Socio-Economic Analysis of Pumpkin (cucurbita Spp.) Production by Small Scale Farmers in Lafia Lga of Nasarawa State, Nigeria

The study analyzed the socio-economic characteristics of pumpkin(cucubita spp) ugu production by small scale farmers in Lafia LGA of Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Data were collected with the aid of a structured questionnaire. A two- stage sampling technique was employed in selecting 82 respondents for this study. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of the study revealed that majority (57.3%), fall within the age range of 31 to 40 years, with an average age of 35 years. Most (51.2%) were female with majority (74.4%) of the respondents being married. Overall, 87.8% of the respondents had attained one form of education or the other, and 43.9% of the respondents have between 6-10 years of farming experience. Majority (63.4%) cultivated less than one hectare of land, and their major occupation was farming indicated by 64.6%. Most (62.2%) of the respondents had no access to loans, and most (64.6%) had no extension visits. Over two-thirds (67.1%) of the respondents have experienced substantial economic benefits from pumpkin farming. The mean score of 3.4 reflects the multiple contributions of pumpkin farming to household welfare, extending beyond direct income to fulfilling critical social needs, such as food security and education. Most (54.9%) of the respondents employ 1-2 people on their farms. The total variable costs (TVC) was ₦13,650, total revenue (TR) was ₦100,000 and the gross margin (GM) was ₦86,350 with a return per naira invested at ₦7.33. The R-square value was 0.757 implies that approximately 75.7% of the variation in pumpkin output can be explained by the independent variables included in the model. Among the variables, the level of education stands (t=14.507), the quantity of fertilizer used (t=3.064) and the quantity of herbicides used (t=3.162) were found to positively related with pumpkin production, and they were observed to be significant at 1% level of significance. The highest constraint was inadequate finance (mean = 2.84), poor storage and processing facilities (mean = 2.62), Pests and diseases, (mean = 2.43), poor extension services, and high input costs, were also noted as serious constraints, with mean values of 2.21, and 2.10 respectively.