ABSTRACT
The study examines impact of (NDE) on the welfare of poultry farmers in Akwa Ibom State. The population of the study comprised 540 registered poultry farmers in the study area. A sample of 400 poultry egg and broiler farmers comprising of 200 beneficiaries and 200 non beneficiaries of the NDE intervention programme was selected using purposive sampling techniques. A questionnaire was developed for data collection. The instruments validated yielded reliability coefficients of 0.84. Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive survey design, multiple regressions, chow’s test and differences in means. The findings revealed that a unit increase in determinant such as educational attainment, poultry farming experience, farming income and value of variable inputs increased the welfare of both poultry egg and broiler farmers that have benefitted from the intervention programme positively while a unit increase in household size and non-farming income increases the welfare of both poultry egg and broiler farmers that are non beneficiaries, the chow test revealed the F-statistics of 0.92 implying that NDE intervention programme did not bring a significant improvement on the welfare status of poultry broiler farmers that benefitted from intervention programme While for egg poultry farmers, the chow test showed F-statistics of 1.67, implying that the impact of NDE intervention programme on egg farmers beneficiaries brought about a significant improvement on their welfare status. The difference in means revealed that the welfare status of the beneficiaries differ positively from non beneficiaries of the intervention programme.. The study concludes that the coefficient of the determinants of beneficiaries’ welfare were low, which implies that the effect of the NDE intervention programme were not sufficient to bring about more significant change on the welfare status of beneficiaries compared to non beneficiaries. It is therefore recommended among others that Government should help in stabilizing prices of feeds, drugs and also provide free vaccine to the birds. NDE should also increase their centers from one in each of the three senatorial district to each in the 31 local government area of the state to give more indigenes the opportunity of benefiting from the intervention program, to achieve this, they should partner with private individuals and all local authorities.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page
i
Certification
ii
Declaration
iii
Dedication
iv
Acknowledgements
v
Table of Contents
vi
List of Tables
x
List of Figures
xi
Abstract xii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background
to the Study 1
1.2 Statement
of Problem -
7
1.3 Objectives
of the Study
9
1.4 Research
Questions 10
1.5 Hypotheses
10
1.6 Significance
of the study
11
1.6 Scope
of the study -
12
CHAPTER 2:
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 13
2.1 Conceptual
Framework
13
2.1.1 Poultry
13
2.1.2 Broiler
production
16
2.1.3 Layer
production 17
2.1.4 Welfare
17
2.1.5 National
Directorate of Employment - 19
2.1.6 Sources
of National D E funds 21
2.2 Theoretical
Literature Review 23
2.2.1 Human
capital theory
23
2.2.2 Theory
of entrepreneurship
26
2.2.3 Theory
of change
29
2.3. Empirical
Literature Review 32
2.3.1 Socio-economic
characteristic of beneficiaries of NDE intervention program 32
2.3.2 Determinants
of the welfare status of poultry broiler’s farmers 34
2.3.3 Determinants
of the welfare status of poultry egg farmers 36
2.3.4 Impact
of NDE intervention programme on the welfare of poultry egg farmers 38
2.3.5 Impact
of NDE intervention program on the welfare of poultry broilers producers 41
2.3.6 Problems
facing poultry egg and Broiler’s farmers 45
2.4 Identified
Gap from Empirical Literature 52
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 53
3.1 Design
of the Study
53
3.2 Area
of the Study 53
3.3 Population
of the Study
54
3.4 Sample
and Sampling Technique
54
3.5 Data
Collection Technique-
55
3.6 Instruments
of Data Collection 55
3.7 Test
of Validity and Reliability of Instrument 56
3.8 Methods
of Data Analysis
59
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION OF THE
FINDINGS 65
4.1 Data
Presentation 65
4.1.1 Socio-economic
characteristics of beneficiaries of NDE intervention program in poultry farming
in Akwa Ibom State in Relation to their
welfare status (Egg farmers) 65
4.1.2 Socio-economic
characteristics of beneficiaries of NDE intervention program in poultry farming
in Akwa Ibom state in relation to their welfare status (Broiler farmers) 68
4.1.3 Estimate
the determinants of the welfare status of poultry broiler farmers in Akwa Ibom
State 71
4.1.4 Evaluate
the determinants of the welfare status of poultry egg farmers in Akwa Ibom
State 75
4.1.5 Evaluate
the impact of NDE intervention program on the welfare of poultry egg farmers 79
4.1.6 Determine
the Impact of NDE intervention program on the welfare of poultry broiler
farmers in Akwa Ibom State. 82
4.1.7 Challenges
facing poultry egg farmers in Akwa Ibom State 85
4.1.8 Challenges
facing Poultry Broiler’s Farmers in Akwa Ibom State (Farmers Responses) 87
4.2 Discussion
of the Findings 88
4.2.1 Ascertain
the socio-economic characteristics of beneficiaries of NDE intervention program
in poultry farming in relation to their welfare status 88
4.2.1.1.
