Social economic factors influencing adoption of non-farm poverty coping strategies in Kuje area council, Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

In spite of an abundance of human and material resources, poverty is a reality in emerging countries and has recently been increasing quickly, particularly in Nigeria. The study evaluated socioeconomic factors impacting rural women in Kuje Area Council, Abuja's use of non-farm poverty coping mechanisms. Determine the socioeconomic traits of rural women farmers; assess the poverty coping mechanisms used by rural women farmers; identify socioeconomic factors influencing the adoption of poverty coping mechanisms by rural women farmers; and identify barriers associated with poverty coping mechanisms used by the rural women farmer. These were the specific objectives of the study. The rural women farming households in the research area were chosen using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the data, including frequency, mean score, percentages, and the statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 23. According to the results of the socioeconomic factors impacting the usage of poverty coping techniques, the majority of respondents (26%) were between the ages of 50 and 59, (74%) were married, had households with six to ten members, and (56%) had no formal education. It is clear from the study that the rural women farmers in the study area lived in extreme poverty. Hawking was a common approach for living with poverty, and it was followed by the tailoring industry, an increase in the number of hours worked each day, the weaving industry, and home trading, among other strategies. According to the findings, the biggest obstacles rural women farmers face in overcoming poverty are high transportation costs, inadequate finances, limited access to credit, limited access to land, poor education, and sociocultural restrictions (Purdah), According on the study's findings, the following suggestions were made: In order to strengthen their adopting behavior, managerial skills, and adaptability for diverse coping techniques, farmers must be encouraged to participate in educational programs such as adult education, skill acquisition and training, conferences, and workshops.