RURAL POVERTY AND
AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES IN APA
LOCAL GOVERNMENT, NIGERIA
Dr(Mrs) ogunleye-Adetona, C.I.
Department of Geography of Regional Planning
University of Cape Coast, Ghana
Email:adeogunleye2005@yahoo.com
INTRODUCTION
• Agricultural practice which is broadly classified into
subsistence and commercial farming is a process of
farming in which farmer choose a particular type of
farming practice.
• The type of agricultural practice chosen by an
individual however depend not only the geographical
location which is a function of the culture, education,
technology and income of the people.
• The farmers who make use of crude implements like
hoes and cutlasses end up with low farm output, low
income and eventually leading to poverty.
Introduction Continues
• POVERTY
• The concept of poverty is easier to describe than defining because of its
complexity and variability from place to place.
• International encyclopedia of economics defined poverty as a condition
faced by families and individuals that fail to receive sufficient income to
provide for their basic needs, in other words, a condition of material
deprivation (Okojie et al, 1999).
• Poverty can either as absolute , relative or both.
• Absolute poverty can be applied at all time in the societies such as the
level of income necessary for bare subsistence
• Relative poverty relates to the living standard of the poor to the standards
that prevail elsewhere in the society in which they live (Sanyal, 1991;
Schubest, 1994).
• Related to the definition of poverty is the measurement of poverty by
asking questions like: who is poor? How many people are poor? And
where the poor are located?
Intro. Cont.(Poverty Defined)
• A comprehensive analysis of poverty in Nigeria and other
developing countries cannot be achieved without making
reference to the vicious cycle of poverty.
• The phrase “vicious cycle of poverty” is often used to
explain why underdeveloped/developing countries are
economically backward or poor (Okunmadewa, 2001). A
country is therefore poor because there is small capacity
individuals to save because of low level of real income and
inability of the country to accumulate capital which
eventually lead to a circle of poverty.
• The vicious cycle of poverty is best explained by a situation
in which a person is poor and deprived from having what
he/she ought to have (Okunmadewa, 2001).
Intro. Cont.(Rural Poor)
• Poverty exists in all the economies of the world and level of poverty vary
from one place to another. Poverty is especially severe in rural areas
where social services and infrastructure are limited or non-existent.
• The great majorities of those who live in rural areas are poor and depend
on agriculture for food and income. For instance about 90% of Nigeria’s
food is produced by small scale farmers cultivating tiny plots of land
depending on rainfall rather than irrigation systems.
• Surveys across the country shows that both male and female farmers
cultivate less than 1ha per household. Also a high proportion of rural
people suffer from malnutrition and other diseases related to poor
nutrition (World Bank, 1996).
• Despite its plentiful resources and oil wealth, poverty is widespread in
Nigeria. Over 70% of the population is classified as poor, with 35% living in
absolute poverty. The situation continued to deteriorate since the late
1990s, to the extent that the country is now considered one of the 20
poorest countries in the world.
Intro. Cont.
• NGERIA’S RURAL POOR
• Rural poverty tends to be unevenly distributed across Nigeria. In fact, in
some zones, the poverty situation threatens to worsen considerably .Such
zones can be found in the northern area of the country especially those
bordering Niger Republic which is arid and easily become relatively useless
for agriculture, environmentally damage.
•
• Nigeria’s rural road network is one of the least developed in sub-Saharan
Africa and most of the rural roads become inaccessible during the rainy
seasons.
• Crop yields are low because farmers lack these inputs like fertilizer
especially in rural areas where farmers have to cope with diminishing soil
fertility.
• Many farmers have access only to small parcels of land for cultivation and
this reduced profitability of producing food crops for the markets.
Intro. Cont.
• Famariyo (1970) however discovered that an efficient agricultural practice
with full capacity production is hampered especially in rural areas because
of the inadequate design programmes and policies that will promote
educational services in the rural area.
