Assessment of livelihood activities of rural farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

The objective of this research is to assess the livelihood diversification of the rural farmers in Kwara State. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the sample communities from which a total of 160 households were randomly selected for the study. Both quantitative and qualitative techniques were used to collect data for the study. The quantitative technique involved the use of questionnaire while the qualitative involved the use of PRA tools. The study found that 47.3% of the sampled farmers are in the age range of 56 years and above. There are more adults 37-55 years (38%) than youths 19-36 years (14.7%) in the study area. The males (51.2%) outnumber the females (48.8%) while educational levels are relatively low among the population as 38% of the sample had no formal education. Of the total households facilitated during PRA, 53% were considered “asset poor,” the major occupation for income generation in the communities was trading on non-farm produce (39.8%). Household size ranged from 5-8 (34.9%), 8 and above (33.3%) and 1-4 (31.8%). The study found that access to credit facilities was the major interest of the communities and existing groups were not strong enough to control market or operate as pressure group to influence access to credit facilities. Thus, the study recommends that a simple and functional micro- credit delivery system that will enable them to access loans should be introduced by stakeholders in order to increase and strengthen their economic activities. Furthermore, business advisory services should be provided for the enterprise groups to help achieve these goals.