Perspectives on Livelihood Strategies of Urban Farmers in Nigeria: Empirical Evidence from South- South Region

Abstract

In the past few decades policy makers and donor agencies have been focusing their poverty reduction strategies in the rural areas of the developing countries but with little progress. There is every indication that rapid urbanization in developing countries particularly in Nigeria increases poverty. As such, urban dwellers in many developing countries have adopted many coping strategies. This paper examined the factors influencing choice of livelihood strategies by urban farmers in Nigeria. Results showed that socio-economic characteristics such as farm size (p < 0.01), gender (p < 0.01) and farming experience (p < 0.05) are the key variables influencing farmers’ choice of agricultural wage employment, while age of household heads (p < 0.05) and years of formal education significantly influenced choice of non-agricultural wage employment category. Capacity building, social and institutional support aimed at increasing household assets as well as promoting urban farming in Nigeria are recommended.