Drivers of poverty in oil producing communities of southern Nigeria

The oil-producing communities generate more than 80 percent of Nigeria earnings from crude oil. Unfortunately, the oil has not shown enough prosperity in the oil-producing communities as the standard of living of the people is worsening by the day with little attention to the provision of infrastructure. Besides, there is evidence of widespread and abject poverty among the inhabitants of the oil-producing communities. An inclusive policy to harness the potentials of such communities requires the knowledge of the factors influencing their poverty levels. This study estimated the factors influencing the poverty of inhabitants in the oil-producing communities of southern Nigeria. Using multistage sampling procedure, 120 representative households were chosen and information was obtained with the help of structured questionnaire. In order to find what determines poverty, an altered reversal model comprising 15 regressors was used in the analysis. The results revealed that most critical factors influencing poverty in the communities were dependency ratio, farm size, experience in farming, farm income, level of knowledge gained, the gateway to extended services, modern farming inputs, and having the opportunity a to health facility. Increasing the size of cultivable hectarage either through land consolidation or expansion of existing farmland and improving the educational level of inhabitants of the oil communities are rational policy decisions that could reduce poverty and improve their quality of life

Impact of agricultural credit access on agricultural productivity among maize and rice smallholder farmers in Rwanda

This paper assesses the impact of access to agricultural credit on the agricultural productivity of 422 smallholder farmers that cultivate maize or rice in the Western and Eastern province of Rwanda. Stratified, simple random and convenience sampling techniques were used to sample districts, sectors, cells and households. Data were collected using structured interviews and analyzed using propensity score matching techniques. Results indicated that productivity was higher by 44% among the farmers who accessed credit implying that they harvested on average an extra 440 kilograms of maize or rice. According to a crop-specific analysis, agricultural credit access had a more significant impact on maize productivity, with a difference in proportion of 68% (p = 0.000) but had no impact on rice productivity (p = 0.149). The study concludes that agricultural credit was important for Rwanda’s agricultural productivity. Thus policy measures should aim at improving smallholder farmers’ access to agricultural credit and promoting the use of modern agricultural inputs, particularly among rice farmers in Rwanda

Analysis of the different farming techniques and the farming systems used in Burundi : a case study of Ngozi Province /

Diss. gespecialiseerde studies landbouwontwikkelin

COVID-19: From health crises to food security anxiety and policy implications

Like the rest of the world, African countries are reeling from the health, economic and social effects of COVID-19. The continent's governments have responded by imposing rigorous lockdowns to limit the spread of the virus. The various lockdown measures are undermining food security, because stay at home orders have among others, threatened food production for a continent that relies heavily on agriculture as the bedrock of the economy. This article draws on quantitative data collected by the GeoPoll, and, from these data, assesses the effect of concern about the local spread and economic impact of COVID-19 on food worries. Qualitative data comprising 12 countries south of the Sahara reveal that lockdowns have created anxiety over food security as a health, economic and human rights/well-being issue. By applying a probit model, we find that concern about the local spread of COVID-19 and economic impact of the virus increases the probability of food worries. Governments have responded with various efforts to support the neediest. By evaluating the various policies rolled out we advocate for a feminist economics approach that necessitates greater use of data analytics to predict the likely impacts of intended regulatory relief responses during the recovery process and post-COVID-19