Abstract
Ambiguity over the effectiveness of agricultural intervention is more pronounced in rural areas where the majority of North West Nigeria’s poor population, and those involved in agriculture, reside. Further characterising these areas is the paucity of research on the issue of differentiation within the smallholder community. Specifically, definite classification of households based on efficiency, food security and income status remains inadequate. The study explores smallholder households’ differentials on the basis of these three phenomena, and other factors that affect smallholder typologies. Data was collected from 306 randomly selected smallholders involved in the Middle Rima Valley Irrigation Project, Sokoto State, Nigeria. Smallholders’ technical efficiency and households’ Food Consumption Score (FCS) were assessed. Also, Pearson correlation analysis, a segmentation approach using cluster analysis and multinomial regression model were used for the study. The study showed that the mean efficiency level of smallholder farms was 85.9% and that the majority of the households were food insecure. It also established a significant positive relationship between efficiency, income and food security status, and some degree of class stratification among the households. Differences in household characteristics determine variation in the efficiency, food security and income of households. Farm size, farming experience and diversification were major factors influencing households’ livelihoods. Recommendations emanating from the study include an increased focus on improving human capital, sustainable intensification and livelihoods diversification.
Highlights
An enduring narrative about agriculture is its present and potential contribution to global development
Given that Food Consumption Score (FCS) scores that range between 0–21 and 21.5–35 are categorised as poor and borderline respectively and a score greater than 35 is classified as an acceptable food security level (WFP, 2008), it is evident that the majority of the households had unacceptable food security levels
The partitioning allows for the testing of the hypothesis that farming and socio-economic characteristics of households affect smallholder typologies based on efficiency, food security and income status of the households
Summary
An enduring narrative about agriculture is its present and potential contribution to global development. A main target of Goal 1, which aims at ending poverty in all forms globally, focused on the eradication of extreme poverty for all people everywhere by 2030. Goal 2 seeks to end hunger, achieve food security and adequate nutrition for all, and promote sustainable agriculture. The association between agricultural productivity and income is laid bare in target 2.3 which aims to double the agricultural productivity and incomes of smallholders by 2030 (Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), 2017). Meeting these objectives requires that adequate attention be paid to agriculture, owing to its relevance to socio-economic transformation
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