Food security status of rural farming households in Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study was carried out in Benue State, Nigeria. Simple and stratified random sampling techniques were employed in selecting a sample size of 360 rural respondent farming households. A structured questionnaire was administered to the respondents and data collected were subjected to descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, percentages and means, and inferential statistics such as food security index and logistic regression model. Results of data analysis revealed that 84.4% of the respondents with a mean age of 36 years were young and active in agricultural production. In addition, 84.2% of the respondent households were male-headed, 53.3% had an output of over 1500 kg with a mean of 1394.59kg, 36.9% had large household size with an average of 8 persons, 46.9% had low annual income with a mean value of ₦64, 043.54 (173.0910 USD), 40% had farm size of over 3.1 hectares with a mean of 2.18 hectares and 69% had at least primary education. The results of food security analysis showed that 50.3% of the rural farming households were food insecure. The logistic regression model results showed household size and household head education as significant variables at 5% probability level among ten variables. Eleven point eight (11.8) percent of the respondents identified poverty as the problem affecting food security among the rural farming households. The implications of the rural farming household food security status for policy and poverty reduction were that food security measures alone were likely to have a limited effect on the income, food and nutritional wellbeing of the rural farming households, without a food mediated poverty reduction policy. In view of this, the study recommends that, proactive policy in family planning, provision of at least basic literacy, skill training and empowerment, basic amenities and a government food security programme, with strategies to reduce poverty should be integrated as food security efforts of the government.