Improving Rural Livelihood through the Cultivation of Indigenous Fruits and Vegetables: Evidence from Ondo State, Nigeria

The potential value of the efficient utilization of rural lands to cultivate indigenous fruits and vegetables to improve the livelihood of farming households cannot be overemphasized. Using primary data from 400 randomly selected rural farming households in Ondo State, Nigeria, this study applied probit regression, principal component analysis (PCA), and propensity score matching (PSM) models to investigate the factors that determine the decisions of households to utilize their lands to cultivate indigenous fruits and vegetables. The impact of their cultivation on the livelihood of the participants was assessed, and the result revealed that they were profitable (NGN19,187.8/USD 42.60/Ha; Nigerian Naira = NGN, USD = United States Dollar). The farmers who cultivated indigenous fruits and vegetables ( n = 277) made an additional 29.40% average total farm revenue than those ( n = 123) who did not. Based on the probit regression analysis, factors such as educational attainment, access to government subsidies, and knowledge of the nutritional benefit of the indigenous fruits and vegetables influenced the decision of farmers to cultivate indigenous fruits and vegetables. The PSM model established that the cultivation of indigenous plants increased farm revenue and livelihood outcomes by NGN17,604.85 and NGN2265.00, respectively. In this context, the cultivation of indigenous fruits and vegetables in the selected rural communities is important for improving the livelihoods of households and suggests the need to rethink the present dominant policy narrative that neglects these indigenous plants. A concerted effort needs to focus on increasing their productivity and commercialization as a primary pathway to improve rural livelihood and transformation.