Investigation Of Cassava-Based Farmers Retorts to the Activities of Hydrocarbon Pollution Remidiation Project (HYPREP) in Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated cassava -based farmers retorts to the activities of hydrocarbon pollution remediation project (HYPREP) in the Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria. Data were collected from both primary and secondary sources. Purposive and random sampling techniques were employed to select 80 cassava-based farmers with well-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and a bivariate probit regression model were employed in the assessment. The results of the study revealed that majority (56.25%) of the respondents were female and 46.25% had between 21 and 30 years of farming experience. Most (67.50%) of the respondents had a moderately high-level awareness of HYPREP activities, while only (40.48%) accentuated that the most common activity of HYPREP in the study area was hydrocarbon clean-up caused by oil spills. It was only (33.33%) who claimed that skill acquisitions were the next most common activities by the project. The result of the bivariate probit model revealed that the probability of the household size (-0.128287) annual income (1.84E-06) and schooling (-0.001680) retorting to the project activities were statistically significant but negative, while farming experience (0.014212) and age (0.017896) was statistically significant and positive. The findings recommends that HYPREP needs to target its communication and outreach efforts to those with lower levels of schooling and smaller households. It should also focus on activities that are very relevant to the needs of farmers in the area.

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