Comparative analysis of organic and inorganic vegetable farming systems in Ejigbo, Nigeria: socio- economic insights and profitability

This study compares organic and inorganic vegetable farming systems in Ejigbo Local Government Area, Osun State, Nigeria. It examines the socioeconomic characteristics of the farmers, assesses the perceived benefits and profitability of both farming systems. A two-stage sampling method was used to select 120 farmers (60 organic and 60 inorganic) from four vegetable farming communities. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentages, mean and standard deviation analyses were used. The findings show that organic farmers had a mean age of 39.38 years, with 78.33% male, and an average household size of 6. Their mean farm size was 5.32 plots, and their mean annual income was ₦79,383.30. Inorganic farmers had a mean age of 43.58 years, with 88.33% male, a mean farm size of 5.68 plots, and an annual income of ₦78,650.00. All (100%) the respondents The benefit of inorganic farming is that it often helps maintain soil moisture content (100%), while the benefit of organic farming is in its often ability to increase long-term soil fertility and not leading to development of pest resistant varieties (100%), respectively. Profitability analysis reveals that organic dry vegetable production yielded higher profits (₦105,958.30), whereas inorganic wet vegetable farming was more profitable (₦107,068.30). It is recommended that farmers use organic fertilizers during the dry season and inorganic fertilizers during the wet season to maximize profits.