Risk assessment and management strategies of post-harvest operations in tomatoes production in Niger state, Nigeria

Abstract

The study assessed the risk assessment and management strategies of post-harvest operations in tomatoes production in Niger state, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 119 registered vegetable farmers and data collected through a semi-structured questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics (such as frequency count, percentages, mean) and Probit regression model. The results obtained shows that farmers in the study area were mostly males (54.6%) and formally educated (78.2%) with an average age of 34years. Also, majority of the farmers had perception for climatic variability, lack of storage facility and high cost of farm machineries for post-harvest management are recorded with high level of risk associated with post-harvest operation among the farmers in the study area. The results shows that use of modern method of processing (68.1%), processing into tomato paste (78.2), accessing agricultural loans (75.6%), storage in ventilated pit (70.6%) and use of modern storage facility (56.3%) were the top five post-harvest management strategies adopted by the tomato farmers in the study area. However, storage in barns (X ̅=4.29), storage in cold room (X ̅=3.99), storage in open dry shelf room (X ̅=3.77), storage in ventilated pit (X ̅=3.65) and insurance (X ̅=3.61) were top five most effective management strategies adopted by the tomato farmers against post-harvest losses in the study area. The result on Probit regression model shows that the (Prob chi2=0.0002) was statistically significant at 1% level of probability. From the model, the determinant of management strategies adopted by farmers against post-harvest operation was significantly influenced by socioeconomic factors like level of education, marital status, access to extension service, complexibility, and relative advantage were the factors influencing post-harvest management strategies adopted by the farmers. Thus, the result concludes that climatic variability and lack of storage facility were the most prominent sources of risk associated with tomato post-harvest management. Hence, it was recommended that policy interventions on improving farmers’ awareness about post-harvest technologies should be made in order to enhance their adaptive capacity in reducing the adverse impacts of post-harvest loses.