Constraints to wheat production in Bakolori Irrigation Scheme Zamfara State, Nigeria

Sa’adu Abubakar Mafara

Department of Preliminary Studies, Abdu Gusau Polytechnic Talata Mafara, Zamfara State

*Corresponding author: saadumafara2014@gmail.com, doi.org/10.55639/607wqke


ABSTRACT

Due to numerous production constraints, the real yield of wheat under smallholder farmer conditions in Nigeria is poor. The current study aims to look into the constraints to wheat production in the Bakolori Irrigation Scheme. As a result, the study’s objectives were to describe the socioeconomic characteristics of wheat farmers as well as to identify the constraints to wheat production in the study area. Two stages of sampling were used in the study. Eight agricultural villages were randomly chosen for the first stage, followed by a random selection of 753 wheat respondent farmers in the second stage. The study’s data was gathered from primary sources via semi-structured interviews in the Bakura, Talata Mafara and Maradun Local Government Areas and evaluated using descriptive statistics. The findings found that the majority of respondents were males with little formal education and small land holdings. It also classified wheat production constraints as biotic, abiotic, and socioeconomic. With 73%, 75%, and 75% of responding farmers, respectively, the first major restrictions based on this categorization were birds, timely sowing, and timely availability of input. kurchiya (Dove: Coturnix ypsilophora,), and Hasbiya (Pigeon: Columba livia) were the most generally identified bird pest by respondents as the first to invade the crop after sowing, while Buwa (Quarrel birds: Galliformes. Quail), was the most commonly identified bird during the flowering and ripening stages. This study suggests that the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor Borrowing Program be used to make credit loans available at the appropriate times, and be maintained, since this will encourage farmers to actively participate in wheat production.

Keywords:

Abiotic constraints,
Bakolori Irrigation,
Biotic constraints,
Socio-economic
Wheat production