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Given the potential of the stock market to provide required capital for agro-based companies, a time series analysis of the performance of major agricultural-based companies in the Nigerian stock exchange (NSE) was carried out.

Monthly records of volume of shares traded (VOL) as well as its determinants – current market price (CMP), dividend (DIV), earnings per share (EPS), price-earning ratio (PER), earning yield (EARN) and dividend yield (YIELD) were obtained from the NSE as indicators of performance through 11 years (1998-2008). Non-stationarity of the variables under consideration led to re-conceptualisation of the model as a vector autoregressive (VAR) system. Existence of more than one co-integrating vector in the data through the Johansen test, led to estimation of restricted VAR using the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) imposing normalisation of VOL and PER.

The result of the analysis revealed that VOL is positively related to YIELD and CMP while it is inversely related to EARN, EPS and DIV. On the other hand PER increases with increasing EPS and DIV but reduces with increase in EARN and CMP. Short-run adjustment coefficients were generally large ranging from four months to ten years.

However, variables coefficients were more elastic in the long run.

This paper is an original article and has not been done by any other researcher. Furthermore, this paper has not been submitted to any other publishing house prior to this.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate urban tree forest utilisation and management through application of contingency valuation approach in Ogun State, Nigeria.

A total of 120 respondents residing in Abeokuta Metropolis were randomly sampled. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics, probit and Tobit regression analyses.

Results revealed that respondents demonstrated willingness to pay (WTP) monthly for management of urban trees. Larger percentage (94.0 per cent) of the respondents benefited from shade, 48.0 per cent benefited from reduction of pollution while 76.7 per cent benefited from prevention from harsh weather. Results of probit analysis revealed lower probability of WTP for urban tree management among older respondents ( p<0.1); while females respondents had a higher probability of payment for tree management ( p<0.05). In the same vein, younger respondents (p<0.05) as well as higher income earners ( p<0.01) exhibited more WTP for urban trees management.

The study concluded that trees were an invaluable environmental asset among urban households, while the households also demonstrated strong willingness to manage and sustain their uses.

Older respondents need to be further enlightened on sustainable management of urban trees for environmental stabilisation and provision of aesthetic benefits.

This paper introduces an innovative technique to the valuation of urban tree and brought to the fore, importance attached to trees as a non-market environmental commodity.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically analyze the determinants of arable crop farmers’ awareness to causes and effects of climate change in south western Nigeria.

Using primary data, 150 arable crop farmers in Ogun State were selected through a multi stage sampling technique. Survey method was used to elicit information on farmers’ socioeconomic, production characteristics, and their level of awareness to causes and effects of climate change. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, environmental awareness index (EAI), and Tobit regression analysis.

Most (81.08 percent) of the arable crop farmers were males with an average household size of eight persons, farming experience of 24 years and farm size of approximately 1 ha. The computed climate change EAI showed that only 47 percent of the respondents were aware of causes of climate change, while 68 percent were aware of its effects. Results further revealed that age, income from secondary occupation (p < 0.10), marital status, household size (p < 0.05), years of farming experience, frequency of extension contact, land size in hectare, and farm revenue (p < 0.01) were the determinants of respondents awareness to causes and effects of climate change.

The study recommended among others that, awareness should be created among arable crop farmers on climate change causes and effects for appropriate mitigation actions to be taken for improved agricultural productivity.

The study provided new empirical evidence on the awareness level of respondents to causes and effects of climate change on their production activities and livelihood in general. Implications for policy will be to provide a public education program that will target females, the poor, the illiterate, and the people in the economically active age group among others in order to create awareness and provide information and adequate knowledge on the causes and effects of climate change for proper mitigation and adaptation options.