Analysis of Challenges Confronting Maize (Zea mays) Yield in Awka South Local Government Area, Anambra State, Nigeria
1Okonkwo-Emegha Kate.,2Ewuzie Peace and 3Chuks-Okonta Victor Azuka
1Department of Agricultural Economics & Extension, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Nigeria 2Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nigeria
3Department of Agricultural Economics, Dennis Osadebay University Asaba Delta State, Nigeria
Email: k.okonkwo-emegha@unizik.edu.ng.Tel.: 08035922432
ABSTRACT
The study is on analysis of challenges confronting maize yield in Awka South Local Government Area, Anambra State, and focused on the factors influencing the profit of maize production and the constraints faced by maize producers. The study employed various analytical techniques, including inferential statistics and a 4-Likert-type scale. The results revealed the factors affecting production as age, education, farm size, cooperative membership, and access to credit. Challenges faced by maize producers were assessed using a Likert-type scale, with a mean threshold of 2.5. The grand mean of 2.57 indicated that identified constraints were perceived as significant challenges, with a standard deviation of 0.959 signifying variability in responses. Key challenges included inadequate capital, high fertilizer costs, insufficient land space, unorganized marketing, scarcity of water, and inadequate storage facilities. Given the strong agreement on the constraint of inadequate capital (mean score of 3.03), interventions such as subsidized credit facilities, financial literacy programs, and collaborative initiatives with financial institutions could enhance the financial capacity of plantain producers, fostering sustainable and resilient plantain production systems.
Keywords: Analysis, Challenges, Confronting, Maize, Yield
CITE AS: Okonkwo-Emegha Kate.,Ewuzie Peace and Chuks-Okonta Victor Azuka (2025). Analysis of Challenges Confronting Maize (Zea mays) Yield in Awka South Local Government Area, Anambra State, Nigeria. NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL AND APPLIED SCIENCES,6(2):60-65. https://doi.org/10.59298/NIJBAS/2025/6.2.606500