ABSTRACT
Economic study of the use of organic manure in yellow pepper production in Nsukka
Local Government Area of Enugu State was carried out. The study was aimed at;
describing the socio economic characteristics of yellow pepper farmers, identifying
factors that motivate the use of organic manure by yellow pepper farmers,
determining the yellow pepper farmers’ willingness to pay for processed
biodegradable waste, determining and comparing the costs and returns from organic
manure use only and users of both organic manure and mineral fertilizer. Nsukka
Local Government was purposively selected for the study because of their high level
of involvement in the production of the crop from nursery to maturity. A multi stage
random sampling technique was used in the selection of the town communities.
Primary data were generated through the use of structured questionnaire. Descriptive
statistics, probit model Gross margin analysis and student t-test were employed in data
analysis.

The study showed that all yellow pepper farmers studied maintained their
soil either by the use of organic manure only or use of organic manure supplemented
with inorganic manure. 79% of the farmers maintained their soil through the use of
organic manure sourced from poultry droppings. It was also observed that income, age
and educational level of farmers were very important determinants of willingness to
use and willingness to pay for organic manure. These parameters were consistent in
sign in both ‘willingness to use’ and ‘willingness to pay’ models. A significant
difference (-0.374 at 1%) between the net profits made by the two groups of farmers
under study revealed the need to diversify organic manure source through waste
recycling for prompt supply of organic manure at affordable price.