Factors Determining Urban Poverty of Farming Households in a Tropical Region

The study identified and estimated the factors that determine urban poverty using the Tobit regression model. The study was conducted in Akwa Ibom State, Niger Delta Region, Nigeria between February 2012 and July 2012. With the aid of questionnaire, primary data were obtained from 120 farming households using multi-stage sampling procedure. The participatory research involved 80 males and 40 females. Data were subjected to Tobit regression analysis. Results of Tobit regression showed that whereas sex of household head, farm size, ownership of assets, farm income, access to extension services and modern farming input, were inversely related to poverty depth; depending ratio, years of farming experience and marital status were directly related to poverty. Result further revealed that farm size, ownership of certain assets, access to modern farming inputs and farm income were negative but significant (P<.01). Dependency ratio and household heads farming experience were positively related to poverty depth and significant (P<.05) whereas access to extension services and sex of household heads were negatively related to poverty level and significant (P<.05). Expanding the size of cultivable lands, raising incomes from farming activities, and increasing the size of residential apartments could decrease the probability of being poor. Reducing the number of dependent household members and ensuring ready availability and accessibility of basic amenities like water supply and health care facilities to urban households are some measures that could curb the likelihood of poverty in the region