Determinants of poverty status among fluted pumpkin farmers in Onna Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study focused on the determinants of poverty status among fluted pumpkin farmers in Onna Local Government Area of AkwaIbom State. It specifically sought to describe the socio-economic characteristics of farmers, estimate the poverty status and analyzed the determinants of poverty among fluted pumpkin farmers in the study area . The study used simple random sampling technique to select 68 farmers out of 136 registered fluted pumpkin farmers in the study area. Data were obtained from primary source through the use of a set of structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistical measures, Foster, Greer and Thorbecke class of weighted poverty measures and inferential statistics. The results showed that majority of the respondents were females (75%), with a mean age of 44 years. About 48.5% of the total respondents had secondary education. The findings revealed that 28% of the fluted pumpkin farmers in the study area were poor. Seven percent (7.2%) is the extent to which the poor falls below the poverty line (poverty gap), and 2.8% is the distance separating the poor from the poverty line and the inequality among the poor (poverty severity). Therefore the amount required to bring an average poor to the poverty line was N605.50, while the average monthly amount required to bring all the poor to the poverty line was N16,954. Variables such as household size (1%), education (5%) and non-farm income (5%) were factors influencing poverty. It was therefore recommended that farmers should be encouraged to acquire formal education.