SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES AND ALLEVIATING POVERTY IN THE POST-FUEL SUBSIDY ERA AMONG SMALL HOLDER MAIZE FARMERS IN PLATEAU STATE.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33003/jaat.2025.1102.032Keywords:
Sustainable Agricultural Practices, Poverty Alleviation, Post-fuel subsidy, Maize farmersAbstract
Sustainable agriculture, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, contributes to broader development of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study focused on Sustainable Agricultural Practices and Poverty Alleviation among Smallholder Maize Farmers in Plateau state, Nigeria. This study adopted Multistage sampling technique to randomly select 210 farmers. Primary data was obtained through structured questionnaire administration. Descriptive statistics, 5-point likert scale Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) and logit regression model. The result revealed that the average age of farmers was 52 years,85% of farmers were married, with an average household size of 5, 92% of farmers had education, with farming experience of 27 years and farm size was 3 hectares. The farm income was N603,742.86, and 58% of farmers were members of cooperative societies. The result further indicates that maize farmers exhibited a low frequency of adopting sustainable agricultural practices, with a grand mean value of 1.73. The result of Multidimensional Poverty Index indicate that male-headed households (HHs) had a Headcount Ratio (H) of 60.0% and an Intensity (A) of 38.2%, resulting in a Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) of 0.229, while female-headed HHs had a Headcount Ratio of 58.0% and a higher Intensity of 57.0%, leading to an MPI of 0.331. The results from the Logit regression model indicate adopting sustainable agricultural practices significantly reduces poverty. Challenges faced by the farmers in adopting SAPs were lack of awareness and technical knowledge, limited access to credit, poor infrastructure, lack of government support, and unpredictable weather patterns. The removal of fuel subsidies significantly increased input costs, leading to higher production expenses and reduced return on investment while sustainable agricultural practices have the potential to alleviate multidimensional poverty, their adoption remains low due to financial barriers, poor infrastructure, and inadequate technical support. Therefore, the study recommends: Farmers should diversify income sources through non-farm activities; Promoting farmer education, and encouraging knowledge-sharing on sustainable practices; and Government policies should focus on expanding access to credit and providing targeted subsidies for sustainable farming.
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