ABSTRACT

The study examined the effects of soil erosion on livelihood activities of rural farm households in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.  The specific objectives are (i) describe the socio-economic characteristics of the rural farm households (ii)  identified the causes of soil erosion in the area (iii) identified the perceived effects of soil erosion on the livelihood farm households in the area of study (iv) identified the livelihood strategies of the respondents in the study area (v) estimated the determinants of livelihood of the respondents (vi)  identified the measures used in controlling soil erosion in the study area (vii) estimated the determinants of soil erosion control measures used by the farmers. A purposive sampling technique was used for the selection of 356 respondents that were used for the study. The study made use of primary data which were sourced with the aid of questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed with the use of descriptive statistic and econometric tools such as regression analysis and multinomial logit model. The result of the study showed that most of the farmers in the study area were males (66.3%). Majority (41.6%) of the farmers fell within the age bracket of 41-50 years. There were more (96.7%) educated farmers in the state. Majority (56.2%) of the farmers were married with household size of 4-6 persons. Most (56.2%) of the farmers were members of social organizations and had monthly non-farm income of ₦75 237.09 and above. The mean farm size of the farmers was 2.3ha with a mean of 9 years farming experience. Majority (84.8%) of the farmers had access to credit facilities but did not access it. The farmers had less contact with extension agents. Majority (68.5%) of the farmers cultivated on flat lands in the study area.  Personal savings and Osusu served as the main sources of fund with percentages of about 84% and 8% respectively. The farmers farm on their inherited farm land (66.85%) and on small scale. Sheet and gully erosion were the most perceived types of erosion in the State. Causes of soil erosion elicited in the study area included overgrazing ( =2.74), sand excavation ( =3.24), climate change ( =3.17), road grading ( =2.97), etc. The effects of soil erosion identified in the State included reduction in the quality of crops, food shortage, increase in the prices of food, etc. The livelihood activities of the respondents were farming, trading, barbing, hunting, fishing, carpentry, etc. The result of OLS regression model showed that sex, education, market distance, farm income, household size, farm topography, extension contact, membership of cooperatives and access to rural infrastructure significantly influenced livelihood activities of the people in Akwa Ibom State. The strategies adopted by the farmers for the control of the effect of soil erosion in the State were vegetative, structural and management measures.  Multinomial logit regression model showed that age, education, household size, credit, non-farm income, sex, training, extension visit, bumper harvest and topography significantly determined the adoption of the various soil erosion control measures in the study area. The study recommended that human activities on the soil be regulated by government agencies, control measures be designed to address the problem of the soil erosion, etc as they will help in reducing erosion and hence improve the livelihood activities of the farmers.