Analysis of Poverty Profile of Rural Farm Households in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Abstract

The poverty profile of rural farm households belonging to association(s) in Akwa Ibom State, in the southern region of Nigeria, was analyzed. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select 180 rural farm households within the research area. Descriptive statistics and the FGT methodology were utilized to evaluate the objectives of the study. The findings indicated that 60.56% of the rural farm households were classified as poor. Among the identified poor farmers, approximately 27.78% and 32.78% were categorized as core poor and moderate poor, respectively. Only 39.44% of the rural farm households were considered non-poor. The incidence of poverty among the core poor farm households was found to be 51.00%, while it was 62.00% for the moderate poor rural farm households. Similarly, the poverty depth indices revealed that the core poverty group accounted for 28.00%, whereas the moderate poverty group accounted for 22.00%. Furthermore, the research identified several activities adopted by farm households to alleviate poverty, including providing loans to members at reduced rates, mobilizing savings, engaging in group work, disseminating information on new agricultural products and prices, and organizing training on modern farming techniques, among others. Based on these findings, it is evident that poverty continues to be a significant issue among rural farm households in the southern region of Nigeria. Therefore, a re-evaluation of the various strategies aimed at reducing poverty is imperative in this region.