Livelihood Diversification among Sugarcane Farmers in Makarfi Local Government Area, Kaduna State

Abstract

An Assessment of livelihood diversification among sugarcane farmers was conducted in Makarfi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. A three-stage sampling procedure was used in the study. The first stage was the random selection of three wards (Makarfi, Tudunwada and Gubuchi) while in the second stage, two villages were also randomly selected from the three wards. Finally, random sampling was employed in selecting a total of one hundred and five (105) farmers from the three wards. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data collected. The result of the study showed that about 39% of the farmer`s income ranged between N110,000 - N150,000 and 46% cultivated below 1ha of land. Furthermore, the study revealed the diversified activities the farmers engage are of agricultural (e.g. livestock production) and non-agricultural forms (e.g. Okada/ tricycle commercial transport). It was found that the primary reason for the diversification is the non-stability of income from sugarcane production. The farmers’ major constraint was a lack of credit facilities to support their livelihood activities. Therefore, the study recommended the government and NGOs revive the rural financial system and provide a conducive policy for rural livelihood.