This study examined the impact of Development Exchange Centre microcredit programme on crops output and standard of living among women farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling method was employed to select 420 respondents. Primary data were collected through the use of questionnaires and were subjected to both descriptive and inferential statistics. The mean farming experience was 22 years for DEC participants and 19 years for non-DEC participants while mean farm size for participants and non-DEC participants was 2.0 ha. Determinant of standard of living on programme participants, the study concludes that, age (0.0405, P<0.01), farm size (47.510, P<0.01), education, credit (0.6031, P< 0.01) and extension contact (0.002, P< 0.01), had direct relationship with the standard of living of programme  participants, This implies DEC, increase the standard of living of  programme participants in Kaduna State. Determinant of crops output of programme participants shows that, farm size (0.046, P<0.01), credit (0.821, P< 0.01), extension contact (0.0542, P< 0.05). F-chow statistics shows that DEC microcredit had positive impact on crops output of programme participants. Z – statistics also indicated positive impact on living standard of the participants. It was recommended that, DEC microcredit organization should increase the amount of loan disbursement to N100, 000, so as to increase participation; extend the repayment period, lowered interest rates and extend the programme to other farming communities in Kaduna State, there by improving the standard of living of women farmers in the state

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This study examined the households’ poverty status among crop farmers in Kaduna State. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 242 farmers for this study. Data were collected through using structured questionnaire with the help of trained enumerators. Descriptive and inferential statistics such as tobit regression and Foster, Greer and Thorbecke (FGT) model was employed in this study. The results showed that the mean age of the respondents was 45 years and were married, mean household size of the farmers was 11 persons, and about (80.6%) had formal education. The poverty situation of the farmers revealed that 51% were poor and the strategies adopted by the farmers to combat poverty were mostly through diversification into commercial farming, increased personal savings and involvement in non-farming activities. Tobit regression analysis revealed that age, household and income negatively influences the poverty status of the farmers, statistically significant at 1%, this implied that, poverty is concentrated among households in the study area. Major constraints encountered by the crop farmers, include high cost of inputs, inadequate credit facilities and inadequate market linkages. In conclusion, poverty incidence had a negative and significant effect on rural crop farmers. It was recommended that farmers should form cooperative societies to access micro loan; farmer should be linked to the urban market through extension agent and media to attract good value for their crops. Government and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) should make farm inputs readily available at a subsidized rate