Abstract

Many developing countries face major challenges to achieve food security in a sustainable manner, considering the increasing population, limited availability of land and water resources. Thus, the study centered on analysis of profitability of small-scale dry season vegetable production under fadama in Sudan savannah ecological zone of Sokoto State, Nigeria. A three-stage sampling technique was employed to collect data from one hundred and sixty respondents distributed in eighteen villages in the study area. Descriptive statistics and farm budgeting were employed to analyze the data for the study. The study revealed that vegetable farmers obtained an average gross margin and net farm income of N190, 024.36/ha and N173, 465.58/ha, respectively. While the return to owner’s labor and management is N84, 951.88, the rate of returns to investment is 97.20%. This indicates that small-scale dry season vegetable production under fadama in the area is profitable. From the viewpoint of this study, certain crops and crop mixture are more rewarding. It is therefore recommended that quite a substantial proportion of land should be devoted to the cultivation of these crops.

Key words: Profitability, constraints, dry season vegetable farming, Sudan savannah, fadama