Analysis of Compliance with Recommended Production Practices on Productivity: A Case Study of Cassava Farmers in Lagos, Nigeria

Nigeria remains the highest producer of cassava in the world; however, productivity is very low because cassava farmers rely heavily on old production practices. Recommended production practices have thus been recognized as a new strategy to ensure increased productivity; however, these practices must be fully complied with if increased productivity is to be achieved. It is however unknown if cassava farmers comply with these practices and if compliance influence their productivity. A multistage sampling procedure were used to collect data from 194 cassava farmers between August, 2023 and September, 2023. The data collected were presented in percentage, mean and standard deviation, and analysed using total factor productivity and multiple regression model. The result revealed that all the cassava farmers complied with the recommended production practices, though their rate of compliance varied. There were significant differences in the productivity of those who fully complied and those who partially complied with the recommended production practices. Intercropping cassava with maize or cowpea, use of plant population density of 10,000 plants per hectare and spacing at 0.9m0.9m or 1m1m positively and significantly influenced cassava farmers’ productivity. The study therefore concluded that compliance with recommended production practices boosted cassava farmers’ productivity.