COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF FADAMA III BENEFICIARIES AND NONE-BENEFICIARIES’ POVERTY STATUS: A FOSTER, GREER, AND THORBECKE DECOMPOSITION APPROACH

Abstract

The third National Fadama Development Scheme, which is a World Bank aided project was launched in Nigeria to reduce poverty, lessen food insecurity, and increase agricultural productivity. However, while many believed the project has been effective in addressing the challenges faced by rural households, some think the opposite due to the poor economic state of the farmers. Hence, this research investigates the poverty situation of the Fadama III beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries in Kwara State, Nigeria, in the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 and 2. The study randomly selects 120 Fadama III beneficiaries and 116 non-beneficiaries using a multistage sampling procedure. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Foster, Greer, and Thorbecke (FGT) poverty measure and logit regression model. The findings show that poverty was more pronounced amongst non-beneficiaries of the scheme compared to the beneficiaries, indicating that the program has a considerable effect on the livelihood of the beneficiaries. Sex of the household head, household size, farm size, off-farm income, and access to extension contact are significant variables influencing poverty amongst the beneficiaries. Thus, the study encourages an increase in the number of participants of the program (Fadama III) for improved wellbeing.

Keywords

• fadama iii
• foster
• greer
• and thorbecke (fgt)
• livelihood
• poverty