Impact of the Anambra State Fadama Project Phase -1 on the Socio-economic Life of the Rural Farmers

Abstract

The study was undertaken to evaluate the Fadama phase-one vegetable production project of the Anambra State Agricultural Development Project (ADP). Data for the study were collected from 160 vegetable growers (80 project farmers and 80 non-project farmers), through the use of a set of structured interview schedule. Percentage, mean scores, factor analysis, t-test, and chi-square statistics were used in the data analysis. The result of the study indicated that telfaria and okra production were most preferred to other vegetables during dry and wet seasons, respectively, mainly due to their high income generating capacity, high market demand, high yielding capacity and usefulness and readily availability to the family. The project made some appreciable socio-economic impact on the growers and the socio-economic aspirations of the Project Farmers (PFs) shifted from personal to farm improvement for fadama vegetable production. The major constraints to the full implementation of the project objectives in the area included post-harvest, logistics and poor fadama incentive problems. It was therefore, recommended that there should be timely and adequate provisions of fadama inputs and infrastructure; and that low cost but improved technologies for storage, transportation, processing and marketing of fadama vegetable produce should be introduced by the National Fadama Development Project (NFDP) management.