IMPACT OF GOVERNMENT -PROVIDED PROCESSING EQUIPMENT ON BENEFICIARIES' LIVELIHOOD STATUS IN ONDO STATE NIGERIA , A MIXED -METHODS ASSESMENT

Abstract

Ondo state benefited from the Federal Government recipient of credit, and through FADAMA provides support to beneficiaries with food processing and equipment. This study tend to assess the impact of the benefits of the processing equipment supplies to the beneficiaries on the poverty reduction level. The population of the study consist of 42 groups of farmers with a total of 450 beneficiaries .Multi stage sampling procedure was adopted. Based on the preponderance of processors, purposive sampling was used to sample 11 out of 18 Local government areas across the three senatorial district within the state. Random sampling technique was used to select 30.2% of the beneficiaries from each group of participant to give a sample size of 136, structured questionnaire was administered to the respondents by the trained enumerators. Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive (means, frequency and percentage) and inferential statistics t-test. Major findings revealed that majority of the respondents were male with average age 46.9 years, having secondary education, mean household of 5 person. It was also observed that majority of them had no source to credit, and primarily had food processing as their major occupation. Findings also revealed an Improve poverty reduction from the lives of the beneficiaries. The study concluded that the assistant received by the beneficiaries in form of processing equipment ,has significantly reduced the poverty level of the recipients ,and had positively impacted on the outputs and income and as well as substantial improvement on their lives. The study recommended among others that more awareness programs and enlightenment campaign should be mounted to sensitize the populace on the needs to be empowered economically and be self - employed especially in the present economic situation where there is scarcity of white collar jobs.