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Abstract
The study was carried out to assess the effects of the Root
and Tuber Expansion Programme (RTEP) on the livelihood
of project beneficiaries in Kwara State, Nigeria. A 3-stage
sampling technique was adopted for the study, selecting a total
of 80 cassava processors from two Agricultural Development
Programme (ADP) zones in the State. Structured interview
schedule was used as instrument to elicit primary data from
processors. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the
socio economic characteristics of the respondents. The t-test
was used to test the hypotheses on the relationship between the
income and livelihood of RTEP beneficiaries and non beneficiaries,
while those on the socio economic characteristics was
tested using the Mann-Whitney (U) test. The findings of the
study showed that RTEP provided more than 73 percent of
total cassava processing equipment in the study area. The
study further revealed that there was no significant difference
in the socio-economic characteristics and livelihood of RTEP
and Non RTEP participants. There was however a significant
difference in their income. Amongst others, the study recommended
massive investment in subsidizing critical cassava
processing equipment, and provision of micro-credit at low interest
rates to cassava processors.