Urban Farmers’ Willingness to Pay and Utilize Urban Waste for Agriculture in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Ubokudom E. Okon^1, , Kesit K. Nkeme¹, Ubon A. Essien², Ekemini U. Solomon³ and Ubong U. Solomon⁴

¹Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Akwa Ibom State University, Obio Akpa Campus, P. M. B. 1167, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

²Department of Agricultural Economics, School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria

³Robert W. Plaster Graduate School of Business, Williamsburg, KY 40769, USA

⁴Belthyne Global Consulting Group, Charlotte, NC 28202, USA

Cite this paper:
Ubokudom E. Okon, Kesit K. Nkeme, Ubon A. Essien, Ekemini U. Solomon and Ubong U. Solomon. Urban Farmers’ Willingness to Pay and Utilize Urban Waste for Agriculture in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. American Journal of Environmental Protection. 2018; 6(2):50-53. doi: 10.12691/env-6-2-4

Abstract

Recycling of urban waste for use in agriculture can satisfy the household demand for food, reduce poverty, food insecurity and improve employment opportunities. This study investigated the factors influencing the willingness to pay for urban waste recycling for agriculture by urban farm households in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The survey used cross-sectional data which was obtained from ninety (90) urban farm households that were randomly selected from three major cities in Akwa Ibom State and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Tobit regression. The result showed that the average age of the respondents was 50 years, the mean educational level and years of farming experience were ten (10) and nine (9) years, respectively. Also, the mean monthly expenditure, farm size, and household size were ₦ 59,010, 0.8ha and about 8 persons, respectively. In addition, socio-economic factors such as educational status, monthly expenditure, land acquisition method and household size positively and significantly influenced households’ willingness to pay for urban waste recycling. Conversely, age had a negative and statistically significant influence on households’ willingness to pay for recycling and use of urban waste for agriculture. Policies aimed at upgrading educational level of the urban farm household, promoting land ownership, encouraging youth farmers and creating income-generating programs in the area are recommended.

Keywords:
agriculture urban waste recycling willingness to pay organic farming

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