ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to analyse poverty status of cooperative and non-cooperative yam farming households in Edo Central Agro Ecological Zone. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used in selecting respondents for this study and data were collected from cooperative society’s farmers and non-cooperative farmers. Descriptive statistics such as, frequency distribution Table, mean, and percentages were used to analyze the data. Among the socio-economic characteristics, a majority of the farmers were married males aged 41-50, with diverse educational backgrounds. Their households were relatively large, and they possessed extensive farming experience. Notably, 89.8% of cooperative members were married. In terms of education, 20.3% had tertiary education, while 15.3% had no formal education. Within the cooperative society, satisfaction with loan provision was evident (4.05), but infrastructure provision (2.17) and transportation services (2.53) fell short. Non-cooperative farmers, however, faced higher poverty levels, with 63.6% categorized as "poor," compared to 40% among cooperative members. The result showed that age had a positive relationship with poverty (0.331), while farming experience (-0.268) and farm size (-4.935) had negative and significant impacts. Income from yam production (0.661) and other productive activities (4.291) eexhibited positive correlations. Constraints to cooperative loans included inadequate loan (4.26) and cases of corruption (3.45). In yam production, unpredictable input prices (4.58) and labor shortages (4.17) were notable challenges, along with insufficient access to water/irrigation (3.07) and lack of funds (3.86). Theft of yam produce (3.76) and insecurity (4.33) were also concerns. The prominent coping strategy for both groups was "multiple planting (intercropping)”, with the mean of 52 among cooperative members and 50 among non-cooperative members, underlining its critical role in mitigating production challenges. It is therefore recommended that government and stakeholders should strengthen cooperative societies by addressing challenges such as corruption and inefficiencies. Cooperative leaders should undergo leadership and management training to enhance governance.
