MECHANIZATION AND AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY EVOLUTION, AGRICULTURAL INTENSIFICATION IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: TYPOLOGY OF AGRICULTURAL MECHANIZATION IN NIGERIA

Mechanization policy for many SSA (Sub-Saharan African) countries such as Nigeria is studied. Various typologies of agricultural or rural households have been studied using cluster analysis method. Hierarchical partitions with k-means partitions were studied because by combining two partition methods, clustering accuracy can be significantly improved. The Living Standard Measurement Survey-Integrated Survey on Agriculture (LSMS) 2010 data, supplemented with secondary data was implemented. Tractor use in the North seems to be increasing, albeit slowly, across various farm household types; while in the South, it is highly concentrated among largescale rice producers. When mechanized land preparation becomes even cheaper at μ=100, which is closer to the current service, the farmer concentrates on relatively more profitable yam production by increasing cultivated area from 0.59 to 0.98 ha, while reducing the area cultivated for less profitable crops from 0.88.