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This study assessed possible differences in access to loans across gender lines and determined the factors influencing their repayment capacities among arable crop farmers in Rivers State. A stratified random sampling technique was employed to select 120 farmers who supplied data via a set of structured questionnaire and interview schedule. Tobit model was used to analyze the data gathered from the field. It was noted that mean repayment rate of loans in the area was relatively low (59%). [EA1] The study found that gender was not a major determinant of loan default; rather, four variables to watch when disbursing loan to crop farmers in the area should include poverty status of the borrowers, sales volume of the farmers’ products, extent of diversification of the farms and farm households’ sizes. These four variables had slope coefficients that conformed to theoretical expectations and were statistically significant at 1% level. It was recommended that donors, commercial banks and credit institutions should aim at empowering farmers with loans (especially those who are well diversified to minimize risks of loan default). Government should encourage farmers to diversify their enterprises and improve their technologies to increase their sales and profit levels through a well-articulated agricultural extension programme. Key words: Gender, poverty, farm credit, arable crop farming, loan default, credit rationing, Tobit model.

This study was designed to determine the factors that influence fisher farmers to participate in the marketing of their produce in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. A total of 120 fish farmers were randomly selected for the study. The data gathered through the use of a structured questionnaire were analyzed using the logistic regression model. The probability of participating in fish marketing was significantly determined by household size, distant to the nearest marketing channel, price of the commodity and sex of the fish farmer/marketer. Market infrastructure development, provision of marketing incentives to women and development of an institutionalized marketing information service are recommended., Consilience, No 9 (2013): Issue Nine: 2013

This study investigated the extent to which climate variability (proxied by rainfall variability) and macroeconomic policies influenced food crop output in Nigeria. It used time series data obtained from Central Bank of Nigeria and National Bureau of Statistics (1978-2009). Four functional forms of OLS models were tried. The Cobb-Douglas function was finally adopted based on standard econometric model selection criteria and diagnosis. Chow test was used to test the hypotheses of the study. It was found that rainfall variability influenced crop output negatively. Climatic factor, loans guaranteed by Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund and lending rate were all statistically significant drivers of crop output in the economy at p

This study analyzed the trends and pattern of institutional credit supply to agriculture during pre- and post-financial reforms along with their determinants. It then compared the effects of reform policies on access to institutional credits in Nigerian agricultural sector before and after the reforms (1978 - 1985; and 1986 -2009). Relying mainly on time series data from CBN and NBS, it used ordinary least squares method (linear, semi-log and double log) to model the determinants of banking sector lending to the agricultural sector during the review period. The models were subjected to several econometric tests before accepting one. Chow test was used to verify the presence of structural change in the selected equation before and after the reforms. Results indicated an exponentially increasing trend of agricultural credit supply in the economy after the reform began. Econometric analysis shows that stock market capitalization, interest rate and immediate past volume of credit guaranteed by ACGSF significantly influenced the quantity of institutional credit supplied to the agricultural sector over the period in review. There was a significant difference between the credit supply function during the pre-reform and post reform periods. It was recommended that government must consider interest rate regulation as a veritable tool for making credit accessible to farmers at affordable levels; increase fund allocation to ACGSF; boost monitoring capacity of CBN on banks generally and strengthen the microfinance banks to be more responsive to agricultural credit needs.