Measuring The Impact of Credit on The Welfare of Rural Farmers in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Majority of the poor in Nigeria lack access to basic financial services which are a sine qua non for improved livelihood. In most cases, they are often excluded from formal opportunities for financial services leaving them only with informal alternatives. But credit availability to the poor in the rural areas is critical to reducing poverty. An empirical study was conducted to measure the impact of agricultural credit of the welfare of farmers. Multistage sampling procedure was employed to select the farmers. Questionnaires were employed to collect data. Multiple regression analysis and chow test were for analyses. Results revealed that the mean age and years of education of farmers were 12 and 31 years respectively. Findings also showed that the most critical factors impacting the welfare of farmers were marital status, marriage type, educational level, farm size, off-farm income, labour, type of enterprise, labour and access to modern farming inputs. Policies to encourage human capital development of rural farmers would be a rational decision. &nbsp

Land and Poverty: Some Empirical Findings Using Cross Sectional Data From Niger Delta Region, Nigeria

P overty is the most serious threat to natural resources and the environment and most of the poor are rural-based who engage in various agricultural activities. Land is a critical asset for the rural poor and lacking means to appropriately intensify agriculture which compels the poor to either overuse or misuse this natural resource base to meet basic needs. This study presents empirical relationship between land and poverty using Foster, Greer and Thorbecke weighted poverty measure. Through the multi-stage sampling procedure, 150 rural farmers were selected with the aid of questionnaire. The results of poverty decomposition show that the prevalence of poverty is more among the nearly landless farming households. Result of stochastic dominance analysis indicate that poverty incidence is sensitive to changes in poverty lines and there is second order stochastic dominance as poverty depth and severity are robust to the choice of poverty line for this sub-group. Results further suggest that households with little or no access to farmland depend on non-farm income sources for family survival. Abstract International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development (IJAMAD

Land and Poverty: Some Empirical Findings Using Cross Sectional Data From Niger Delta Region, Nigeria

Poverty is the most serious threat to natural resources and the environment and most of the poor are rural-based who engage in various agricultural activities. Land is a critical asset for the rural poor and lacking means to appropriately intensify agriculture which compels the poor to either overuse or misuse this natural resource base to meet basic needs. This study presents empirical relationship between land and poverty using Foster, Greer and Thorbecke weighted poverty measure. Through the multi-stage sampling procedure, 150 rural farmers were selected with the aid of questionnaire. The results of poverty decomposition show that the prevalence of poverty is more among the nearly landless farming households. Result of stochastic dominance analysis indicate that poverty incidence is sensitive to changes in poverty lines and there is second order stochastic dominance as poverty depth and severity are robust to the choice of poverty line for this sub-group. Results further suggest that households with little or no access to farmland depend on non-farm income sources for family survival

Application of Probit Analysis in the Decision of Youths to Participate in Vegetable Production

Youths are successor farming generation and therefore the future of food security. At present, they constitute about 60% of Nigeria’s population and have over the years contributed significantly to national development. Unfortunately, the present environment makes it  difficult to explore their full potentials in  production through participation in agriculture. The ageing smallholder farmers are less likely to increase capacity needed to sustainably expand agricultural production. There is therefore a pressing need to engage the youth in ways that they can see a promising future in agriculture as well as influence them to build capacity through effective involvement in agricultural production. Several factors however, have continued to hinder capacity building and effective  participation of youths in vegetable farming. An empirical study was conducted to estimate the factors affecting the willingness  of youth to  participate in small scale waterleaf production. The representative waterleaf producers were selected using the multi stage sampling procedures.With the aid of questionnaire, primary data were obtained from 100 farmers. Univariate probit regression model was used to analyze the data. Results of analysis indicated that the most critical factors affecting the participation of youths in waterleaf production were age, educational qualification, size of household members, and farm income. Results indicated that youths who have acquired some form of education were more willing to be involved in waterleaf production. Findings further indicated that youth in families with higher income from farming activities were more willing to participate in waterleaf production

Religious Institutions and Poverty Reduction: Evidence from Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

In spite of the numerous poverty reduction policies and programs of successive administrations in Nigeria, the generality of the populace are still in a web of deprivation and hunger. It is apparent that government is unable to stem the tide of poverty and thus the need for surrogate stakeholders to lift the poor out of poverty. Therefore, an empirical study was conducted to estimate the factors influencing the willingness of religious institutions to undertake poverty reduction programs for it members and the constraints limiting their ability to initiate programs that will ameliorate the suffering of poor members in the congregation. A total of 60 churches were sampled through the multistage sampling procedure and information were elicited using questionnaire. Data were analyzed using probit model and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance. Result revealed that the most critical factors influencing the willingness of churches to undertake programs that will lift poor members of the congregation out of poverty were age and educational level of the church leaders, size of congregation, church income and age of the church. Result of Kendall’s coefficient of concordance indicated that there was 54 percent (moderate agreement) between the ranking of constraints associated with the willingness of churches to undertake programs that will lessen the pains of poverty among its members. Findings further showed that the top five most limiting constraints were lack of finance, lack of trained personnel, inadequate knowledge about the programs, unfavorable government policies and low membership strength

Adoption Choice of Risk Management Tools in Agricultural Production under Climate Change

