Impacts of Scattered Farm Plots on Rubber Production in Edo and Delta States, Nigeria

Background and Objectives: There are contradictory viewpoints of impacts of scattered farm plots on agricultural productivity. On one hand, there are viewpoints which consider scattered farm plots to harm agricultural productivity. On the other hand, there are counter viewpoints which view scattered farm plots as positive situation, which allows farmers to cultivate many environmental zones, minimize production risk and optimize the schedule for cropping activities. Present study examined the causes and effects of scattered rubber farm plots on rubber productivity in Edo and Delta states of Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This study used data collected from 120 randomly selected rubber smallholders in Edo and Delta states of Nigeria. The data collected were analyzed using ordinary least square regression procedure and descriptive statistics. Results: The results revealed that risk factors such as fire outbreak, flooding and other climatic factors by rubber small holders were the main reason for cultivating more than one farm plots. In addition, population pressure was another cause of scattered farm plots. The results also indicated that the average farm size was 6 ha while the incidence of scattered farm plots was found not to be inefficient as widely assumed. This then implied that land fragmentation should not always be considered as defective. Conclusion: It was concluded that scattered farm plots was not as inefficient as widely assumed. Therefore, policy makers should not over look the advantages of land fragmentation from the farmers perspective and they should focus on whether consolidation programs lead to significant productivity that makes farmers better off or not, before issuance of policy on consolidation.