ASSESSMENT OF LAND DEGRADATION ON FARMERS’ LIVELIHOOD STRATEGIES IN ABIA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Environmental degradation has been a major menace and concern to environmentalists, policy makers and the general human populace. The study assessed the relationship between land degradation and farmers livelihood strategies in Abia state Nigeria. It also identified ways of curbing the menace. Primary data were used for this study with the aid of well structured questionnaire to obtain a total of 200 farmers in two Local Government Areas in the State which were prone to various forms of land degradation. The results showed that there was significant relationship between soil degradation and farmers’ livelihood strategies in the area, meaning that land degradation had some negative effects on farmers’ livelihood strategies. The relationships between different aspects of land management practices, crop productivity, household income and measures of land degradation were also analyzed. Rural households make choices about labor allocation and other investments to maximize their discounted expected lifetime welfare subject to factors that determine their income opportunities, constraints, and risks including their endowments of physical (livestock, equipments), human (education level, gender of household head, family size), natural (farm size, nutrient level of soil, top soil depth, vegetative cover) and financial (access to liquid assets and credit) capitals; land tenure; population pressure; commodity and factor prices; and access to markets, extension and other services. The respondents engaged in various nonfarm activities such as crafts making, palm wine tapping, wild life etc to enhance their welfare. Various factors were responsible for land degradation; heavy rainfall and topography. Farmers developed indigenous methods to combat the menace. The economic regression showed that three variables significantly affected farmers’ livelihood strategies namely natural capital which had a positive significant relationship with farmers’ livelihood strategies, for example additional farmland or vegetative cover ensured that farmers’ had better livelihood. Social capital also was significant because participation in technical assistance programs and other government extension services enhanced their livelihood also. Tenure characteristics were also significant as the farmers maximized the use of rented land and other resources to their advantage. Based on the research findings, it is recommended that farmers adopt land management practices at household and plot level. Farmers must also engage in other non farming activities to enhance their welfare.