AGRICULTURE

This study examined the Resource Use Efficiency Among Small Scale Maize Farmers in Ovia North East Local Government Area. The specific objectives were to describe the socioeconomic characteristics ofthe farmers, estimate the cost and returns ofmaize production,estimate resource use efficiency of maize farmers and identify the constraints to increased production in the study area. Multistage sampling techniques were used to select 100 respondents and they were interviewed using a well structured and designed questionnaire.Data analysis was carried out with the use of descriptive statistics like frequency count, mean and percentage. Cobb Douglas stochastic frontier approach and marginal value product approach were used also.
The findings revealed that the study area had both active male(54%) and female(46%) farmers,majority also were married(68%), experienced and smallholder farmers with mostly secondary school level of education(68%). Most of the respondents fell within a household size of 6-9.From the findings also, resources like farm size(1.24), labour (2.18)and quantity of herbicides(1.09) were found to be underutilized which indicated that they should be reduced to optimum level for output increase and revenue respectively. There is need for adjustment in resource use in order to improve farm profit for maize farmers in the study area.
Based on the findings, the study concluded that maize production is a profitable enterprise with a net profit of N932,775.50 and has potentials of alleviating poverty, provision of employment and revenue for the residents and farmers ofthe study area. It was recommended that government and non governmental agencies should provide extension and supportive services, could be granting of funds to the maize farmers to aid in their production of attaining more profit and expanding their establishment.

The saturated hydraulic conductivity in this work was determined using its relationship with
other soil parameters. A soil survey process was used to determine the Ksat of two mapping
unit found in the site. Each mapping unit was represented with a pedon from which soils were
collected using a soil auger and core sampler. Ksat was determined in the laboratory using the
constant head method, the primary objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship
between saturated hydraulic conductivity and other soil routine properties of soils found at
the AGR 305 Farm to see if a prediction equation could be derived and used in the
determination of saturated hydraulic conductivity in soils with similar properties. The result showed that the study site in mapping unit 1 and mapping unit 2 have parameters
that correlated differently. In mapping unit 1, it was observed that phosphorus (0.736), CEC
(0.879), Base saturation (0.831), clay(0.726) correlated positively while sand (-0.766), aggregate stability (-0.614) correlated negatively and was used to determine the saturated
hydraulic conductivity of that mapping unit. But in mapping unit 2, ph (-0.858), organic
carbon (-0.884), organic matter (-0.770), total nitrogen (-0.771) correlated negatively while
bulk density (0.851) correlated positively and was used to determine the saturated hydraulic
conductivity for that soil type.