The effect of rural poverty on environmental degradation

Thesis Overview

<p> </p><div><p>INTRODUCTION</p><p>Background to the Study</p><p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Poverty is a social phenomenon that has eaten deep into the fabrics</p><p>of every society ranging from its political, social and economic</p><p>organizations. It is therefore a social problem that has affected the</p><p>productive sector of every economy such as agricultural and industrial</p><p>sector to mention but a few. According to Aluk (2011) poverty is</p><p>defined as lack of command over basic consumption needs such as</p><p>clothing, food and shelter. World Band (2005), define poverty as</p><p>inability to attain a minimum standard of living. Environmental</p><p>degradation on the other hand is defined as how the environment is</p><p>affected through certain forces such as flood, deforestation,</p><p>overgrazing, and the use of harmful chemicals as well as environmental</p><p>pollution in the environment.</p><p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Poverty is most pervasive in rural than urban areas. This assessment</p><p>can be justified by the examination of the level of concentration of</p><p>economic institutions and activities. It is indisputable that economic</p><p>institutions are only concentrated in urban centres, creating more</p><p>opportunities for job, good living and what can be obtained in the</p><p>rural areas (Ahmed, 2010).</p><p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; When comparative analysis of the level of income as it affects the</p><p>quality of life and standard of living of both rural and urban</p><p>settlements is made, a variation of the difference in the social</p><p>relationship in art of production, allocation of scarce resources and</p><p>distribution, what comes to mind is the question of those who benefit</p><p>more as a wide gap exist among the rural and urban dwellers as it</p><p>affects the circulation and control of goods and services and of</p><p>prices (Maxwell, 2006).</p><p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Many studies have established that there exists a strong social</p><p>relationship between poverty and environmental degradation. This is</p><p>because factors like level of income, quality and prices of goods and</p><p>services affects the living standard of people in rural areas thereby</p><p>affecting their activities towards the environment. Also, most of the</p><p>poor people particularly in developing countries rely on natural</p><p>resources for their livelihood, and these people are very vulnerable</p><p>to causing environmental problems.</p><p>Apa local government area is predominantly a rural based society with</p><p>75% of her population depending on agriculture as their main</p><p>occupation. Base on the agrarian nature of her economy, crops, and</p><p>tubers are highly produced with more than half percent of the</p><p>population of women and children constituting the chunk of the labour</p><p>force. For some time now efforts have been made by the government,</p><p>corporate bodies and irrigation organizations to curb the incidence of</p><p>environmental degradation in the area through deliberate policies and</p><p>programmes aimed at poverty alleviation among the rural people yet,</p><p>poverty remain the major constrain militating against the development</p><p>of the rural people.</p><p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; It is for this reason that this study is design to investigate the</p><p>effects of poverty on environmental degradation with reference to Apa</p><p>local government area of Benue State.</p><p>1.2 Statement of the Problem</p><p>Nwagbara, (2012) in his assessment of poverty, environmental</p><p>degradation and sustainable development assets that the poor have</p><p>traditionally taken the brunt of the blame for causing society’s many</p><p>problems.</p><p>Anijah-Obi (2001), observes that poverty, a deplorable state of human</p><p>welfare, is closely linked to environmental degradation. The poor are</p><p>both victims and agents of environmental damage. Poverty may be</p><p>created by negative and unjust social conditions such as structural</p><p>inequality. Those who are poor and hungry will often destroy their</p><p>immediate environments in order to survive. They are responsible for</p><p>cultivating tired soil and cutting down forests. They throw waste into</p><p>gutters and streams, because they lack the basic necessities of life.</p><p>They lack resources and materials necessary for living within a</p><p>minimum standard conducive to human dignity and well-being.