Abstract
Aim
The influence of the Nigeria Agricultural Insurance Corporation has not been felt much since its founding, and this is especially true in North-western Nigeria. As such the impact of the scheme on rice output in North Western Nigeria was investigated.
Methods
A multistage sampling procedure was employed in the study to select a sample of 120 respondents, consisting of 60 beneficiaries and 60 non-beneficiaries. Structured questionnaire was utilized to gather pertinent data regarding the socioeconomic attributes, capital sources of both NAIC scheme beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries, and the scheme's influence on beneficiaries within the study area. Descriptive statistics and propensity score matching were used in data analysis.
Results
The study revealed the mean age of 46 and 45 years for beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries respectively with 13 and 11 mean years of farming experience in rice production. More than 90% of rice farmers were married, and the average size of their households consisted of 11 and 13 members for the beneficiary and non-beneficiary respectively. The study revealed that 38.3 % of beneficiary purchased land for rice production while 61.6 % of non-beneficiary acquired their land by inheritance. Banks, farmers’ cooperative funds and personal savings were the major source of funds for both beneficiary and non-beneficiary rice farmers. The results of the study demonstrated that beneficiaries' production output is positively impacted by agricultural insurance.
Conclusion
Younger farmers ought to be urged to take part in the initiative. To draw in this audience, this scheme may use customized outreach and engagement techniques. Still, more needs to be done to educate rice farmers who are not yet enrolled in the program. Considering the favourable results noted for participants, increasing sensitization initiatives may aid in making more farmers aware of the advantages of signing up for the program.
Key words: impact, agricultural insurance, rice production, propensity score matching
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