Perceived Effects of Covid-19 Pandemic among Small-Scale Rice Farmers in Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study assessed the perceived effects of covid-19 pandemic among small-scale rice farmers in Anambra State, Nigeria. It described the perceived effects of covid-19 pandemic among rice farmers, ascertained the mitigation strategies of covid-19, and identified the challenges to the effects of covid-19 pandemic among small-scale rice farmers in the study area. Multistage and random sampling techniques were employed to select 120 rice farmers for the study. The data were collected from primary sources using structured interview and questionnaire and analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, mean score and factor analysis. The result of the perceived effects of covid-19 pandemic indicated that majority of the rice farmers agreed that covid-19 affected them on various rice farming activities. The result further revealed that all the respondents agreed to the mitigation strategies available to covid-19 pandemic in the area. The result of the factor analysis showed that institutional factors, economic factor and managerial factor were the three major factors that hindered the factors challenging the effects of covid-19 pandemic in the study area. The study suggested that government should provide adequate, correct and reliable information on Covid-19 to enable the rice farmers understand and trust the government on the deadly virus. Farmers should be sensitized to clearly understand that covid-19 is for every body and has no restriction, hence the virus is for all and sundry.