FACTORS DETERMINING TRACTOR USE AMONG ARABLE CROP FARMERS OF THE OSUN STATE GOVERNMENT TRACTOR HIRING SCHEME, NIGERIA

The inability of Osun state government to sustain the various past mechanisation programmes and birth of a new tractor hire scheme alludes to poor policy implementation. This study examines the present tractor hire policy in the state. A multi-stage random sampling was used to select 266 arable crop farmers in the study area, while questionnaire and personal interviews were used to obtain information from them as well as from other stakeholders. Result from the logit regression reveals that farmers’ household size (P < 0.05), membership of ruling party (P < 0.10), land area cultivated (P < 0.01), crop output (P < 0.05) and extension contact (P < 0.05) were important determinants of tractor use and they increase the probability of tractor use by arable crop farmers in the state. Conversely, years of formal education (P < 0.05) and farm equipment (P < 0.05) were also important determinants of tractor use , but reduced the probability of tractor use . The study recommends that, tractor hire operators should de-emphasize political consideration as condition for access to tractor use while farmers need to increase their present farm sizes to justify tractor use