FACTORS DETERMINING THE PRACTICE OF CROP LIVESTOCK INTEGRATION IN THE DERIVED SAVANNA AND RAIN FOREST ZONES OF NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the pattern and nature of crop-livestock integration in the derived savanna and the rain forest of Nigeria against the backdrop of the widespread use of high external input in Nigerian agriculture in the 1980s. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 120 farmers, who were interviewed in November 1999. The  data was analyzed through descriptive statistical tools such as percentages, averages, ranking and charts. Four null hypotheses were also tested using the Chi square coefficient. The results corroborates the findings of previous studies that the farmers in the region are elderly married males with no formal education, but holding membership in local organizations. It also established that above half of the farmers in the derived savanna are involved in full integration whereas only 15percent of those in the rainforest zone are. This was attributed to the favourable environmental conditions of the derived savanna. Furthermore, the study found significant relationships between the type of crop-livestock integration practiced and the method of land acquisition (χ² _{cal =} 29. 96). The study then concluded that the mode of land acquisition is a critical factor in determining the use to which it can be put. It then recommends that government policy on land should be reviewed to accommodate easy access and secure tenure for farmers and that more enlightenment about the practice be provided through the extension services, especially in the rain forest zone. 

Keywords: Crop-livestock integration, derived savanna, rainforest, Nigeria.