Sustainability of the Benefits Derived from Fadama II Critical Ecosystem Management Project in Eriti Watershed of Ogun State

Abstract

This study investigated the sustainability of the benefits derived from Critical Ecosystem Management Project in Ogun State. Interview schedule was used to elicit information from 166 respondents randomly drawn from three communities in the project’s catchment area. Data on beneficiaries’ involvement, benefits derived and satisfaction as well as constraints to benefits derived from the project were collected. Frequency counts and Students’t-test were used to analyse data. Many of the beneficiaries (55.4%) generally had high level of involvement in the project, but reported low involvement in the selection of service providers (̄x = 1.36) and decision on how much to pay them(̄x = 0.96). Meanwhile, bee hives and other honey making equipment recorded the highest proportion (85.0%) of beneficiaries. About 57.2% of the beneficiaries had high level of satisfaction with the benefits derived from the project but were constrained by lack of technical knowledge and maintenance (̄x = 0.8072). There were significant differences in the statuses of benefits derived from bee hives (t = -25.39) (p≤0.05), bee making equipment (t = -33.221) (p≤0.05), snail (t = -33.681) (p≤0.05), grasscutter weaners (t = -136.106) (p≤0.05) and plantain plantations (t = 9.717) (p≤0.05) between project intervention period and current period. Benefits derived from the project were not well sustained by the beneficiaries. Future projects should improve on the involvement of beneficiaries in procuring service providers in addition to been exposed to capacity building workshops on asset maintenance to enhance their sustainability.

Keywords: Eriti watershed, Fadama II, Sustainable ecosystem management.