Socio-economic characteristics of beneficiaries of NDE intervention
programme in poultry farming in Akwa Ibom State (Poultry egg farmers) 88
4.2.1.2
Socio-economic characteristics of beneficiaries of NDE intervention
programme in poultry farming in Akwa Ibom State (poultry broiler’s farmers) 89
4.2.2 Estimate the determinant of the welfare
status of broiler farmers in Akwa Ibom State (beneficiaries) 89
4.2.3 Evaluate the determinants of the welfare
status of poultry egg farmers beneficiaries in Akwa Ibom State 90
4.2.4 Evaluate
impact of NDE intervention programme on the welfare of poultry broiler farmers 92
4.2.5 Determine
the impact of NDE intervention programme on the welfare of poultry broiler
farmers in Akwa Ibom State. 93
4.2.6 Challenges
facing poultry egg and broilers farmers in Akwa Ibom State 93
CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS 95
5.1 Summary
of the Study
95
5.2 Conclusion
98
5.3 Contributions
to Knowledge 98
5.4 Recommendations
99
References
101
Appendix
112
LIST OF TABLES
3.1 Crombach
Alpha Reliability Test Output 57
4.1 Socio-Economic
Characteristics of Egg Farmers in Relation
to Their Welfare Status 65
4.2 Socio-Economic
Characteristics of Broilers Farmers in Relation to Their Welfare Status 68
4.3 Estimation
of the Determinants of Welfare Status
of Poultry Broiler Farmers who are Beneficiaries of NDE Program in Akwa Ibom State 71
4.4 Determinants
of the Welfare Status of Non NDE Beneficiaries
(Poultry Broilers Farmers 73
4.5 Estimation
of the determinants of welfare status of poultry NDE Beneficiaries poultry egg
farmers 75
4.6 Regression
Analysis of the determinants of welfare status of poultry egg farmers who non
Beneficiaries of NDE Program 77
4.7 Determinants
of NDE welfare status of beneficiaries and non beneficiaries of poultry Egg
Farmers in Akwa Ibom State (pooled) 79
4.8 NDE
Participation Effect: Test for Technical Change
80
4.9 Difference
in Mean 81
4.10 Determinants
of Welfare Status of NDE beneficiaries and non beneficiaries Poultry Broilers
Farmers in Akwa Ibom State 82
4.11 NDE
Participation Effect: Test for Technical Change
83
4.12 Differences
in Mean 84
4.13 Challenges
facing poultry egg farmers (farmers responses) 85
4.14 Challenges
facing poultry broilers farmers (farmers responses) 87
LIST OF FIGURES
2.1 Organizing
Components of a theory of charge diagram 31
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1.
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) is a leading
Federal Government of Nigeria Agency charged with the responsibility of
creating decent employment opportunities for the nation’s teeming unemployed
persons. Undertaken various employment promotion and poverty reduction
activities in Nigeria for more than two decades. This is in line with her mission statement,
goals and objectives of creating jobs, developing training programs and the
acquisition of vocational skills. The statutory mandates of the NDE include: to
designing and implement programs to combat mass unemployment and articulating
policies aimed at developing work programs with labor intensive potentials.
