allocative efficiency of tomato production are the following: age, farm size, household size, gender, marital status, level of education, access to extension services, and membership in a cooperative organization. The study recommends that farmers should be provided with the following resource inputs: improved seeds, chemicals, fertilizer inputs, credit facilities and extension services in order to reduce resource wastages, increase efficiency and productivity.
Keywords: allocative efficiency, small-scale tomato production, resource management, food security, Kaduna State, Nigeria