EFFECT OF PARTICIPATION IN ARTISANAL AND SMALL-SCALE MINING ON THE OUTPUT, INCOME AND STANDARD OF LIVING OF FARMERS

EFFECT OF PARTICIPATION IN ARTISANAL AND SMALL-SCALE MINING ON THE OUTPUT, INCOME AND STANDARD OF LIVING OF FARMERS

Abstract:

The study was carried out to investigate the effect of participation in artisanal and small-scale mining on the output, income and standard of living of farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used for sample selection. The first stage was purposive selection of Birnin Gwari, Jema‟a and Kajuru Local Government Areas based on the participation of farmers in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM). Random sampling technique was employed to select 30% of the sample frame. A total of 381 farmers were included in the study. Primary data were collected from 381 respondents with the aid of structured questionnaire, in-depth interview and focus group discussion. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as Tobit regression model and Z-test statistic. The results of the study showed that a significant proportion (68%) were male while 32% were female respondents. Many (61%) were in the age category of 20 and 35 years with an average age of 30 years and their highest education was secondary. Seventy five per cent of the respondents were married and had sizeable members in their households. Significant proportion of the farmers owned land and 20% each of the respondents had about 11 – 15 years, 16 – 20 years and 21 – 25 years in farming. The study revealed that the respondents had no access to credit and they were not members of cooperatives but had about 6 – 10 times access to extension contacts. The study showed that 93% of the respondents were aware of government policies on ASM while 58% of the respondents were not involved in its formulation and however, the policies were not properly enforced. The study further confirmed that a significant proportion of the respondents‟ perceived these policies as not effective. The findings of this study showed that age, sex, household size, farming experience, membership of cooperatives, access to credit, extension contacts and land ownership significantly affected the output, income and standard of living of farmers at (P≤0.10) level of probability. The SWOT analysis showed the strengths of ASM that it has improved the standard of living of the respondents in the mining communities while the weaknesses of ASM indicated that 33% of the respondents lacked modern equipment for mining activities. The results on the opportunities of ASM indicated that the informal sector has created employment to the farmers and they earned good wages from participation in ASM while the threats of ASM revealed that a significant proportion (83%) of the respondents said that it has destroyed their farmlands. The results showed that 34% of the respondents cope with the negative effects of ASM by utilizing the farm lands not used for ASM, while 0.7% sold their livestock and products to cope with the effect of mining activities. The study recommends that for the environment to be sustainable there is a need for the participating farmers to carry out mining activities at virgin lands that are far away from residential areas and people‟s farm lands.

EFFECT OF PARTICIPATION IN ARTISANAL AND SMALL-SCALE MINING ON THE OUTPUT, INCOME AND STANDARD OF LIVING OF FARMERS