Other mandates of the NDE include:
obtaining and maintaining a data bank on employment and vacancies in the
country with a view to acting as a clearing house to link job seekers with
vacancies in collaboration with other government agencies; and implementing any
other policies as may laid down from
time to time by the Board established under sections of the enabling act (Adebisi
and Oni 2012).
In order to actualize these
mandates, the Directorate launched four well-articulated programs in 1987.
These four major programs of the NDE: are the national youth employment and
vocational skills development program, small-scale industries and graduate
employment program, special public works program and agricultural sector
employment program. The National Youth Employment and Vocational Skills
Development Program of the NDE are designed to take care of the majority of
Nigerian Youths who have no productive and marketable skills. The program is
run through the national open apprenticeship scheme, waste to wealth scheme,
schools on wheels scheme and disabled work scheme. Under the program,
The National Youth Employment and Vocational Skills
Development Program of the NDE are designed to take care of the majority of
Nigerian Youths who have no productive and marketable skills. The program is
run through the national open apprenticeship scheme, waste to wealth scheme,
schools on wheels scheme and disabled work scheme. Under the program, the
participants are required to register with the Federal Ministry of Employment,
Labor and Productivity’s local labor exchanges before being accepted as
trainees. When they have completed their period of apprenticeship thereby
acquiring the necessary skills, they become potential candidates for employer’s
consideration and absorption. Alternatively, those who can go into
self-employment are encouraged to do so. Another program of the NDE targeted
toward poverty reduction is the Small-Scale Industries and Graduate Employment
Program. The program is designed to assist the unemployed people set up their
own businesses. The participant is required to submit a feasibility study of
the intended venture, which is studied by a bank. ( Kabir and Jwamer 2018)
The loan for the venture which is given by a bank is
collateralized by the applicants’ degree certificates and guaranteed by NDE.
Such loan is repayable within a period of 5years at an interest rate determined
by the Central Bank of Nigeria. The NDE is disposed to such small businesses as
candle making, soap and detergent making, restaurants, agricultural production,
refuse collection, printing and publishing, fashion designing, textiles and
garment making, among others. The third program of the NDE worthy of mention is
the Special Public Works Program. This program seeks to give temporary
employment to a pool of the unemployed in maintaining public work. The state
governments in collaboration with the NDE identify projects to which
participants are deployed. These include: construction and maintenance of
roads, buildings and other infrastructure, tree planting, environmental
sanitation, land clearing and other farm support services. (Ogunlela (2012)
Another program of the NDE targeted toward poverty reduction
is the Small-Scale Industries and Graduate Employment Program. The program is
designed to assist the unemployed people set up their own businesses. The
participant is required to submit a feasibility study of the intended venture,
which is studied by a bank. The loan for the venture which is given by a bank
is collateralized by the applicants’ degree certificates and guaranteed by NDE.
Such loan is repayable within a period of 5years at an interest rate determined
by the Central Bank of Nigeria. The NDE is disposed to such small businesses as
candle making, soap and detergent making, restaurants, agricultural production,
refuse collection, printing and publishing, fashion designing, textiles and
garment making, among others. The third program of the NDE worthy of mention is
the Special Public Works Program. This program seeks to give temporary
employment to a pool of the unemployed in maintaining public work. The state
governments in collaboration with the NDE identify projects to which
participants are deployed. These include: construction and maintenance of
roads, buildings and other infrastructure, tree planting, environmental
sanitation, land clearing and other farm support services.
