Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and rural development", Vol. 16 ISSUE 1
Written by Amurtiya MICHAEL, Abdu Karniliyus TASHIKALMA, Ahmadu Abubakar TAFIDA, Mark POLYCARP

Diversifying livelihoods has become a common concept in development discourse across the globe in recent decades. The focus of this study was to analyse non-farm diversification in rural Yola South Local Government Area of Adamawa state, Nigeria. Specifically, the research objectives were to; describe the socio-economic characteristics of respondents, identify livelihood activities among the respondents, and also identify the determinants of diversifying into non-farm activities. Primary data were collected using questionnaire from respondents (140) drawn from the study area using multistage sampling technique. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics and probit regression model. Findings of the study revealed that, majority of the respondents were male (90%), 88.57% were married and 70% were educated. They are mostly farmers with average farm size of 2.47 hectares. The probit regression analysis showed that, the coefficients of age, household size, distance to market, access to credit and farm size significantly influence the decision of respondents to undertake non-farm activities in the area. The study recommended that, all development actors should ensure; improved access to credit by farmers, the provision of basic infrastructure in the area, and the empowerment of rural residents through intensified entrepreneurships and technical training.

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