AN ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF THE YOBE RIVER IRRIGATION PROJECT IN NIGERIA

A study was conducted on the Yobe River Irrigation Project with the adoption of the benefit-cost analysis. The main objective of the study was to evaluate economically the performance of the project. The evaluation exercise was conducted on the basis of a with- and without-drought principle. Impact of the project was examined with the assumption of a no-drought situation and also with that of a drought-affected situation. In other words, the influence of the drought occurrence on the project's performance was evaluated. It was found that agricultural production in the project area was substantially higher than that of the neighboring non-irrigated farmland in both the drought and non-drought eras. However, irrigation alone has not been determined to be the sole cause of such increased production, as the Yobe irrigation project was accompanied with several extension programs (such as fertilizer programs, training of local farmers in the use of modern technology, etc.) implemented by the government. Thus, it can be said that irrigation, along with the necessary extension programs, accounted for the increased agricultural production. Some external (beneficial and adverse) effects also were found to have occurred in the project area. The project was found to be lacking in some basic facilities that could further aid in enhancing the production capability of the project's farmland. The missing facilities are in the nature of feeder roads, water reservoirs for use by local farmers in periods when the river system runs dry, and warehouse facilities for preservation of the farmers' crops before entering into the market. The provision of these basic facilities would serve to increase farmers' incentives, thus leading to further increase in agricultural production.