Socioeconomic Burden of Malaria on Productivity of Rice Farmers in Rural Southwest, Nigeria

Malaria is one of the commonest tropical diseases plaguing the African continent and the rural areas of the continent in particular. This study was carried out to examine the effect of malaria on the productivity of rice farmers in Southwest Nigeria. The data for this study were obtained from one hundred and fifty (150) rice farmers in Ogun State and Ekiti State by purposive and simple random sampling techniques. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Tobit regression and stochastic frontier regression model. The result of the analysis showed that more males (84%) were involved in rice production and about 72% of the farmers were susceptible to malaria. Average days of incapacitation due to malaria in the study area was found to be 10 days and the result of the Tobit regression also revealed that age, gender, income and years of formal education were significant. However, the mean technical efficiency of the farmers was also found to be 75 percent, indicating that about 25% have the potential to improve their output further if there is improvement in the health status and production environment of the farmers. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n15p17