摘要
This study tracks the impact of early marriage and low level of education on agricultural development in SSA. Pitching itself within two Nigerian agrarian communities： The study worked with 50 randomly selected farming households from each site. Data was collected through in-depth one-on-one and follow-up interviews, questionnaires, and direct observation. Extensive multivariate and descriptive statistical analysis, tables and charts were used for data interpretation. Combining data-sets from the two sites and between families the study found that early marriage inhibits farmers＇ chances for education which in turn compounds their situation; those who married early with little or no education tend to have large families and suffer higher poverty incidence; children from such families often repeat the same cycles and so trapped in poverty; farmers who did not fall into this twin situation fared far much better on all counts in addition to exhibiting higher motivation to better their social capital and family socioeconomics; those in the first group are discouraged especially by the responsibility of fending for their many children. The study concludes that these two factors stand in the way to realizing the MDGs among SSA rural farmers; accordingly, some policy recommendations are put forward to address the situation.