</p><p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; In Apa local government, the poor depend extensively on firewood for</p><p>cooking which requires the falling of trees without replacement. There</p><p>are two major streams in the local government that serves as a source</p><p>of both industrial and domestic water supply to its inhabitants this</p><p>are the Ochi-Chi and Okpeje streams. &nbsp; Activities of fishing with</p><p>chemicals, dumping of refuse in stream and water channels, open</p><p>deification, and mining of the soil for lime stone and granite</p><p>constitute some of the major environmental problems propel by human</p><p>activities. All this in no small measure have continued to cause the</p><p>outbreak of cholera disease and other health challenges of its</p><p>inhabitants which mostly affect the poor due to their inability to</p><p>find alternative to both source of water that is already contaminated</p><p>and environmental pollution caused by indiscriminate waste disposal.</p><p>Hence, the need for this study to examine the effects of poverty on</p><p>environmental degradation in Apa local government area of Benue State.</p><p>1.3 Research Questions</p><p>The following research questions are advanced to guide this study:</p><p>How does poverty cause environmental degradation?</p><p>What are the effects of poverty on environmental degradation in &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Apa</p><p>local government?</p><p>What measures can be employed to ameliorate the problem of &nbsp; &nbsp; poverty on</p><p>environmental degradation in Apa local government?</p><p>Objectives of the Study</p><p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The general objective of this study is to examine the effects of</p><p>poverty on environmental degradation in Apa local government area of</p><p>Benue State. The specific objectives are to;</p><p>Ascertain how poverty cause environmental degradation</p><p>Find out the effects of poverty on environmental degradation in &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Apa</p><p>local government</p><p>Suggest measures that can be employed to ameliorate the problem &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; of</p><p>poverty on environmental degradation in Apa local government</p><p>Significance of the Study</p><p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; This study will be significant in the following ways; firsts and</p><p>foremost, the findings of this study will serve as a policy document</p><p>to the government, policy makers and environmentalist in curbing the</p><p>effects of environmental degradation on rural poor dwellers.</p><p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Secondly, it will be of importance to the academic environment as it</p><p>can be use as a reference point in giving out information on poverty</p><p>and environmental issues in the society.</p><p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Thirdly, the study will add to the already existing body of</p><p>literatures in the area of poverty and environmental degradation.</p><p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Last but not the least, the study will aid further researchers who</p><p>intend to carryout similar studies on the same topic to have a</p><p>background situation of what they intend to study.</p><p>Research Assumptions</p><p>The following research assumptions are to guide this study:</p><p>Ho. There is no significant relationship between poverty on</p><p>environmental degradation in Apa local government</p><p>Scope of the Study</p><p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The scope of this study shall be delimitated to Ogantelle towns of</p><p>Apa local government where there are higher levels of farming and</p><p>degredation. The major areas of Apa such as, Auke, Iga-Okpaya, Oiji,</p><p>Igoro, Ikobi, Ojope, Ogantele, Oba, Edikwu 1 and Edikwu II ward were</p><p>covered with a time span ranging from 2010 to 2013.</p><p>1.8 Definition of Terns</p><p>Poverty: According to Sachs (2009), poverty can be defined in terms of</p><p>three distinguishable degrees. These are: Extreme poverty, moderate</p><p>poverty and relative poverty. Extreme poverty means the household</p><p>cannot meet basic needs for survival. Moderate poverty on the other</p><p>hand generally refers to conditions of life in which basic needs are</p><p>met, but just at the base level while, relative poverty is construed</p><p>as a household income level below a given proportion of average</p><p>national income. Put differently, poverty can be defined as the</p><p>inability of one to provide for his or her basic needs of life such as</p><p>food, clothing and sheathe.</p><p>Environmental Degradation: Environmental degradation implies a gradual</p><p>reduction in environmental quality to the extent that its ability to</p><p>meet the environmental needs of the present generation is reduced and</p><p>that of the future generation is in jeopardy. According to Fritsch et</p><p>al. (1990), environmental degradation is defined as a man-made</p><p>environmental change having negative impact on human society. It can</p><p>also be defined as processes induced by human behaviour and activities</p><p>(sometimes combined with natural hazards) that damage the natural</p><p>resource base or adversely alter natural processes or ecosystems.</p><p></p></div><h3></h3><br> <br><p></p>