Effects of Farm Labour Sourcing on Cassava Production in Ethiope-East Local Government Area, Delta State Nigeria

Sourcing for farm labour, its availability and affordability are critical to efficient farm operations in Nigeria. Therefore, the study analyzed farm labour sourcing and its effects on cassava production in Ethiope East LGA, Delta State, Nigeria. Socio-economic characteristics of the farmers, labour types and strategies adopted in sourcing for farm labour were determined, also effects of farm labor sourcing on cassava production was estimated. Simple random sampling technique was used in the collection of data from 84 cassava producers in four communities. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression models. The results indicated that majority of the farmers were females, constituting 69% of the sample population with mean age of 54 years. Competitive wages and farm crop sharing were used to attract and retain labor. Self and hired labour accounted for 44% of source of labour. The result of the double log model was adopted as the lead equation because of the highest R- squared of 0.617 which implied that 61.7% of the variation in cassava production was explained by the explanatory variables used in the model. Farm size and quantity of cassava cuttings used were statistically significant at 5% and 1% levels respectively. Challenges identified in labor sourcing among others include; rural-urban migration, poor wages, youth disinterest in farming, limited access to credit loans, high labor costs. It was recommended that farm wage rate should be increased in order to attract farm labour in the area.