This study investigates the extent and determinants of livelihood diversification among integrated crop- livestock farming households in North-West Nigeria. The study aimed at assessing the integrated crop- livestock farming practices and analyse the factors influencing the livelihood activities of the farmers in the study area. The study used a multistage sampling procedure consisting of 3 states, 3 agricultural zones, 21 LGAs and 84 villages. Data were collected from 405 respondents through structured questionnaires andanalysed using descriptive statistics, the Simpson Diversification Index (SDI) and Tobit regression. Findings revealed a moderate level of livelihood diversification, with an average SDI of 0.58. Farmers engaged in diverse on-farm, off-farm, and non-farm income-generating activities, with on-farm income accounting for 66.66% of the total annual household income, followed by non-farm (23.57%) and off-farm (9.77%) sources. Tobit regression results showed that household size, gender of the household head, and access to credit were significant at the 5% level, respectively while education level and income from various sources were significant at the 1% level, all positively influencing livelihood diversification. Conversely, farm size had a negative and significant relationship, suggesting that larger farms often reduce the likelihood of engaging in alternative livelihood strategies. The study concludes that diversification is a critical strategy for income stability and risk management among smallholders. It recommends enhancing access to credit, promotingrural farmer education and improving rural infrastructure to sustain and expand livelihood diversification.
This study aims to assess the level of income diversification among Yobe State small-scale farmers. Primary data was collected through a face-to-face survey-based approach through a multistage sampling technique, where 384 small-scale farmers were interviewed. The data were analyzed using statistical package for social science software (SPSS) version 26 for the descriptive analysis of the frequency distribution table, regression analysis and the Simpson Index of Diversification (SID) to test the study's aims and objectives. The results revealed that the respondents engaged in both On-farm and Non-farm livelihood diversification strategies. The overall SID of Non-farm diversification indicated that the respondents had a medium diversification index of 0.55, this primarily driven by participation in wage employment outside agriculture and self-employment. The on-farm diversification index was 0.30, indicating lower diversification than the Non-farm. This lower index is determined mainly by both food crops and cash crops. The study further revealed that small-scale farmers income diversification is influenced by the predictor factors of the farming operation system, average annual income in naira, age, farmland ownership, marital status, farm size, educational level, household size, and farming experience. The study concluded that the lower diversification index of On-farm could be due to the unpredictable risks associated with farming, making it less viable and turning farmers to off-farm activities as a means of coping strategies. And the Non-farm has a medium diversification index. This shows how important Non-farm is in stabilizing small-scale farmers' income and livelihood and signifies the potential risk facing the agricultural productivity in the study area.
Abdurahaman Baba Saje, I. M. Waziri· International Journal of Sci...· 0 citations
This study assessed the Effect of IFAD-Community-Based Agricultural and Rural Development
Programme in Rural Women’s Income in Taraba State, Nigeria. on income generation and
livelihood diversification among rural women in Taraba State, Nigeria. A total of 343
respondents were selected using a multi-stage sampling procedure across IFAD-CBARDP
intervention areas. Data were collected through structured questionnaire and analysed using
descriptive statistics (frequencies, mean and percentages). Major findings revealed that 72%
of respondents had no formal education, while 65% were married and engaged primarily in
farming and petty trading. On income-generating activities, 74.6% of the women engaged in
poultry farming, 63.3% in petty trading, and 55.7% in food processing of the respondents
engaged in two or more such crop farming 40.8%. Livestock rearing 24.8%, agro-processing
11.7% and trading 8.2% livelihood activities. Regarding household income, 76.4%
experienced a positive shift from low to moderate or high-income levels after program
participation. Major challenges included lack of access to credit (71.2%), poor market access
(65.3%), and inadequate training (58.9%). The study concluded that IFADCBARDP
significantly increased rural women’s income and promoted livelihood diversification. It is
therefore recommended that stakeholders should strengthen rural women’s access to
affordable credit in order to encourage livelihood diversification among rural women
Sadiq Usman Abubakar· IIARD INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL...· 0 citations
Agribusiness-led contract farming has increasingly emerged as an important mechanism for integrating smallholder farmers into commercial agricultural value chains. This research evaluated the livelihood outcomes associated with participation in the Tomato Jos Out-Grower Scheme among smallholder maize farmers in Kaduna State of Nigeria. Purposive sampling method was used to choose 180 active farmers from a group of 600 registered out-growers. Structured questionnaires were used to collect primary data, which wasthen analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. The results showed that most farmers are men (82.2%), own less than one hectare of land (96.7%), and rely on farming as their main source of income (72.8%). Multiple regression analysis revealed that farm size, land tenure, educational attainment, and income source significantly influenced livelihood outcomes among participating farmers. Taking part in the programme led to clear gains in crop yield, income, market access, and food security. Nevertheless, restricted access to credit persisted as the paramount limitation (97.8%). The study finds that contract farming led by agribusiness greatly improves the lives of smallholder farmers, but the results are different for people with different socio-economic backgrounds. Enhancing the efficacy of development initiatives requires policies that facilitate loan availability and secured land tenure arrangement.
