Abstract

Poverty experienced by crop farmers’ households in crude oil polluted areas of Rivers State, Nigeria was determined using socio-economic variables. Data were collected by multistage sampling technique and a total of 296 questionnaires were analysed. Results of crop farming experience showed that there was higher level of incidence of poverty (P₀ = 63.8%) among crude oil polluted crop farmer households as compared to P₀ = 52% in non-polluted and P₀ = 58.2% in all crop farmer households surveyed in the state, significant at 1%. There were more headcount poverty (P₀ = 65.3%) among crude oil polluted crop farmer households than among non-polluted (P₀ = 49.7%) and in all crop farmer households surveyed (P₀ = 56.4%) using household heads membership to cooperative societies (significant 1%).  None membership of cooperative society contributed 80% of overall poverty. There was more poverty experienced at P₀, P₁ and P₂ measures in households without other working members which contributed 57.8 to 63.8% of overall poverty. The poverty experienced among crude oil polluted crop farmer households (P₀ = 65.9%) was higher than in non-polluted (P₀ = 52.8%) and P₀ = 57.3% in all households surveyed using other working members.  The study found out that the reason for higher level of headcount poverty experienced among crude oil polluted crop farmer households was due to the presence of crude oil pollution on their crop farms. Therefore, crude oil pollution increased poverty level of crop farmers in Rivers State, Nigeria.

Key words: Poverty, farming experience, cooperatives membership, working members, oil pollution, Nigeria.