Analysis of the effect of non-formal credit sources in enhancing the income of small scale rubber farmers in Edo State, Nigeria

The effect of non-formal credit sources in enhancing the income of  small-scale rubber farmers in Edo State were studied by purposive selection of ninety respondents drawn from rubber growing local government areas of Edo state. Data collected were analyzed using the production function to examine the influence of some variables on the income of respondents. Empirical result showed that 65% of variations in income of respondents were explained by age, farm size, access to credit, level of education and leadership role. The analysis indicated farm size (X2) was positive and significantly related to income of the farmers while access to credit (X3) and leadership role (X5) were significant and inversely related to income of the rubber farmers. The study recommends that rubber farmers should form cooperative societies to enable them benefit from production credit from agricultural and commercial banks.   Key words: Income, non-formal credit, small-scale, production function, Edo state, Nigeria.