ABSTRACT
The crop yield per acre in a season of average rainfall is very low in both purchase areas when compared with the crop yield per acre in tribal trust lands. The fact that purchase area farmers grow the same types of crops as are grown by tribal trust land peasant cultivators suggests that farm owners look to tribal areas as markets for their surplus crops. Cooperative societies handle about 25 per cent of all the surplus crops of the farm owners, especially sorghum, millet, and to a lesser degree maize and groundnuts. More important still, and this is possible even without mechanization, peasant farmers could significantly increase their crop yield through a greater use of improved seed and fertilizer. Income from cattle makes a great contribution to the income of peasant farmers. Hence many farm owners take great care in looking after their livestock. Most peasant farmers graze their cattle on their own farms.
