LIST OF ABSTRACT
VOLUME 3, No. 1 (MAY 2006)
Title: Poverty Reduction, Gender Equality and Micro-Credit Administration in
Nigeria: The Case of the Farmers Development Union
Authors: Adeeolu B. Ayanwale, Simeon A. Bamire and Taiwo Alimi Pages: 1-15
Recent poverty studies in Nigeria indicate an increasing incidence with rural women being the most vulnerable. The situation is attributable to poor access to productive resources, most especially credit to women. Governments’ inability to meet the demands for credit fully has resulted in the emergence of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) such as the Farmers Development Union (FADU) that complement ongoing efforts. This paper has resulted from a study on FADU’s micro-credit administration with the view to determining factors influencing its choice of micro-credit beneficiaries. The study entailed the use of a multi-stage random sampling procedure to select 200 beneficiaries in Ibadan in the Oyo State. Results reveal a conscious attempt to gender balance micro-credit administration in FRADU. Most of the facility was short term (less than a production season of 9 months), and more than 90 percent of the loan requests were granted. The reported income obtained by men was more than that obtained by women; however, the income obtained by both was more that their income before joining the program. Furthermore, the average income obtained by the beneficiaries was more than the acknowledged threshold income of $1.00 per day. In other words, the micro-credit enabled the beneficiaries to move out of the income poverty line. The use of a probit analysis revealed that farming experience, savings and total number of people in the household were key determinants in the selection of beneficiaries. The analysis revealed a 1.2 percent likelihood that micro-credit facility would be extended to women, compared to men, who have more years of experience.
Title: The Influence of Information and Communication Technology on Farm
Income in Katsina state of Nigeria.
Authors: Adeolu B. Ayanwale and Adewale A. Adekunle Pages: 16-34
Information is used increasingly in all aspects of human activity. The use of improved technologies is assisting in providing information in a timely manner. In spite of the fact that information has always been indispensable in political, economic and social development processes, the way that information is accessed and controlled is widely debated. The advent of the information and communication technologies (ICT) age has added another dimension to the debate. This study set out to examine the influence of Information and Communication Support for Agricultural Growth in Nigeria (ICS-Nigeria) project activities on the livelihood of farmers in the Katsina state of Nigeria. A multi-stage random sampling procedure was used to select 172 respondents made up of 85 participants and 87 non-participants in the programme. A qualitative method of analysis was used to analyse the data collected. Results suggest that participants become knowledgeable and thus adopt more improved farm practices. Consequently, they obtain more income than non-participant farmers, suggesting it will be useful to extend the frontiers of programme to other rural farmers with a view to improving their livelihood generally.