• The decline in agricultural production in the rural areas is as a result of the
inadequate incentives given by government to small scale or peasant
farmers who produce nothing less than 80% of the nation’s total
agricultural product.
• The Nigerian Government however attempted at reducing rural poverty
through the various policies and programmes to stimulate and enhance
economic growth, productivity and alleviate poverty as far as back as 1970
to date. Example of such programmes include
• the operation feed the nation (OFN) 1976,
• the directorate of food, Road and Rural Infrastructural (NFRRI) 1986,
• the Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) 2003,
• the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme (ACGS) 2001.
Statement of Research Problem.
• The socio-economic activities, living standard
and agricultural practices in Apa Local
Government Area, Benue State, Nigeria is
faced with Low level of education, Land
tenure problem, Inadequate farm inputs, Low
pricing of the product, Inadequate
transportation, Inadequate finance,
Inadequate basic amenities
Objective
• OBJECTIVES
•
The following objectives will pursue in order to achieve the
aim of this research.
• identify the socio-economic conditions of the people in the study
area,
• highlight the poverty indicators of the people in the study area,
• examine the relationship between rural poverty and agricultural
practices in the study and
• evaluate that poverty alleviation programmes on the people in the
study area
• Findings from these objectives will be use to make suggests on how
to improve the rural economy and sustain the environment for
future generation.
The Study Area
•
•
•
•
•
The Local Government is bounded in the North by Agatu Local Government Area in
the East by Gwe-West Local Government, in the South by Otukpo Local
Government and in the West by Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Apa LGA has eighteen (18) council wards,
The people of Apa LGA are mainly farmers because the land is arable for
agricultural practices especially among the Igoro, Opanda, Okpakachi, Edikwu to
mention a few.
The climate of Apa LGA like other parts of Benue state is condition favours farming
activities year rounds. Dry season farming is practices shifting to a wetter soil
always located close to river or stream valley (Gbadeyan, 1992).
Farming constitutes the major socio-economic activities of Apa LGA people, major
crops grown can be grouped into two classes of cereal and tubers. The study area
has some settlements which serve as market center such as Ugbokpo, Igoro,
Ofoke, Iga Okpaya etc.
Significance of the Study
•
Agricultural system is by far the most widespread
form of human activities and it is more basic than any
industry. Even in the “technological age” agricultural in
one way or the other provides livelihood for more than
three quarter (3/4) of human race.
• A nation’s wealth is said to be in the potential of its
people. If the people’s standard of living is improved
through increased production of food increased
income, job satisfaction (agriculture) then definitely
development of rural areas will be facilitated.
• This situation will discourage rural-urban migration.
Literature Review
• According to Coast et al (1971) poverty is a
multi-dimensional phenomenon which is not
only exhibited item of monetary income.
• Also real income and wealth depends not only
on what one can receive but also on what one
can do with such income and wealth as well as
those goods which we do not purchase
directly such as fresh air, water supply and
educational system.
Literature Review Cont.
• Poverty is also defined geographically as being relative in both time
and space. This therefore connotes that no single standard
measure of poverty is adopted at all time or in all places (Max well
1989). This is why studies on poverty and inequalities within any
geographical areas are always examined using numerous variables
that measure poverty. These variables include illiteracy, per capital
income, poor wealth, poor shelter, access to safe water, substandard housing, limiting earning potentials which are adopting for
the study.
• The United Nation (UN 1085) basically classified the causes of rural
poverty under socio-economic, technological and political reasons
based on global resolution. Ohadike (1986) explained that, socioeconomic factors of age, sex, demographic, low level of education,
marriage, low level of income, family size have effect on the
poverty.
Literature Review Cont.
• Send (1978) however suggest that an alternative and more
objective conception might be found in relative deprivation
and identified three forms of poverty as follows.