The agricultural sector
is also not left out of NDE intervention. This is in line with the recognition
of the fact that the agricultural sector happened to be one of major sectors
that drive socio-economic development in Nigeria. Up to the early 1970s, the
agricultural sector accounted for over 90 percent of the Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) in Nigeria and engaged about 80 percent of the labor forces especially in
the rural areas (Oji and Chukuwuma 2007). The Rural Employment Promotion
Program is designed by the NDE to take care of the agricultural sector. The
Rural Program is designed with the following objectives of generating rural
employment and improving incomes through agri-business engagements, promoting
the adoption of improved technologies in post-harvest handling, storage and
processing and promoting other non-farm rural employment activities in order to
stem the rural-urban drift (Amire and Ngwama 2015 ). The Rural Employment
Promotion Program uses training to stimulate the interest of all categories of
the unemployed persons (school leavers, graduates of tertiary institutions,
retirees, people with special needs etc.) in the rural areas to identify
business opportunities in the agricultural value chain for employment and
wealth creation. It builds the capacity of participants for the successful
management of different demand-driven viable agri-businesses with four major
activities namely sustainable agricultural development training scheme (SADTS),
the rural agricultural training scheme (RADTS), the integrated farming training
scheme (IFTS) and NDE Agricultural Park.
Sustainable agricultural
development training Scheme (SADTS) is a paradigm shift from the usual rural
agricultural training Scheme (RADTS) training which makes agricultural
production activities to be more sustainable. The target group includes
graduate of higher institutions, school leavers and retirees. It is one of the
NDE’s strategies to promote employment in agriculture through the training of
youths in farming methodologies.( Amire and Ngwama 2015).
The rural agricultural
training scheme (RADTS) is an agri-business training designed for unemployed
school leavers using experiential learning methods of on-farm demonstrations
with tutorials on industry best practices in seven skills namely: crop
production, livestock management, micro-livestock management, food processing,
preservation and storage, agro-services and farm mechanization. Participants
are also trained on enterprise management, business plan preparation, value-
enhancing life skills and success attitudes. They are encouraged to form
co-operatives in order to benefit from the resettlement package. The rural
agricultural training scheme (RADTS) is conducted in the agricultural skills
training Centre (ASTC) in states where they are functional or in alternative
training Centre (ATC) in states without ASTC.
The integrated farming
training scheme (IFTS) focuses on equipping trainees with agri-business skills,
life skills and success attitudes to unemployed graduates of tertiary
institutions that will lead to competence in the proper management of mixed
farming enterprises as agripreneurs. Beneficiaries are empowered with loan
packages to set-up mixed farms at the IFTS centres and are supported to succeed
with extension, technical, business and financial advisory services and
mentorship. The beneficiaries will undergo a month of tutorials in poultry and
fish ration formulation, export grade smoked fish production, crop cultivation,
green house technologies and business training. Agricultural Park is an
all-inclusive agribusiness cluster that is a hub of commercial activities with
a high employment generation potential training, mentorship and business
support. The agricultural park provides solutions to barriers to successful
entrepreneurship, promotes technology adoption and commercialization of products
of research and development and generates mass employment. The park is designed
for graduates and non-graduates. The training at the park is aimed at building
the capacity of the unemployed youths with appropriate skills for the
successful management of technology-driven and innovative small-scale
agribusinesses. Based on the above programs, it can be deduced that the
development of the agricultural sector is paramount to the National Directorate
of Employment (NDE).(Oji and Chukuwuma 2007)
One
major stakeholder in the agricultural sector is poultry farmers. Poultry
farming as described by Mukhtar (2018) is no doubt one of the most important
ways of alleviating the scourge of protein deficiency and poverty in Nigeria
and other developing countries. This is true because poultry can be set up
under different climatic settings and its products are acceptable to all races
and religious group (Mukhtar 2018).
Using the proceeds from sales of poultry products, poultry farmers can
buy other kinds of food or inputs to produce other types of foods thereby
helping in redistribution of income.
Poultry keeping also contributes to household nutrition, as many poor
households rely on their own poultry production to provide the main part of
their animal protein consumption (Epprecht, 2008). The Poultry industry if
properly harnessed can serve as a veritable source of foreign earnings
complementing crude oil which at present constitute the major chunks of foreign
earnings in Nigeria (Oladebo and Ambe –Lamidi 2017).
