Determinants of Poverty Severity among Cassava Farmers in Uyo Agricultural Zone, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study assessed the determinants of income poverty of cassava farmers in the Uyo Agricultural Zone. It specifically examined the socio-economic characteristics of the cassava farmers and determined their income poverty status and factors influencing the income poverty status of the cassava farmers in the study area. The multistage and purposive selection was done to obtain 165 cassava farmers across the agricultural zone. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The data obtained were analysed using descriptive statistics, Foster Greer Thorbecke (FGT) and a probit regression model. The majority (72.1%) of the farmers are between the ages of 21-40 years with a mean age of 35 years. Marital status shows that there are slightly more single farmers (49.1%) than married (44.2%) or even those separated (3.0%). Results of poverty incidence analysis indicate that the poverty headcount is found to be 0.74, 0.47 and 0.29 for those who produce for consumption alone, and sales alone as well as those who produce for both sales and consumption respectively which implies that only 29% of respondents who produce for both sales and consumption are impoverished, compared to 74% of respondents who solely create for consumption. The poverty depth index of the respondents was found to be 0.28, 0.13 and 0.12 for those who produce for consumption alone, and sales alone as well as those who produce for both sales and consumption respectively. The implication is that to reach the poverty line, cassava farmers must earn an additional 28.0%, 13.0%, and 12.0% of their mean annual farm income, respectively. It is also found that the respondents have a poverty severity index of 0.17, 0.08 and 0.07 for those who produce for consumption alone, and sales alone as well as those who produce for both sales and consumption respectively. This shows that the respondents who produce only for consumption are more of the poorest people (17%) than those who are selling (8%) or producing for both sales and consumption (7%). The result of probit regression showed that fertilizer use, net income, household size, participation in cassava farming, labour cost, access to credit and access to extension agents were the determinants of income poverty of cassava farmers in the study area. Hence, Government should provide adequate credit facilities for cassava farmers as this would increase their scale of production as well as their income thereby reducing income poverty in their households; there is a need to enlighten the farmers on the importance of family planning, which would help curb the rate at which household sizes are increasing.