Socio-economics characteristics, income inequality, and poverty status of female headed cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) farming households in federal capital territory, Nigeria

The study evaluated the socio-economic characteristics, income inequality and poverty status of female headed cassava farming households in Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. Primary data were used for the study. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select a total sample size of three hundred and three (303) households from the two area councils. The data were analyze using descriptive statistics, Foster-Greer-Thorbecke (FGT) poverty index, Gini coefficients, Probit model analysis, and principal components analysis (Factor Analysis). From the results about 59.73% of the female headed cassava farming households were less than 50 years old. 31.35% of the female headed cassava farming household were married. The mean household size was about12.00 persons. The mean annual income was 374, 868 Naira. About 56.77% of the female headed cassava farming household were poor given a poverty line N9, 009.37. In addition, 76% of female headed cassava farming households fell into annual income of below N500, 000 and they control 40% of the market share. The Gini coefficient was calculated to be 0.62. Maximum Likelihood Estimates (MLE) of the Probit Model shows that the coefficients of marital status (P<0.01), educational level (P<0.05), household size (P<0.01), income (P<0.1), and sources of livelihood (P<0.1) were the statistically and significant factors influencing poverty status among the female headed farming households in the study area. The results of the multinomial Logit model analysis show that the factors that statistically and significantly influencing the income inequality of female headed farming households in the study area, were coefficient of marital status (P<0.05), educational level (P<0.10), access to credit(P<0.05), and sources of livelihood (P<0.05) for low income earners. Educational level (P<0.01), access to credit (P<0.10) and farm size (P<0.01), were statistically and significant factors influencing income inequality or income distribution among high income earners among female headed farming households. Trading enterprise, cassava flour/garri processing, and palm/ groundnut oil pressing were major coping strategies employed by the female headed households to against poverty and income inequality. Based on the findings it was concluded that there was high income gap or income inequality among female headed farming households and they were poor. It was recommended that policies that will help create more credit access/programs in terms of loan at low interest rates for women should be implemented at all tiers of government to help mitigate and reduce the poverty among female headed household. Women should also be encouraged to diversify their sources of livelihood this will help them to have a relative equality or balance in their income levels all year round. Facilities should be made accessible to farmers, provision of rice processing equipment should be made available, more effort to empower women should be designed, contract farming and marketing should be encouraged, and information dissemination via communication devices for increased market participation and increased value sold among rice farmers should be a priority to eradicate poverty and improve livelihood.