**12. Recommendations**

The following recommendations were made based on the major research observations and findings of the study.


*Does the Incidence of COVID-19 Pandemic Affect Rice Yield? Lessons from Southeast Nigeria DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93744*


#### **Drawbacks and areas for further study**

Constraints on restrictions of movement due to COVID-19 pandemic, the poor transportation network in rural areas, time and limited resources of the researcher forced to select only 504 rural-based rice farmers for the study across the Southeast States. Hence results are largely applicable to other areas of Nigeria not selected. Additionally, the questionnaire and personal interview method of data collection require the respondents to recall from their memories about their socio-economic variables, income, government support, COVID-19 precautionary measures and perceived effect of COVID-19 pandemic in rice farming among others. Most rural farmers do not keep farm records hence, the findings may be subject to memory lapses of the respondents.

Therefore, the author and further studies may attempt to rigorously and systematically link farmers perceived effect of COVID-19 pandemic in rice farming with the quantitative measurement of farm harvest, farm output per hectare, farm

impossible for the government/interest group to know the method they can use in helping farmers mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic in rice production. The study was logically guided by describing the socio-economic characteristics of the rice farmers; determining the awareness of COVID-19 pandemic among rice farmers; identifying farmers sources of information on COVID-19 pandemic; identifying the COVID-19 pandemic precautionary measures farmers are using; ascertaining the perceived effect of COVID-19 pandemic on rice yield and

The survey was conducted at the onset of discovering of the index case of COVID-19 in Nigeria (27 February 2020) that is, from March to July 2020 with the help of two-hundred (200) enumerators, that is, forty (40) for each State. A cross-sectional data was elicited from 504 rice farmers selected from Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo State. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistical tools such as means, flow-chart, percentage and Likert scale-type. Result show that the mean age was 45.00 years. Greater proportions (61.30%) were male. Majority (53.57%) were married with an average household size of 8 persons. Average educational level, farming experience and annual farm income were 12.00 years (equivalent to secondary education), 21.00 years and N880,200.00 (2267.62USD), respectively. Additionally, farmers may have also developed sustainable COVID-19 pandemic strategies to thwart the negative effect of COVID-19 Pandemic to improve their farm yield, income, and standard of living. The high awareness could be attributed to the massive publicity about the virus by various Nigeria news agencies, and agricultural extension agents. The extension agents have been called to help bridge gap in information for farmers. The finding reveals that about 99.82% of the farmers identified inadequate information. This could be attributed to the dearth in research on COVID-19 pandemic mitigation strategies for rice farmers as well as lack of information and clarity on the actionable guidance and precautionary measures by World Health Organization (WHO), Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and local health authority. This constraint left the farmers unable to get the much-needed information on COVID-19 pandemic and sustainable rice farming. In the present information age, inadequate information could pose serious challenges to the farmers' coping strategies as they may not be aware of recent developments regarding COVID-19 pandemic, mitigation strategies, and the neces-

The following recommendations were made based on the major research obser-

i. The study identified inadequate and misinformation as one of the barriers farmers complained about, therefore, it is important that the government should intensify mass mobilization campaign against COVID-19 pandemic alongside the community leaders and extension agents to reduce, if not

mitigation of COVID-19 pandemic in improving understanding, farm yield, farm income, the standard of living of the rice farmers. Therefore, it is necessary for the rice farmers on their owe should enroll for adult education to increase their ability and flexibility to change in production

ii. The study authenticated the importance of linking education to the

constraints in mitigating COVID-19 pandemic in rice farming.

sary re-adjustments needed.

*Recent Advances in Rice Research*

**12. Recommendations**

**200**

vations and findings of the study.

eliminate the spread of the deadly virus.

strategies in response to COVID-19 pandemic.

sales, farm income and other associated production variables. This is to evaluate the actual impact (before and after) of the pandemic in rice farming with a view of checking if farmers' perception were right. For instance, farmers may perceive there is a significant decrease in yield per hectare due to COVID-19 pandemic, but the actual measurement may say otherwise and vice versa. This further study (impact) may require monitoring one or more rice farming seasons for systematic and logical evaluation.

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*Does the Incidence of COVID-19 Pandemic Affect Rice Yield? Lessons from Southeast Nigeria*