Though neglected in the development themes for a long time,
in recent time many researchers and development agents are making a strong
consensus that poultry farming plays a major role in poverty alleviation and
food security at household level. This, therefore, necessitates the need for
government to diversify the economy by encouraging poultry farmers thereby
improving their welfare needs. This may have necessitated the need for the
introduction of these aforementioned intervention programs by the National Directorate
of Employment (NDE). These intervention
programs supposedly are meant to improve the welfare of poultry farmers and
hence the study examines the impact of National Directorate of Employment’s intervention in poultry farming on the
welfare of poultry farmers in Akwa Ibom State.
1.2 STATEMENT
OF PROBLEM
The problem of poverty has been long standing issue in
Nigeria. This is indicated by the low social status and poor living conditions
of the inhabitants. The problem has been made worse over the years by the
development pattern which has favored the urban modern sector to the detriment
of the traditional rural sectors (World Bank, 2021). A recent poverty survey
assessment by NBS (2021) has shown that almost 133 million people live below
the country’s poverty line of ₦4,219.78 ($5.50.75) per day .. Pervez (2014)
argued that poverty reduction should be addressed with a multi-pronged approach
in order to achieve more marginal improvement in the standard of living of poor
households. According to World Bank (2021), reducing poverty requires not only
economic growth, good nutrition, income distribution, etc. but also investment
in agriculture so as to improve the production capacity of the households.
Despite the acknowledged importance of poultry farming in
Nigeria the output of poultry products (e.g., poultry meat and egg etc.) lags
behind other livestock products (Akanni 2017). It is worthy of note that
Nigeria has the highest number of poultry farmers as well as the highest
participation of people in poultry industry in Africa, but nothing to show for
it as various research outcomes have shown that most of these farmers run their
farms at very unsustainable profit margins due to lack of technical experience,
poor production methods, high cost of feeds, feeds prices keep increasing every
two weeks from ₦5500 in July2020 to ₦11200 at
July 2023, ,inadequate capital, non availability of drugs or vaccine,
high cost of day old chicks which price increased from ₦500 per carton in July
2021 to ₦4000 in July 2023, as well as poor management skill. This has
drastically reduced the out of farmers and encouraged most farmers to quit the
industry (FAO 2017). These, therefore, constitute a major hindrance to the
growth of poultry farming. This problem does not only affect poultry farmers
but it has a multiplier effect on Nigerians as more than 80 percent of the
households in Nigeria relate their poverty status to agriculture.
Despite
a series of radical measures which had been adopted by the federal government
to increase poultry production in Nigeria in the last few decades however, this
expectation is yet to realized which is the reason the federal government
created the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to undertake various
employment promotion and poverty reduction activities in Nigeria for more than
two decades now, which is in line with its mission statement, goals and
objectives of creating jobs, developing training programs and acquisition of vocational skills. On this
note, the NDE launched four well-articulated programs of which the agricultural
sector employment program is one of it. As the human population increases there
is a need for increase in poultry industry as well, so as to meet the demand
for its meat and egg since its meat is known to produce quality meat than the
red meat, and as the average Nigerian diet is deficient in quantity and quality
animal protein to maintain a normal life.
The
case of poultry farmers in Akwa Ibom State is not different as the declined of
commercial poultry production has been attributed to the shortage of Day-Old
Chick (DOC) poor quality feeds, problems of effective veterinary services, non-availability of drugs
and vaccines, inadequate of capital, no electricity but bills, requisite
technical skills in managing the birds and many other problems that affect
poultry production in Akwa Ibom State.
The welfare of
the citizens should be a priority of any responsive government as it has been
established that there is a strong relationship between welfare and economic
growth which in turn leads to development. As one of the key functions of NDE
is to improve the welfare of citizens, hence, this study on the impact of NDE
intervention and the welfare of poultry farmers in Akwa Ibom State becomes
imperatives.
