economic status of vegetable farmers in selected local government areas of Osun state

Dams are constructed for purposes such as irrigation, hydroelectric power generation, fishing activites and provision of clean drinkable water. Erinle River Dam was constructed in 1981 to ameliorate the problem of up to 68 towns and villages in Osun state. The aim of establishing the dam was basically to supply clean and drinkable water to communities at every point in time .Also it was to provide water for irrigation farmind during dry season and also for fishing. It is in line with this,,that this study investigated the effect of Erinle River Dam on the socio-econo,ic status of vegetable farmers in selected local government areas of Osun State. One hundred and seventy-five respondents out of One thousand four and thirty three were randomly selected for the study consisting of 95 within and 80 without the area of the dam,using a multi-stage random sampling procedure. Data were collected with pre-tested interview schedule. Data were analyzed using frequency counts,percentages and T-test. There was significant differences (p <0.05) in the socio-economic status of the tespondents within (mean =57.03) and those without (mean=36.86) in the dam area. Not only that, the dam has succeeded in increasing employment opportunities in the area of vegetable production.