SOCIAL PROTECTION POLICIES AND AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT IN NIGERIA: EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION USING HOUSEHOLD SURVEY DATA

Social protection programmes have been recognised and proven to be one of the most effective policies in fighting poverty, hunger and unproductive capacity of rural or poor farmers. Despite the fact that poverty have seen to be declining over the years, the number of people who are still undernourished remains high in Nigeria, and where little effort has been made in improving social interventions. Thus, this study explores the relationship between social protection policies and agricultural output in Nigeria using data from Living Standard Measurement Study-Integrated Survey on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA). The method of analysis engaged is the Propensity Score Matching (PSM). The result from the PSM shows that households who benefit from social protection programmes in form of agricultural credits experienced trice yields more than their counterparts who do not benefit from the programme.