1.3 OBJECTIVES
OF THE STUDY
The main objective of this study is
to evaluate the impact of NDE intervention program on the welfare of poultry
farmers in Akwa Ibom State. The specific
objectives of the study are to:
1. ascertain the socio-economic
characteristic of beneficiaries of the NDE intervention program in poultry
farming in Akwa Ibom State in relation to their welfare status;
2. estimate the determinants of the welfare
status of poultry broilers farmers in Akwa Ibom State;
3. evaluate the determinants of the welfare
status of poultry eggs farmers in Akwa Ibom State;
4. evaluate the impact of NDE intervention
program on the welfare of poultry egg farmers in Akwa Ibom
State;
5. determine the impact of NDE intervention
program on the welfare of broiler producers in Akwa Ibom
State;
6. identify the problems facing poultry eggs
and broilers farmers in Akwa Ibom
State;
1.4
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
This study will be
guided by the following six research questions
1.
What are the socio-economic characteristics of beneficiaries of NDE
intervention program in poultry farming in Akwa Ibom State about their welfare status?
2. How has Sex, Age, Household Size, Level of
education, Poultry Farming experience, Farm income, non-farm income, value of variable
inputs supplied by NDE to poultry broiler farmers, Depreciation of fix inputs
supplied by NDE and Credit received from NDE affected the welfare of poultry
broilers’ farmers.
1. How has Sex, Age, Household Size, Level of education,
Poultry Farming experience, Farm income, non-farm income, the value of variable
inputs supplied by NDE to poultry broiler farmers, Depreciation of fix inputs
supplied by NDE and Credit received from NDE affected the welfare of poultry
egg farmers.
2. What is the impact of the NDE
intervention program on the welfare status of poultry egg farmers in Akwa Ibom State?
3. What impact does NDE intervention
have on the welfare of broiler
producers in Akwa Ibom State?
4. What are the problems facing poultry
egg and broilers farmers in Akwa Ibom State?
1.5 HYPOTHESES
This
study was guided by the following hypotheses:
H01: Sex, Age, Household Size, Level of
education, Poultry Farming experience, Farm income, non-farm income, value of
variable inputs supplied by NDE to poultry broiler farmers, Depreciation of fix
inputs supplied by NDE, Credit received from NDE do not have significant effect
on the welfare of poultry broilers’ farmers.
H02: Sex, Age, Household Size, Level of
education, Poultry Farming experience, Farm income, non-farm income, value of
variable inputs supplied by NDE to poultry broiler farmers, Depreciation of fix
inputs supplied by NDE, Credit received from NDE do not have significance
effect on the welfare of poultry egg farmers.
Ho3:
The NDE intervention program does not have a significant impact on the
welfare of broilers producers in Akwa Ibom State
Ho4:
The NDE intervention program does not have a significant impact on the
welfare of poultry egg farmers in Akwa Ibom State
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study would be
of significance to the National Directorate of Employment as it would provide a
systematic, coherent and empirical evaluation of the impact of their
intervention program in poultry farming on the welfare of poultry farmers. This
would help them in the area of policy formulation and strategy.
Poultry farmers would benefit from this study in the sense
that this study will help them to know those factors affecting their welfare
status and reveal the impact of NDE intervention program in Akwa Ibom State on
their welfare. Furthermore, it would provide useful recommendations that will
help to enhance their production level as well as take care of their welfare
needs. It will also enlighten policy makers on the different socio-demographics
that could affect the welfare status of poultry farmers and provide useful
information for policy formulation.
This study will be
useful to other researchers by contributing immensely to the existing body of
literature on the subject matter. It will serve as a resource material to other
researchers due to examine of the structural shift in the impact of NDE
intervention program on welfare of the poultry farmers.
1.7 SCOPE / LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
This study is delimited to the impact of National
Directorate of Employment intervention program on welfare of poultry farmers in
Akwa Ibom State. This study focuses on
two different areas of poultry farming namely: poultry egg farmers and broiler
farmers.
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