ABSTRACT

The on-going campaign for increased food crops production rests on rural farmers for its success. One obstacle is the increasing soil infertility due to oil spillage caused by the oil and gas industry. The study examined livelihoods and poverty status among rural arable crop farm households in oil-spilled and non-oil-spilled areas of Bayelsa State of Nigeria. The study identified and categorized the constraints limiting livelihood activities in the rural farm households; estimated the determinants of farm income of oil-spilled and non-oil spilled farm households; and compared the poverty profile of the categorized households. In addition, the study analyzed the factors affecting the standard of living of oil-spilled and non-oil spilled farm households. Primary data were collected through a multistage sampling technique to form a total sample size of 120 respondents. The study employed both descriptive statistics such as means, percentage and frequency distribution and inferential statistics such as Froster, Greer and Thorbecke weighted poverty index (FGT); multiple regression analysis and Chow's test. For the oil-spilled households, many of the respondents had 11-20 years of farming experience, as against (35%) for the non-oil-spilled households. While 86.7% of the oilspilled households combined farming with other livelihoods, only 83.3% of the non-oilspilled households did so. The statistically significant determinants of farm income in the oil-spilled households were age, household size, farm size, years of farming experience and labour cost; while for the non-spilled farm households, age, educational level, years of farming experience, labour cost, and access to credit were the significant variables. The estimated standard of living functions revealed that while age, gender, primary employment, labour cost and educational level significantly influenced standard of living of oil-spilled farm households, while household size, age, primary employment, labour cost and incidence of violence significantly affected the standard of living of the non-oil-spilled farm households. About 52% of the oil-spilled farm households fell below the poverty line and are therefore the poor households, compared to the non-oil-spilled farm households (47%). There was a statistical significant difference in farm incomes of the two groups of households (at 1% level of significance). The major constraints to livelihood activities in the area (in order of importance) were inadequate land, poor input supply, financial constraints, high cost of xi significance). The major constraints to livelihood activities in the area (in order of importance) were inadequate land, poor input supply, financial constraints, high cost of labour, youth restiveness, and transport/corn mu nication problems. There should be concerted action by the various levels of government to develop policies geared towards making arable land readily available and accessible to farmers for agricultural purposes. Public policy on the management of oil pollution must evolve through collaborative arrangement between the government and the communities of the oil producing areas. The policy on replacement of ageing pipelines should be pursued vigorously. This will halt the continual degradation of the Niger Delta environment, and regulate the environmental consequences of oil spillage, as well as guarantee the people a better livelihood.