Impact of Oil Spillage on Technical Efficiency of Cassava Farmers in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Food production and food security in Niger Delta Region (NDR) have been hampered by oil spillage leading to poor agricultural output with possible negative implications on welfare of farming households. A four-stage sampling procedure was used. The states of Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers were randomly selected from the four major oil-producing states in NDR. Nine Local Government Areas (LGAs): 2, 3, and 4, respectively, were selected from Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers based on the prevalence of oil spillage. A total of 45 communities were chosen in the LGAs comprising 10, 15 and 20 communities proportionately selected in size from Delta, Rivers and Bayelsa States, respectively. Age, household size, farm size, years of formal education and farming experience of cassava farmers in Oil pillage group were 55.8±6.4 years, 6.3±2.3 persons, 2.0±0.8 hectares, 12.5±5.2 and 9.0±3.8 years, respectively. The Non-Oil Spillage group had 49.8±6.0 years, 5.7±2.0 persons, 2.2±0.6 hectares, 13.5±4.9 and 10.5±6.8 years. Average technical efficiency achieved through the stochastic production frontier model of the OS group was 62.0%, while the NOS group was 77.0%, respectively. Technical efficiencies were significantly different between OS and NOS groups. Above a quarter (25.9%) of the OS farmers had higher TE rates above their means. Similarly, NOS farmers with higher TE above their average rates were 17.0%. Oil spillage reduced the technical efficiency of cassava farming households by 12.9%. Most of the farmers in NOS locations (92.0%) had higher welfare than those in OS locations (25.0%). Oil spillage reduced the technical efficiency in cassava farming including welfare of cassava farming households in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.