Estimating the Poverty Status Among Ginger Women Farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria

This research estimated the poverty status among ginger women farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria. Primary data were used based on a well-designed questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Foster, Greer and Thorbecke (FGT) poverty index, Tobit regression model, and principal component model. The outcome shows that the average age, years of farming experience, and educational level approximate 48 years, 9 years, and 11 years respectively. The poverty line is approximately 4, 172.06 Naira (1 USD = 1 104 Naira). The poverty incidence 〖(P〗_0) approximately 0.5298, 95% CI [0.4575, 0.6021] this corresponds to 52.98% of ginger women farmers are poor, from the sampling population, this adds up to the fact that 63 ginger women farmers are poor, while 57 ginger women farmers were non-poor. Approximately 4.7 million of the entire population were poor, while 4.2 million were non-poor. The poverty depth 〖(P〗_1) which explains that the gap between the poor ginger women farmers and the poverty line is calculated as 0.2876, 95% CI [ 0.2465, 0.3287] this implies that it will take the poor ginger women farmers (28.76% × 4, 172.06 Naira) the amount of 1, 199.88 Naira to cover up or make up for the poverty gap. The severity of poverty 〖(P〗_2) which measures the squares of the poverty gap relative to the poverty line was calculated at 0.1967, 95% CI [ 0.1575, 0.2359], this means that 19.67% of the ginger women farmers were severely poor. The educational level, years of ginger farming, income from ginger farming, off-farm income, and membership of cooperative were different significantly from zero in influencing poverty status among ginger women producers. The major limitations were a lack of credit facilities, a lack of access to land, and a lack of farm inputs. The ginger women farmers should join cooperative associations as this will enable them to share ideas, and information on new farm techniques and access credit at single digit interest rates to increase productivity and reduce poverty.