• Physiological deprivation
• ii) Social deprivation
• iii) Human deprivation
•
Physiological deprivation is concerned with inadequate
access to basic needs basically food and insufficient
provision of basic needs e.g. health, education etc. Social
deprivation refers to deprivation from social activities such
as norms, value etc. Human deprivation is the denial of
rights and freedom as well as the lack of dignity self
respect, security and justice.
Literature Review Cont.
• MEASURES TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT TO ERADICATE POVERTY
•
Government has put several efforts in place to ensure the
eradicating rural poverty in Nigeria by introducing the rural
development approach.
• This approach assumes that poverty is more prevalent in rural areas
due to lack or inadequate presence of infrastructures.
• The focus is on addressing what is considers the origins of poverty
by providing social amenities and the stimulation of incomegenerating activities for the rural dwellers.
• This approach could not however identify the real poor because
poverty is pervasive in the rural area.
• Other programmes such as Rural Banking scheme 1975 and
Agricultural credit Guaranty scheme 1978 has in one way or the
other impacts on poverty reduction in Nigeria.
Literature Review Cont.
• Poverty is a scourge that has refused to leave
Nigeria despite the various efforts of the
federal government. The myriad of problems
surrounding the proper execution of poverty
alleviation projects has made the anticipated
results of identified strategies elusive. This is
probably because the existence of poverty is a
function of poor education, low level of
technology and mismanagement of the
available resources.
Methodology
•
•
•
•
•
This research work covered the whole of Apa Local
Government Area in Benue State.
The data for this research project were gathered from both the
primary and secondary data. The bulk of data gotten for this
research work was through primary data
Nine (9) villages were randomly from each council wards in the
Local Government Area. Thirty three people were therefore
interviewed in each of the selected villages and this total of 306
questionnaires format.
Simple percentage, tabulations, uses of figure, literal percentage,
bar-graph, pie-charts and chi-square are used.
Chi-square also used to find out if there is any significant difference
among other variables
Summary of Findings
• It was observed that majority(59.3%) of the people of the rural
dwellers in Apa Local Government Area are farmers and they are
subjected to abject poverty.
• Erratic supply of electricity and poor accessibility to safe drinking
water supply is the order of the day study area. For example about
66.7% of the total respondents do not have access to electricity in
their homes.
• Most of them (91.7%) used crude implements as the major farm
tools.
• It was also gathered that majority (86%) of the farmers practiced
subsistence farming a function of poor income, lack of loan and
incentive from government.
• The farmers complained generally about inadequate land for
farming. And about 33.3% of the total respondents still complained
of lack of land and soil infertility.
Policy Implication of Findings
• The most permanent and deepest aim of social
policies therefore is to develop and invests in
human being themselves.
• This is the only way to break the vicious cycle of
poverty and attack the underlying factors which
cause it to be transmitted from generation to
generations.
• Since the poor are mostly illiterate and unskilled,
an important way of extending their asset is to
develop their human resources.
Policy Implication of Findings cont.
• The following policy issues are suggested for a better rural development
programmes;
• Mass adult education programme established and encouraged
• The state and local government bodies provide pipe borne water and bore
holes to improve water supply to aid mechanized farming.
• The various rural settlements in the study area should be provided with
infrastructural facilities that will attract the youth and investor.
• Government should provide subsidized loans/funds to the farmers for
them to be able to purchase planting materials, fertilizers, drugs and other
equipment.
• Extension offices should be established in each of the villages
• The on- going poverty alleviation programme set-up by the federal
government should give more attention to the rural farmers since large
proportion of those in them are yet to benefit from it.
Conclusions.
• From the forgoing, it is obvious that there is a need for
a comprehensive and adequate policy formation to
arrest the situation.
• There is therefore a need for check list rather than blue
print of adaptable technical and socio-economic means
of which have been provided by this empirical study of
possible option towards alleviating rural poverty and
allocating production and recent agricultural practices.
• Such a policy will undoubtedly solve some of the
problems experienced in the farming activities and
sustain the environment for future generation.