Socioeconomic assessment of households in the fishing and livestock farming communities along the course of River Benue in Adamawa State, Nigeria | |
| Author | Bello, Suleiman Dawud |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no.AQ-21-04 |
| Subject(s) | Livestock farms--Economic aspects--Nigeria Fishers--Nigeria--Economic conditions Households--Economic aspects--Nigeria |
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Aquaculture and Aquatic Resources Management |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | The natural resources that exist along the course of rivers and other water bodies have always been the major source of livelihood for human communities worldwide, including Nigeria. However, the use of these resources is marked by competing claims of the available resources. This study examined the livelihood vulnerability and food security status of households in the fishing and livestock farming communities along the River Benue in the Adamawa State of Nigeria, intending to explore the potential of aquaculture as an alternative livelihood option for these households. The key livelihood activities along the course of River Benue are fishing activities, crop agriculture, and livestock (nomadic) activities. Intensification of livelihood activities has resulted in depletion of resources and sustainability of benefits derivable from the River Benue leading to persistent resource use conflicts among the dependent communities. Therefore, the specific objectives of this study were to explore the social and economic status of households in the fishing and livestock farming communities along the River Benue; to examine livelihood vulnerability of households in the fishing and livestock farming communities; to assess the food security status of households in the fishing and livestock farming communities, and to explore the potential of aquaculture as an alternative livelihood option for these households. Data for this study were collected by field surveys, key informant panel interviews, and group discussions involving households belonging to the fishers and livestock farming communities in the nine local government areas in the Adamawa State of Nigeria bordering the River Benue. Overall, 324 households (162 each from fishing and livestock communities) were interviewed using a multi-stage cluster sampling procedure and a semi-structured questionnaire. The analytical methods used include descriptive statistics, livelihood vulnerability index, food security index, and binary Logit regression model to examine the influence of socioeconomic, technical, and institutional factors on the decision to adopt aquaculture as an alternative livelihood option. The study examined the livelihood vulnerability of fishing and livestock farming households along the course of the River Benue by applying the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) with particular emphasis on the access to and utilization of water resources of the River Benue. The results showed that households in the fishing community were more exposed and sensitive to climate change and weather variability in terms of water, food status, and natural disasters, whereas the livestock farming community (herders) was more vulnerable in terms of the households’ adaptation capacity, taking into account the socio-demographic aspects and livelihood strategies. The food security status of households based on the daily calorie intake of 2360 kcal per capita per day revealed that both communities were at high risk of food insecurity, while the number of households from herder farming community (88) was better food secured than the fisher communities (73). This indicates that only 45% of the fisher communities and 54% of the herder communities could meet the recommended calorie intake of 2360 kcal. The food security status of both communities was influenced by age, income, household size, educational level and land ownership. The results also revealed that approximately 67% and 90% of the artisanal fishermen and livestock herders were willing to adopt aquaculture as an alternative livelihood option. Age, occupation, fishing experience, education level, and perception of fish demand were found to influence the adoption of aquaculture as a livelihood option significantly. Specific training programs and other capacity development measures targeted at the educated, young artisanal fishers are recommended. This is expected to encourage them to engage in small-scale aquaculture activities, develop the sector as an alternative livelihood option for their sustenance, and enhance the food and nutritional security of the growing population in Nigeria. The results of the present research have significant policy implications on the initiation of projects to support the fishers and herder communities in Nigeria and other developing countries in Africa and Asia, aimed at improving the food security status, climate change mitigation, adaptation, and household resilience, for implementation by governments at all levels, donor agencies, NGOs and related organizations. |
| Year | 2021 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (Former title: Department of Food Agriculture, and BioResources (DFAB)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Aquaculture and Aquatic Resources Management (AQ) |
| Chairperson(s) | Salin, Krishna R. |
| Examination Committee(s) | Datta, Avishek;Zulfiqar, Farhad;Kuwornu, John K. M. |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund). Petroleum Technology Development Fund |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2021 |