The Rice Productivity And Its Contribution To Farmer's Household Income

The Republic of Guinea is one of the West African countries with enormous agricultural potential;she has an estimated 6.2 million hectares of land,of which 1.6 million hectares are cultivable.Rice is amongst the most important cash crops in the agricultural sector and contributes 77%of the cereal crops production in the country.Thus,key questions should be asked so that we can accurately define the feasibility of rice crop,on which over 80%of the farmers in Guinea depend annually:How has been the level of rice productivity in the last 20 years?How do rice farmers manage the rice produced post-harvest?To whom and through what market channels has the rice produced been selling?To whom and through what market channels has the rice produced been selling?How does rice productivity contribute to the improvement of household income,household health care and education of the children?How has the income contributed to the living condition of farmers?Are there existing constraints and challenges in the current value chain?What are the main roles and functions of rice actors in the value chain?The aim of this study was to examine the rice productivity and its contribution to household income in the prefecture of Faranah,Republic of Guinea.This was achieved by:assessing the rice productivity by producers and land categories used in the study area,examining the influence of gender in rice productivity,assessing the rice products processing and its market value chain and finally identifying stakeholder's constraints and challenges related to rice productivity in this region.For a sample size of 8 rural communes(Bagna,Beindou,Heremakono,Nialia,Passayah,Sandenia,Songoyah and Tiro)and Faranah center,we used quantitative and qualitative methods through questionnaire and interviews of key informants(agriculture officials and farmers).We surveyed 270 farmers(including 138 women,40 processors including 25 buyer-steamers and 15 sheller or machine owners),and 30 key informants from government and private agencies and Non-governmental organizations(NGOs)resulting in a total of 340 respondents.On the sampling techniques,the study employed simple random sampling for all the selected respondents.Data were collected by taking into account the status of producers in each area:small(0-2.5 ha),medium(2.6-5.5 ha)and large producers(>5.5 ha).340 correspondents were interviewed including(270 producers,40 processors and 30 from government,private and NGO agencies).Regression model and gross return analysis were used for 12 variables(gender,education level,Ecosystem 1(1 =plain,0= other);Ecosystem 2(1=hillside,0-other);Producer scale 1(1= medium,0=other);producer scale 2(1=large,0=other);,farming experience,household size,fertilizer,pesticide,training and labor cost,.More specifically,our study was based on four parameters which are:production by producer scale and ecosystems,gender equity,rice technology and market values chain and finally the stakeholder's perception on rice production constraints and challenges.The study showed that,the selected means factors such as the farming experience and labor cost were significant at 5%and 1%level respectively while producer scale,Ecosystem and fertilizer pesticide were significant at 10%level.Education,gender and training were not significant.In the production zones,the level of education was fable because the producers are illiterate mostly but can rely on their own experience.The genre as such does not indicate much,remains in the production chain through the male and female,while the producers are hesitant to use the pesticide extensively.The training has very low frequencies on the assembly of the zone because do not exceed 3 days per year and by zone of production.The gross return analysis shows that incomes of each producer categories were between(4639-10553 US$/ha),(2781-14866 US$)and(8903.77-15570 US$/ha)for small,medium and large producers,respectively.In the land categories,The gross return analysis shows that net incomes of each land types are 3773 to 8993 US$/ha in the lowland areas compared to the plains(3892 to 11348 US$/ha)and the hillsides with(3863 to 9708 US$/ha)respectively..The net income for men and women were(137,498US$)and(109,843 US$),respectively.These results showed that comparatively between men and women,the benefit cost ratio still high with 3 to 2.75 as respective average.Rice market values between processors were dominated by the buyer-steamers with US $ 3787.09 than huskers or machine owners for US$ 2487.16 per annum.The main weaknesses reported at the productivity level included:low arable land development,excessive land poverty,traditional land management,inadequate agricultural equipment,tense relationship between farmers and herders,low use of inputs,unreliable difficult access to certain production areas,low agricultural credit system,rice market inaccessible,scarcity of local and external labor.