ABSTRACT

The study assessed livelihood activities and poverty alleviation among rural women in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The study used primary data from a cross section of women. In all, 1 50 respondents were selected for the study using multi-stage sampling procedure. Data for the study were obtained with the aid of a questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, namely, frequencies, percentages, ranks; Foster, Greer and Thorbecke weighted poverty index; Tobit regression model; the chi-square; and Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient. The study revealed that 32.7% of the respondents were aged between 3 1 and 40 years, with 67.3% being married, and 33.3% having primary education with household size of I to 5 persons (62.7%). About 36.0% of the respondents engaged in farming as their primary occupation, with 68.7% of them living in male-headed households and 44.0% of them living in blocklbrick houses with corrugated iron roof. About 22.8% of the rural women were involved in drop farming as a livelihood activity and earned N19, 204.55 monthly from Salaried jobs. They suffered from poor quality land/low fertility (x=2.50) as the most severe constraint to their livelihood activities. The mean per capita expenditure of the rural women was N5246. 1 6 for which a poverty threshold of N3497.43 was obtained. This poverty line is an indication that 58% of the rural women in the study area were poor. Findings from FGT weighted poverty measure revealed that the poverty depth and severity were 10% and 23% respectively for moderate poverty. The result of Tobit regression showed that incomes from the women's livelihood activities led to a decrease in the level of poverty by 0.5 196. Tobit regression further showed that access to credit facilities, access to extension services, livelihood activities index and involvement of the other household members of the rural women in the women's livelihood activities led to decrease in the level of poverty by 0.2231, 0.2916, 0.3201 and 0.8713 respectively. On the other hand, a unit increase in the household size of the respondents and access to modern farm inputs increased poverty by 0.4660 and 0.2099 respectively. Chi-square analysis revealed that the level of incomes earned from livelihood activities by the respondents was significantly dependent on their educational status, primaly occupation and family structure. The Pearson's product moment correlation analysis showed that the number of livelihood activities engaged in by each respondent was significantly related to the incomes earned from the activities. The study recommended population education and birth control measures aimed at reducing household size; increased access to credit facilities and extension services; and increased xi" involvement in diverse livelihood activities as strategies to poverty alleviation among rural women in the State.