Estimating the determinants of poverty among artisanal fishing households in Edu and Moro local government areas of Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined poverty and estimate its determinants among artisanal fishery households in Edu and Moro Local Government Areas of Kwara State. A multi stage random sampling technique was used to select 160 fishermen for the study. Primary data were obtained with the aid of well structured questionnaire and interview schedule. Descriptive statistics and tobit regression model were employed in the analysis of the data. 69.4% of pooled fishermen did not have formal schooling and about 91% were males. Using the maximum likelihood estimation technique. Asymptotic parameter estimates were evaluated to describe poverty determinants. Except for age, marital status and fishing experience, all other explanatory variables specified in the tobit model were significant. It is recommended that artisanal fishermen in the study area should be educated to ensure proper understanding of new fishing methods and adopt technology capable of increasing not only the profitability of the enterprise and improvement in the quality of life of rural households but also make efficient use of the fishing resources.

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“…Education is a vital route to improved efficiency and increased yield which in turn reduces poverty. The result was synonymous with findings of Schubert (1994), FOS (1999, Etim and Patrick (2010) and Oladimeji et al (2013) who observed that people with lower levels of education were more prone to poverty.…”

“…Also, in the region, male-headed farm households are usually involved in other off-farm activities which provide additional income and hence enhancement of household welfare. Federal Office Statistics (1999), Osinubi (2003), Etim (2007), Etim and Patrick (2010), Oladimeji et al (2013) found that the incidence of poverty in female-headed households was higher than in male-headed households across Nigeria. This result is vital as it reveals the importance of integrating/mainstreaming gender in future poverty related studies among smallholder farmers in the area.…”

“…This may be attributable to the fact that married fish farm household heads had large household sizes, which increased dependency and thus lowered welfare status than those farm households headed by unmarried people. Etim and Patrick (2010) and Oladimeji et al (2013) found that the menace of poverty is low in households with unmarried heads. They explained that households with married heads tend to have larger household size, which raises the dependency ratio.…”

“…Previous researchers have found that accessibility/affordability of healthcare services, fish farming output and ownership of assets reduced poverty among farming households in subSaharan Africa (Nkpoyen, Bassey, & Uyang, 2014;Ndamu, 2016;Musuka & Musonda, 2013;Apata, Apata, Igbalajobi, & Awoniyi, 2010;Onyeiwu & Jialu, 2011;Etuk et al, 2015). While there remains a debate as to whether poverty is a reflection of the socioeconomic status of farmers (Federal Office of Statistics, 1999;Edet, Nsikak-Abasi, & Esu, 2009;Igbalajobi, Fatuase and Ajibefun, 2013), several research studies have shown that socioeconomic characteristics, such as age, labour in farm operations, household size, and farming experience, reduced poverty in fish farming households in Nigeria (Etim, 2007;Etim, Edet, & Okon, 2008;Etim, Edet, & Esu, 2009;Oladimeji, Abdulsalam, Damisa, & Omokore, 2013;Etim & Patrick, 2010).…”

“…On the other hand, empirical evidence has shown that poverty is negatively associated with income, gender, marital status and education (Osinubi, 2003;Etim, 2007;Etim, & Patrick, 2010;Faisal et al, 2005;Oladimeji et al, 2013). Research has also shown that membership of social organizations and pond size decreased poverty in rural households in Nigeria.…”