ANALYSIS OF LIVELIHOOD DIVERSIFICATION STRATEGIES BASED ON THE SOURCES OF INCOME OF WOMEN CROP FARMERS IN GOMBE STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study analyzed the livelihood diversification strategies based on the sources of income of women crop farmers in Gombe State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used in selecting 416 respondents. Data were collected using structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The major sources of income as perceived were on-farm activities which included livestock farming (62.5%) and crop production (54.8%) while off-farm activities were marketing (65.4%) and processing (54.3%) of farm produce whereas basket weaving (68.3%), laundry cleaning (65.9%) and tailoring (63.7%) were the major non-agricultural livelihood activities. The result also shows that majority (72.8%) of the respondents had access to extension agents and 35.7% were frequently visited monthly. Furthermore, the result revealed that marital status (P<0.01), years of membership (P<0.01), access to credit (P<0.05), land (P<0.05), household head (P<0.10) and household size (P<0.10) were the factors influencing livelihood diversification in the study area. The result of propensity score matching of the livelihood diversification index on income showed (P<0.05) between the treatment and the control. The study concluded that marital status, years of membership, access to credit, and household size were the major factors influencing livelihood diversification in the study area. It is recommended that women should be encouraged to diversify and participate more in extension programs for exposure to communication media and embrace more diversification opportunities.