PRODUCTIVITY AND ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE DIFFERENTIALS AMONG ORGANIC, INORGANIC, AND INTEGRATED MAIZE FARMING SYSTEMS IN ENUGU STATE, NIGERIA

This study analyzed the economic performance and productivity differentials among organic, inorganic, and integrated maize farming systems in Enugu State, Nigeria. Primary data were collected from 360 maize farmers using a multi-stage sampling technique. Analytical tools included Total Factor Productivity, farm budgeting, Return on Investment (ROI), Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR), Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and Multinomial Logit model. Results show that inorganic farming recorded the highest mean productivity (3.9), followed by integrated (3.4) and organic system (2.4). However, integrated farming achieved the highest economic performance with net farm income of ₦204,700/ha, compared to ₦149,200/ha for inorganic and ₦139,500/ha for organic systems. Profitability indicators show that integrated farming had the highest BCR (2.32) and ROI (1.32), followed by organic (BCR = 2.16; ROI = 1.16), while inorganic farming had the lowest ROI (0.76) despite relatively high revenue. ANOVA results indicate a significant difference in mean net farm income across the systems. Tukey HSD test further confirms that integrated farming is significantly more profitable than both organic and inorganic systems. The multinomial logit results show that education, farm size, extension contact, and access to credit significantly influence farmers’ choice of farming system. The study concludes that integrated maize farming offers the best combination of productivity and profitability, making it the most economically viable and sustainable system for smallholder farmers in the study area. The study therefore recommends that farmers in Enugu State should adopt integrated maize farming systems to maximize both productivity and profitability