ISSN 2360-798X
Abstract
Accepted 16th March, 2020.
The study assessed casualties and effect of perturbations on rural Benue and Nasarawa States in North Central Nigerian agricultural settings. Three hundred and fifty (350) respondents were selected for sampled size using multi-stage sampling techniques. Primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentages and mean were employed in data analysis. It was found that the major casualties of perturbations were decrease in quantity of annual farm yield ( =2.69), loss of lives and properties ( =2.63) and damage of rural infrastructure ( =2.58).Others were fluctuation in prices of farm produce ( =2.46), low level of rural development ( = 2.45), decrease in quality of farm produce ( =2.43), low income generation ( =2.43) and increase in cost of transportation ( =2.38). Others included decrease in water supply ( = 2.37), difficulty in accessing farm labor ( =2.36) and reduction in the quality of housing pattern ( =2.32). The major effects of perturbations on agricultural settings discovered included: low yield of major crops ( =2.58), degrade of settlement pattern ( =2.52), low income ( =2.49) and low standard of living condition ( =2.41).Others were degrade market activities ( =2.38), degrade religion activities ( =2.38), degrade health care services ( =2.45) and degrade school facilities ( =2.15). The study recommends that government should aid affected farmers to reduce the shock of perturbations, financial institution should increase credit facilities for farmers at very low interest rate and rural farmers should form cooperative associations to enhance solidarity in times of perturbations. This could help address perturbations in agricultural settings in the study area and improve livelihood of farmers in the study area and Nigeria in general.
Keywords: Casualties, effect, agricultural settings, perturbations