Fadama Crop Farming Enterprise and Poverty Alleviation in Kogi State, Nigeria

Abstract

Poverty is an affront to the existence of mankind, which must be fought from all angles. This study examines the impact of Fadama crop farming enterprise on poverty alleviation in Kogi State. Questionnaires were administered to 180 households, 90 each to Fadama crop farming and Non-Fadama farming households in the area. Data was analyzed using the relative poverty index and the logit regression model. The relative poverty index using the so-called P.alpha shows that the non-Fadama farming households had higher values of the various dimensions of the incidence of poverty, P0, P1, and P2, than the Fadama crop farming households while the logit regression analysis with the aid of the SPSS packages revealed that five of the nine variables, namely; farm size, household size, annual income, total expenditure and age of the household heads, were statistically significant at 5% level. The study has identified Fadama crop farming enterprise as a means of economic development and poverty alleviation and therefore recommends the development and proper management of the vast Fadama resources and potential in Kogi State and Nigeria at large, the enhancement of the income base of the Fadama crop farmers through governments’ deliberate policies/programmes, the provision/subsidization of Fadama farming inputs as well as education/public enlightenment of the Fadama crop farmers. Finally, suggestions for further studies on the impact of Fadama farming generally on poverty alleviation and the role of other enterprises such as the small scale industries/businesses on poverty alleviation in the study area were proffered.