Asset based wellbeing of poverty of artisanal fish farmers in delta state, nigeria

Abstract

This research carried out in Delta State, Nigeria, focuses on the empirical application of Principal Component Analysis (PCA), an asset based measure of wellbeing which can be used to assess level of poverty among households in rural areas of developing countries. The study employed questionnaire-based household survey data collection methods. The final wealth index was derived using data collected from 430 artisanal fishing households in riverine Delta State communities. Data on 16 variables measuring multiple aspects of household wealth status were used to extract the set of principal components utilized in the construction of the index. Two key statistical tests, the KMO and Bartlett’s tests, showed the appropriateness of the data for PCA. Results revealed that five major factors influence the wealth status and hence the wellbeing of households: home infrastructure, energy sources, durable home assets, water sources and mobility. Therefore, it is suggested that any efforts to improve the wellbeing of farm households in the study area as well as in other regions with similar socio- economic settings should consider these factors as entry point to poverty alleviation.