Role Of Animal Traction Technology On Profitability And Income Of Small Scale Farmers In Kebbi State, Nigeria

The study examined the role of animal traction technology on profitability and income of small scale farmers in Kebbi State, Nigeria. Primary data were collected through the use of pre tested questionnaires in 2017. A multistage sampling procedure was used to collect data from two categories of respondents that is ATT Users and Non-users. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Net Farm Income Analysis and Gini Co-efficient. The result showed that bull (100 %), camel (60.26 %) and donkey (32.05 %) are the various types of animals used as draught animals in the study area. The result further reveals that ploughing (100 %), ridging (98.72 %), tillage (97.44 %), weeding (88.46 %), transportation (65.38 %) and fetching of water (12.82 %) are the activities performed using draught animals. The result further reveals that farmers who are ATT users outperformed farmers who are non ATT users when using Net Farm Income analysis. Farmers who are ATT users achieved a Net Farm Income of N436,885.36 and non-users achieved about N150,365.38 which shows a significant difference of about N286,519.98. This suggests that ATT users achieved more profit than non-users. Furthermore the result also showed that for ATT users there was less income inequality having a Gini coefficient value of 0.4592 while for non-users there is wider income inequality with a Gini coefficient value of 0.7284. This suggests that ATT usage enhances the profitability and income of the farmers. It is recommended that farmers should key into the use of Animal Traction Technology as it increases income and profit of the users at a low cost in the absence of machines such as Tractors. Also farmers should be supported with incentives in kind with draught animals as credit at low interest rate.