DETERMINANTS FOR RECORD KEEPING AMONG FARMERS IN TUBAH SUB DIVISION, NORTH WEST REGION OF CAMEROON

ABSTRACT : Purpose: Record keeping is important as it enables farmers to document their farm operations. Apart from providing some useful insights into the types of records kept, it facilitates understand the problems connected with record keeping by farmers, and so enable us to suggest solutions that lead to effective record keeping. Information obtained can further enhance agricultural development, for instance by facilitating farmers’ access to credits. Methodology: Data was collected using the purposively sampling method (160 farmers) from the villages of Bambili, Bambui, Kedjom-keku (Big Babanki) and Kedjom-ketingoh (Small Babanki) all in Tubah division in the North West region of Cameroon, using a structured questionnaire. The data was entered and analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science), version 20.0. Both descriptive statistics and regression analysis were performed, adopting a 5% significance level. Findings: All 160 respondents indicated that record keeping is very important, and 67.5% of them were found to keep any kind of records. Binary logistic regression was applied to identify the factors that affect record keeping decisions among farmers. Marital status, type of farming system practice, number of plots and formal training showed positive contributions towards record keeping. However, only the marital status, farming practice, number of plots and formal training (educational level) significantly influenced farmers’ decisions to keep records (p=0.000). Unique Contribution: Our contribution dwells on a relevant topic, namely record keeping, which is largely neglected in the topic research, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. The results allow us to recommended that famers should endeavor to keep and constantly update records as records can attract benefits such as access to credit, and/or grants acquired through project writing. Also, if production, input and sales records are prevalent, governments and scholars can use them for statistical purposes, or as a catalyst to grant certification to famers who keep records which would enhance traceability, market niche and fair trade..

KEYWORDS: Record Keeping, Determinants, Farmers, Binary Logistic Regression, Tubah-Sub Division