Abstract

The study assessed extent of rural livelihood diversification strategies among farming households in southern Borno. A multistage sampling procedure selected 224 respondents, and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Simpson Index of Diversity (SID), and a Heckman two?step selection model. SID is defined as the Simpson Index of Diversity and ranges from 0 (no diversification) to 1 (very high diversification). Findings showed that most respondents were male (62.9%), aged 31–40 years (54.3%), married (62.4%), and had 7–10 household members (58.4%). Overall, 92.8% of households engaged in some diversification; the average SID was 0.59 (high), while the largest share of households fell in the medium category (34.4%). Determinants that were positive and statistically significant included age (? = 0.0836, p < 0.001), marital status (? = 0.0298, p = 0.007), household size (? = 0.0375, p = 0.046), education (? = 0.0347, p = 0.001), household income (? = 0.2903, p < 0.001), cooperative membership (? = 0.0910, p = 0.028), farm size (? = 0.2981, p = 0.035), savings (? = 0.2570, p < 0.001) and extension contact (? = 0.1166, p = 0.013). Sex had a negative effect (? = ?0.0182, p = 0.046). Major constraints included lack of credit/capital (95.9%), limited awareness and training (67.9%), location/patronage (56.1%), and infrastructural deficits (49.8%). Policy options should prioritize access to finance and savings, cooperative development, skills/extension services, and rural infrastructure to enable inclusive, risk?aware diversification.

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