The long term impact of climate change is likely to affect food security and therefore prompts the agricultural sector to be more resilient to production and market risk, and uncertainties caused by these changes in climate. Choosing from a wide range of risk management tools can help farmers manage uncertainties and adapt to climate change. However, the choice of adoption of these risk management tools are greatly influenced by a number of factors. An empirical study was conducted to estimate the factors influencing the adoption choice of agricultural risk management tools by farmers in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling procedure was employed to select the representative farmers for the study. Information were elicited from farmers using questionnaires. Factors influencing the adoption of crop diversification, insurance and contract farming were analyzed using multinomial logit approach. Empirical results revealed that the decision to adopt crop diversification and insurance were inversely and significantly affected by age of the farmers. Results further showed that farmers decision to adopt crop diversification and contract farming as risk management tools were positively and significantly influenced by the size of farmland at (p<0.05). Findings also showed that access to weather information and frequency of extension contact significantly influenced farmers decision to adopt crop insurance and crop diversification respectively at 10% level. Result indicates that farmers decision to adopt crop diversification as a risk management tool was positively affected by frequency of extension contact. Promoting efficient and effective extension service delivery, access to weather and climate information and human capital development would be sensible policy options

Adoption of Climate Smart Agricultural Practices by Rice Farmers in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

The rise in population amidst climate change has exerted undue pressure on food production and security. Rice production has also been adversely affected by rising temperature and varying rainfall resulting in reduced productivity. In order to cope with the negative impact of climate change events on rice production, farmers need strengthen and improve their adaptive capacity. Therefore, a study was conducted to empirically estimate the factors affecting the adoption of Climate Smart Agricultural ( CSA) practices in rice production. Multistage sampling procedure was employed to select the representative rice farmers for the study. With the aid of oral interview and questionnaires, information were elicited from 90 farmers. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical tools and univariate probit model. Results revealed that majority ( 62.5 percent) of rice farmers were women, 75 percent were married, 67.5 percent were within economically active age and 85 percent had post primary education. Findings further showed that education level of farmers, family size, farm income and access to information on climate change were positively and directly related to rice farmers willingness to adopt climate smart agricultural practices at 1 percent and 5 percent levels of significance respectively. Result also showed that about 55.85 percent of rice farmers in the study location received information on climate change from village meetings, friends, relatives and other farmers. Agricultural policies that aimed at increasing incomes of rice farmers and creating awareness on climate change will be rational decision

Households’ Decision to Participate in Cooperative Organizations: Evidence from Farmers in Akwa Ibom State, Southern Nigeria

Farmer organizations are effective mechanisms for increasing agricultural production, income and reducing poverty. Regrettably, farmers have not taken advantage of the lofty benefits accruable to those who voluntarily join these organizations. The study estimated the factors influencing household’s decision to participate in cooperative organizations and also tested the level of agreement among identified constraints linked with participation. Multistage sampling procedure was employed to select 120 farmers for the study. Primary data were obtained using questionnaires. Data were analyzed using Probit model and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance. Results of analyses revealed that the mean age, years of educational attainment household size and years of farming experience were 32, 15, 5 and 7 respectively. Result of probit analysis further indicate that age of the farmer, farm income, household size, participation in meeting, major decision maker, distance of farm to the nearest road and farmers social status were the most critical factors influencing household’s decision to participate in cooperative organizations. Result of Kendall’s coefficient of concordance revealed that there was 0.42 (moderate agreement) between the ranking of constraints associated with farmers' participation in cooperative organizations. Furthermore, findings showed that the top five factors limiting households’ decision to participate in cooperative organizations were inadequate capital accumulation, high embezzlement of funds, poor leadership, recurring internal crises and lack of initiative. Policies to provide good and accessible roads, increase farmers incomes and encourage youths are rational options that will enhance effective participation in cooperative organizations

Poverty and Gender Inequality in Asset Ownership among Households in Southern Nigeria

Whereas gender equality is a basic human right, and closing the gender gap is key to achieving many development objectives, development stakeholders concerned with achieving gender equality are often constrained by inadequate information to justify channeling limited resources toward closing the gender gap. This study was conducted to fill this lacuna by providing information on gender inequality in the ownership of certain assets among households. With the aid of structured questionnaire, data were obtained from 60 households using the multistage sampling technique. Results of analysis were presented using histograms. Results show considerable gender differentiation in the ownership of land, home, business and savings. The degree of gender differentiation in the ownership of consumer durables reveal that women in most households own appliances associated with domestic labour whereas men have a near monopoly in the ownership of transport vehicles, refrigerators and media sets. Result also indicates that poultry was owned by women in majority of the households. Result shows a high degree of gender disparity with respect to the share of male and female homeowners. Because access to land is crucial for the livelihoods of the rural poor, policies to ensure that women who form the bulk of the rural poor have secure access to land and other vital resources should be encouraged. Policy options that will encourage women own occupier homes should also be formulated

Condition Index, Meat Yield and Population Structure of the Marine Gastropod, Thais coronata, off Cross River Estuary, Nigeria

Samples of the (rock shell) marine gastropod Thais coronata were obtained at monthly intervals from the Cross River estuary, Nigeria over a five month sampling period (February-June). The condition index, CI% (dry tissue weight expressed as a percentage of shell weight) and population structure showed distinct monthly variation. The values of the condition index was maximum (in May) during the beginning of the rainy season and minimum during the dry months (March). The population structure showed that generally T. coronata in the study area is composed principally of 33.5cm rock shells with distinct peaks or modal mean lengths stable at 33.5cm for February through April with triple peaks in March and April. The monthly variations in meat yield (MY%) and condition index indicate a buildup of somatic and gonodal materials during the months of April and May, followed by rapid decline attributed to the shedding of reproductive material through spawning. A standard specimen of 4cm yields CI = 7.1% and MY = 16.3%. Hence, the population spawns during the rainy season. The pattern of variation of water content seems a reverse of that of dry weight, with a fall in water content accompanied by an increase in dry weight. This might imply that the species absorbs more water after spawning. Results indicate harvest and purchase of T. coronata are best in the month of May in the study area and the waste shells have a high potential in income generation as source of calcium for animal feed production. Key words: seasonal variations, shape, spawning and shore animals