Optimizing Crop Production in Balanga Local Government Area of Gombe State through Linear Programming and Sensitivity Analysis

Abstract

Despite Nigeria's growing population and increasing involvement in agriculture, the sector’s contribution to GDP has declined. Efforts from various stakeholders aim to enhance productivity, but optimization techniques like linear programming, known to improve farm planning and resource use, are not widely employed by farmers. This study focuses on Balanga Local Government Area (LGA) in Gombe State, a region known for cereal and leguminous crop production, to develop an optimal land use and crop allocation strategy. Using survey and exploratory research designs, the study analyzed data through descriptive and inferential statistics, with Excel Solver and SPSS employed for computations. Findings reveal that most farmers (53%) are aged 31-50, with 88% relying on personal savings to finance their farming, though 68% receive external assistance in fertilizers. Hypothesis testing indicated that these farmers are not achieving optimal production, as there is a significant difference between their current outputs and those achievable through optimization. The optimal crop mix identified was an 8:2 ratio of beans to guinea corn (315 mudus of beans to 81 mudus of guinea corn), which could increase farmers' profits by 264%. The study recommends that government bodies and stakeholders provide more financial support and resources to help farmers in Balanga LGA adopt this optimal strategy. Farmers are advised to focus on growing beans and guinea corn in the recommended ratio for commercial purposes, while limiting the cultivation of other crops for personal use.