EFFECTS OF INSURGENCY ACTIVITIES ON LIVELIHOOD OF SMALLHOLDER RICE FARMERS IN BORNO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examines the effects of insurgency activities on livelihood of smallholder rice farmers in Borno State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 207 respondents. Data collected through the administration of structured questionnaire and analysed both descriptive and inferential. The findings revealed that the respondent had mean age of 41years, majority (89.4%) were married. The mean years spent in school by the respondents was 5years, with an average farming experience, household size and farm size of 15 years, 4 persons and 2 hectares respectively. Majority (62.3% and 80.7%) of the respondents were members of cooperative society and had no access to credit. Half (50.7%) of the respondent had extension contact. The further revealed that all (100%)of the respondents reported that verbal and written threat was the most pronounced activities of insurgency in the study area. Results on the effects of insurgency activities on rice farmers livelihood established that the yields pre and during insurgency were 41.14 bag and 22.87 bag, the incomes pre and during insurgency were N1,292,188.40 and N818,855.7 and levels of living pre and during insurgency were N2,118,777.77 and N981,502.41 for the farmers respectively. Commercial transport (Taxi, Bus and Napep) was the most used strategy by smallholder rice farmers to mitigate and cope with effects of insurgency, with the highest mean score of 4.40 (SD=0.96). The study concluded that insurgency activities has negative effect on the livelihood of rice farmers as there yield, income and level of living decreases pre and during insurgency. Therefore, it was recommended that government and relevant security agencies should increase the deployment and support for community based security outfits like the CJTF in rice farming communities.