The measurement of labour productivity: a case study.

Abstract

A case study is presented on labour productivity of 30 farmers living in a village in Northern Nigeria, a region with a relatively high population density of 500-600 persons per square mile. An adult male worker can provide the labour needs of about 4.5 acres of farm land during the growing season, but in this village only 1.5 acres per worker was available. An initial estimation of labour productivity, based on a general survey, led to the conclusion that marginal productivity approached zero. However, this conclusion appears to be erroneous, as a consequence of incorrect assessment of time spent on actual crop production by farmers. According to a detailed investigation on five farms, the number of man days per acre spent on crop production was remarkably uniform - about 19 man days per acre regardless of size of holding. This, in connection with other evidence, suggests that the marginal productivity of labour in this village is not zero and does not even approach zero. However, the availability of non-farm employment in the region may be of influence in this respect. R. V. H. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)