Drivers of Profit among Leafy Vegetable Farmers during Covid-19 Lockdown in Oyo State, Case Study of Egbeda Local Government Area

Abstract

The research focused on determinants of profits among leafy vegetable farmers during COVID-19 lockdown in Egbeda Local Government Area Oyo State. Multistage sampling techniques were employed to choose 120 leafy vegetable farmers. Structured questionnaire was designed to gather data and was analyze using with the aid of descriptive statistics, Gross Margin analysis and Ordinary Least Square regression. Results showed that the mean age of leafy vegetable farmers was 50.81 years which indicated that the leafy vegetable farmers’ area are relatively active and can participate in leafy vegetable production activities. Majority (83.3%) of the leafy vegetable farmers were married, most (87.6%) were educated with a mean farming experience of 19 years. The extent of profitability of the farmers involved in leafy vegetable production result indicated that the Gross Margin was N573,537. The drivers of profit among leafy vegetable farmers during COVID 19 lockdown in Egbeda L. G. were educational level (5%), farm size (1%), input cost (1%) and cooperative membership (1%). It is therefore, recommended that more effort should be put in place by policy makers and agricultural stakeholders inform of programs that will educate farmers on coping strategies during crisis period.