Socio-economic characteristics of pigeon farmers in Benue State of Nigeria

In Nigeria pigeons are well distributed in the different agro-ecological zones of the country. Their widespread distribution in the urban and rural areas demonstrates the socio-economic and cultural importance of these small and easily managed birds. Pigeon production may never rise enough to compete with commercial poultry as a major source of food, but for the poor farmers and some urban dwellers, these birds could become a significant addition to their diet (as per animal protein intake) as well as a source of substantial supplemental income. It is therefore imperative to study the socio-economic characteristics of pigeon farmers in the study area. Three Local Government Areas namely Okpokwu (Ugbokolo), Katsina-Ala, and Vandeikya were chosen for the study. A total of sixty (60) pigeon farmers and three hundred (300) domestic pigeons were covered during the survey. Qualitative data collected were subjected to descriptive statistics such as percentages and averages, while the data quantitative (economics) traits were analyzed through the use of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) technique and correlation analysis based on the SPSS II programme. The data showed that men were more involved in domestic pigeon production (87.77%) than women (12.23%). Students constituted the majority involved in domestic pigeon production (38.89%) followed by food crop producers (32.22%) and farmers/traders being in the least (5.56%). The major crops cultivated were yam (30.00%), cassava (15.67%), rice (13.67%), maize (11.67%) respectively. It was recommended that Proper housing for domestic pigeons should be adopted by pigeon farmers.