The Impact of the Fadama II Intervention on Rural Households in Kogi and Kwara States, Nigeria

Abstract

The Fadama II project was designed to reduce poverty by improving the living condition of the rural poor, contribute to food security and increase access to rural infrastructure. This study estimates the direct impacts of the project on poverty reduction in respect of the project beneficiaries. The study employed a multistage sampling technique to select 480 households from Fadama II Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 120 households from non-Fadama II LGAs in Kogi and Kwara states of Nigeria. Poverty index as well as propensity score matching (PSM) were used to determine the direct impact of the project on the beneficiary households. The results showed that average per capita daily calorie intake for the beneficiaries was higher than the minimum of 2,250 kilocalories per person per day recommended for the country. The average per capita daily protein intake for the beneficiaries was also higher than the 35g minimum per person per day recommended from animal material. The poverty index indicated that the percentage of households below poverty line was lower among the beneficiaries. The results from PSM estimates on household income showed that Fadama II had a statistically significant positive impact on incomes of participants in both states as expected given the large and significant impact it had on their productive assets. Overall, the study concluded that Fadama II had impacted positively on the beneficiaries and therefore recommended that Fadama programme be sustained and expanded through greater support from donor, local, state and federal governments of Nigeria.