Determinant of Rural Household Poverty Nexus Fuel Consumption among Fisherfolks in Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined rural households’ fuel consumption pattern in Kwara State, Nigeria. Primary data using a structured questionnaire and interview were administered to select randomly 110 rural farming households. The result revealed a link between forests, agricultural production and poverty as about 79% of sampled respondents titled towards using biomass for their energy sources. About three-fifth (63%) of the rural fishery households could be considered to have a low energy expenditure pattern because they fell below energy poverty line of ₦640 ($4.05) per adult equivalent per month. Result also estimated the log-likelihood ratio to be Ë—28.7, the adjusted R-2 of 0.557 implies that the explanatory variables were collectively able to explain about 56% of the total variation in energy consumption pattern among the rural households. The study recommend designing more economical, efficient and less pollutants cooking stoves and lighting equipments that uses local bio-fuels (renewable) and harnessing modern energy source to supplement the use of biomass for rural farming households to reduce energy poverty level.