The hinterland of Uyo, Capital of Akwa Ibom State in SE-Nigeria is one of the most
populated rural areas in Nigeria. Most of the small scale farmers who reside within
this region are not able to produce enough basic foodstuffs for themselves and their
families. They therefore, have to buy additional foodstuffs such as cassava, gari, cocoyams
and yams which are brought down to periodic markets in the Uyo urban region
imported from the northern parts of Cross River State, and other areas of Delta
State
With the support of the University of Calabar, Calabar, field studies were undertaken
from October 1992 to April 1995 to find out how small scale farmers finance
their additional demand for food-stuffs. A sample of 159 households in 7 villages of
the hinterland of Uyo was taken. Household members were interviewed by a set of
structured questionnaires to identify their economic activities important for the generation
of monetary and non-monetary income. As a result it was possible to distinguish
between 4 types of households concerning the combination and importance of
different economic activities. The most important activities with a changing level of
significance for the types of households studied are the production and marketing of
oil-palm products, the commercial and occasional intermediate trade with oil-palm
products and foodstuffs, to a less extent services and at least for nearly 40% of all
households the financial support of migrants for their families in the villages.