Vulnerability to Livelihood-shocks Among Agrarian Households in Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The impacts of livelihood shocks on agrarian population especially the natural resource-dependent smallholder farmers in Nigeria cannot be over-emphasized, as this devastating event renders many farmers vulnerable because of limited adaptive capacity. Therefore, this study examined the vulnerability of agrarian households to livelihood shocks using a sample size of 368 farmers selected from Oyo State, Nigeria, through a multistage sampling technique, and from whom relevant data were elicited. This study applied the livelihood vulnerability index approach, and composite score technique to decipher the vulnerability space of the respondents, and for the ordinal categorization of the respondents into different vulnerability categories, respectively. The study also used proportional odds model to investigate the determinants of livelihood vulnerability from the perspective of adaptive capacity vis-à-vis the livelihood capital assets of the farmers. Findings from the study indicated that farmers suffered heavily from crime and economic related shocks due to the farmers-herdsmen conflict, while covariate and idiosyncratic related stressors were also reported by the farmers. Findings also indicated a high level of farmers’ exposure to shocks, with a moderate sensitivity to shocks, and a low adaptive capacity, which apparently pre-dispose the farmers to a serious vulnerable position. The farmers’ adaptive capacity linkage of the livelihood capital assets were also found to contribute significantly to farmers’ vulnerability status in the study area. The study recommended strengthening of physical, human, natural, social, and financial capital assets in building a sustained adaptive capacity of the farming population.