M. Abdullahi, D. Abdulazeez, A. S. Haruna et al.· Agro-Science· 0 citations
Aims: This study compared the socio-economic characteristics, livelihood capital assets, livelihood strategies, and livelihood outcomes of sandbar and non-sandbar farmers in the char areas of northern Bangladesh.
Study Design: Cross-sectional comparative study.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Kaunia Upazila of Rangpur District, Bangladesh. Data were collected from October to December 2024.
Methodology: A total of 247 farmers, including 195 sandbar farmers and 52 non-sandbar farmers, were selected using stratified random sampling. Quantitative data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire, complemented by focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Livelihood conditions were assessed using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework. Descriptive statistics and independent-samples t-tests were used for data analysis.
Results: Sandbar farmers had significantly higher annual household income (BDT 529.47 ± 350.74 thousand), farm size (0.91 ± 1.10 ha), farming knowledge (28.09 ± 5.47), and social participation (12.63 ± 2.60) than non-sandbar farmers (P < 0.05). Human capital (P = 0.026) and social capital (P = 0.003) were also significantly higher among sandbar farmers, whereas natural, physical, and financial capital did not differ significantly. Resource-use typology showed that 99.2% of respondents depended primarily on natural resource-based livelihoods and 86.6% practised diversified livelihood strategies, with greater diversification among sandbar farmers. Although sandbar farmers recorded higher mean food security and environmental sustainability scores and a larger proportion of households in the high food security and high sustainability categories, these differences were not statistically significant (P = 0.161 and P = 0.109, respectively).
Conclusion: Compared with non-sandbar farmers, sandbar farmers demonstrated stronger livelihood assets. However, because this cross-sectional study identifies associations rather than causal effects, the findings should be interpreted cautiously. Strengthening extension services, technical support, access to quality inputs, credit, and market linkages may facilitate wider adoption of sandbar farming in the char areas of Bangladesh.
Suraia Akhter, M. H. Rahman, M. G. Farouque et al.· Asian Journal of Agricultura...· 0 citations
The study aimed at evaluating the agroforestry practices and access to incentives by farmers in Southwest Nigeria. The study adopted multistage sampling techniques to sample 465 smallholder arable farmers from Oyo, Ogun, and Osun States respectively. Moreover, primary data were collected using structured questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square (χ²) test. The parameters for the study were agroforestry practices and farmers' access to incentives. The results of the study showed that majority of respondents (61.9%) were mostly men. Moreover, majority of the respondents (87.7%) were mostly engaged in farming activities on smallholder farms with a mean farm size of 7.85 ha. Additionally, majority of respondents (81.9%) were mostly practicing cultivation of multipurpose trees on cropland, taungya (71.0%), border tree planting (63.7%), alley cropping (63.2%), improved tree fallow (62.8%) and agrisilviculture (58.1%) and live fence (52.9%) were mostly used agroforestry practices. Furthermore, the results of the study revealed that there existed a significant association between agroforestry practices and farmers' access to incentives (p < 0.01). Finally, the study found that availability of incentives could positively influence adoption and utilization of diverse agroforestry practices.
Oluwole Olalekan Oke, T. Banmeke, A. Adeoye et al.· FUDMA Journal of Sciences· 0 citations
Rural farm households continue to face significant risks from climate change, resulting in many of them diversifying their livelihood sources into other income‐generating activities to increase their incomes and improve food and nutrition security. In this study, we examine the drivers and impact of farm households' participation in livelihood diversification as a climate change adaptation strategy among livestock farmers in rural Pakistan. We employ a multinomial endogenous switching regression (MESR) model to account for potential selection bias from both observed and unobserved factors. The empirical results indicate that the average temperature and precipitation contribute significantly to the joint adoption of livestock and non‐farm activities among rural households. In addition, the total number of earning members in the household, total cultivated land, distance to city, and climate change information are significant drivers of participation in livelihood diversification strategies. The results also demonstrate that diversified households with three livelihood sources are more food secure compared to households who did not diversify or are less diversified with two livelihood sources. Our findings suggest that development policies in rural Pakistan should promote livelihood diversification by engaging farm households in other income‐generating activities to improve their food security.
Mahwish Arshad, A. Abdulai· Agribusiness· 0 citations