EFFECT OF 2012 FLOOD DISASTER ON THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF CASSAVA FARMERS

Code No: 143506

₦5,000.00

ABSTRACT

The study examined the effect of flood disaster on the socio-economic characteristics or cassava farmers in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State.
Simple random sampling procedure was used to select 100 respondent from four communities. A well structured interview schedule was used to obtain data. Descriptive statistics, and t-test were employed in the analysis.
The results showed that there were more male farmers in the study area when female farmers. Most of the farmers were married and they practice full time farming. Few of the farmers have at least 2 hectare of their farm size. Most of the farmers were also into other crop cultivation like vegetable and yam and most of the farmer were into commercial farming. The Correlation showed significant relationship between respondentâ€™s socio-economic characteristic and the general effect of flooding and the t-test establish a statistically differences between the effect of flooding on output. This study therefore recommends that Government show empower the people living in the area by creating jobs to reduce the poverty rate in the study area.

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
The world at large has suffered natural disasters (flood) throughout its long history. They displace and disrupt thousands of families, and having more traumatic effect in the poorest of nations, crippling what are often already woefully inadequate economic development efforts, and destroying infrastructure (Delaney et al, 2004). Natural disasters are happening more often and having an ever more dramatic effect on the world in terms of both their agricultural, human and economic costs. Floods are dangerous to peoplesâ€™ lives and their aftermath results to death, destruction, misery and trauma. One of the major repercussions that flood disasters have is on agriculture especially food crops like cassava production.
Unlike other investment activities, cassava is exposed to a large variety of risks and uncertainties from the vagaries of nature such as bad weather conditions, pests and diseases, flood, erosion and fire outbreaks. According to Jafia (1988) examples of such risks and uncertainties that have occurred in Nigeria include, the Cassava Bacteria Blight (CBB) of 1973)/74 cropping season which caused the loss of about 162.500 tons of cassava tubers in the east, and frequent flooding and drought problems. Also the serious drought years of 1982-1984 seasons and even the poor rainfall situations in 1987/88 seasons affected agricultural productivity as well. According to Taylor (1977), he identified crop losses in Nigeria as due to pest and diseases Okoye (1987) showed among others a pre-harvest loss of 10% on cassava partly due to pest and diseases..