Assessment of poverty level among the rural farming households in Bosso Local Government Area of Niger State, Nigeria.

Abstract

The study examined the poverty level among the rural farming households in Bosso LGA of Niger State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to examine the socio-economic profile of the farmers, evaluate access of the farmers to certain social infrastructures and determine the expenditure pattern of the people. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis were used. Personal income of the household head and household size were the major determinants of household expenditure. Information was elicited from 100 farmers with the aid of structured questionnaire. About 79.6% of the total variation in household expenditure was explained by the independent variables in the model, while the remaining 20.4% of the variation was due to exogenous factors. The World Bank reference line of 1.08 dollar and Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) of 2.15 dollars per capital consumption per day was the bench mark for poverty line. Major problem faced by the rural household include inadequate capital, lack of good road network, problem of marketing farm produce and insufficient rainfall. Formulation and implementation of appropriate pricing policy of farm produce should be encouraged. Social infrastructures should be provided and farmers should be given concession in disbursement of loans from financial institutions.