EFFECT OF VITAMINS C AND E INTAKE ON BLOOD ... - EuroJournals

International Research Journal of Finance and Economics – Volume 2, Number I (2006)
4 Analysis of survey data:
The economic base of the state is presently very weak. The sector that is generating revenue
and providing employment is the agricultural and forestry sector. Close to 80.0 per cent of the
respondents were of the view that agricultural sector is still largely neglected despite the recent effort
of the state government in the area of farm mechanization. Agriculture is largely weather dependent;
when rains fail, crop do badly. Also, farmers do not often have access to farm inputs such as
insecticides and fertilizers. Government has attempted to help many members of target groups of
NEEDS programme. For instance, the Osun state government recently purchased 300 tractors for
farmers use in the state. The effect of this action is yet to be felt.
Evidence shows that social amenities are widely distributed in the state. These include market,
electricity, pipe borne water, telephone and road networks. The study, however, shows that social
amenities in Osun state are inadequate. For instance, most of the roads in the inner cities, even
Osogbo, are in a state of disrepair. Pipe borne water supply is erratic as that of electricity although
location like Ede North LGA enjoys relatively good supply. The inadequate functioning of these
amenities were found to have discouraged private sector as regards investment projects in the state.
Osun state needs to be first of all be empowered.
The survey data indicate that the dominant economic resources of Osun state come from the
agricultural and forestry sector. Substantial acreages of land are under food and cash crops. While the
state is endowed with mineral resources, they are yet to be exploited to their full commercial scale.
This is the same with tourism. In fact, farming, trading, craft, small scale enterprise and civil service
dominate the occupation of people in Osogbo and Ilesa (urban centres) while farming and craft
occupation dominate Ede and Awo (rural centres) with small percentage engaging in small scale
enterprise and petty trading. As shown in Table 3, about 70.0 per cent and 7.5 per cent of the target
population earn their living from subsistence farming and handicraft respectively. Only a small
proportion (about 15.0 per cent) of the population are civil servants while 3.5 per cent and 2.2 per cent
are petty traders and small scale industrialists respectively.
It was also evident in survey data presented in Table 3 that high proportion of members of
target groups are Osun state indigenes. Indeed, close to 90.0 per cent of farmer's settlers are natives
while the remaining 10.0 per cent are non-natives. The population structure is similar for all other
target groups examined. Members of the different groups interviewed ranged from 100 to a number as
large as 5000. It was clear from the respondents that the main aim of forming these groups was to
improve the general welfare of members through thrift and credit arrangements, acquisition of
improved technical know-how, seeking for assistance and giving helping hands to vulnerable members.
Also, some of the groups were formed in order to bail members out of poverty through economic
empowerment.
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