Awareness, access and utilization of migrant Laboure’s for agricultural activities among farming households in Kogi state, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated awareness, access, and utilization of migrant labourers for agricultural activities among farming households in selected Local Government Areas of Kogi State, Nigeria. Primary data were obtained from respondents using an interview schedule. A multi-stage sampling procedure was employed in sampling one hundred and fifty households in the study area. The principal results of the study show that use of migrant labour was pervasive with land clearing, ridging/mounding, weeding/hoeing and harvesting among the dominant activities they were employed to carry out. Findings indicate a high level of awareness and access to migrant labourers. The major constraints to migrant labour utilization were inadequate capital, wage rate and seasonal migration of the labourers. It is concluded that migrant labour utilization is pervasive among farming households and there is preference of use of migrant labour for land clearing, ridging/mounding, weeding/hoeing and harvesting with the major constraints to migrant labour utilization among farming households in the study area being inadequate capital, wage rate and seasonal migration of the labourers. Age (𝜒2 = 16.05, P = 0.003), Gender (𝜒2 = 30.325, P=0.000), Educational status (𝜒2 = 15.345, P=0.012) and farm size (𝜒2 = 13.143, P = 0.0011) were found to have a significant relationship with the constraints to migrant labour utilization. It is recommended that farming households embrace the use of migrant labourers given their availability and the perception that they are better skilled.