THE RESILIENT STATUS OF CASSAVA FARMING HOUSEHOLD IN OVIA NORTH EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, EDO STATE, NIGERIA

Cassava production remains a major source of livelihood and food security for households in Nigeria. However, farmers in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State continue to experience socioeconomic, institutional, and environmental challenges that affect their productivity and capacity to cope with shocks. This study assessed the profitability of cassava farming in the area and examined the resilience level of farming households. Data were collected from 95 cassava farmers using a structured questionnaire and analyzed with descriptive statistics, gross margin analysis, a resilience index, and a multiple regression model. Cost and return analysis showed that cassava farming generated a total revenue of ₦231,074.80, with a gross margin of ₦222,003.04. Farmers spent ₦9,071.76 on variable inputs and ₦129,931.36 on fixed costs, resulting in a total production cost of ₦139,003.12 and a profit of ₦92,071.68. A return on investment of 1.66 indicates that farmers not only recovered their costs but also made a positive financial gain. Processing accounted for the highest proportion of variable costs, followed by expenditure on bags, planting materials, and fertilizer. Resilience analysis showed moderate resilience in access to loans/grants, extension services, and cooperative membership (0.50 each). Asset ownership and market access presented fairly good resilience scores (0.33), while coping mechanisms were weak (0.25). The composite resilience index of 0.403 placed the majority of households in the “fairly resilient” category, with 47.37% classified as resilient and 52.63% as non-resilient. Logistic regression revealed that annual income (p = 0.007) and household size (p = 0.014) significantly improved household resilience, while age and sex had no significant effect. The model explained 67.7% of the variation in resilience (Adjusted R² = 0.677). Major production challenges included poor road networks, high input costs, pest and disease infestations, unstable government policies, limited credit access, theft, and inadequate production resources. The study concludes that cassava farming is profitable but constrained by poor infrastructure and weak coping capacities. It recommends enhancing farmers' access to credit, improving rural road networks, strengthening extension service delivery, and providing subsidized inputs to boost resilience and profitability