Analysis of correlation between market accessibility and household food security status among rural farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study ascertained the relationship between market accessibility and rural farmers’ household food security status in four sampled Local Government Areas in Kaduna state, Nigeria. Primary data were obtained by multistage sampling procedure from 244 household heads. Descriptive statistics, food security index and correlation analysis were used to analyze the data obtained. Only about 60% of the sampled farmers indicated participation in road side markets, village markets, rural bulking markets and urban retail markets at 11.64%, 45.21%, 19.86% and 23.29% respectively. It is indicative from this study that farmer’s market accessibility is significantly and positively correlated with farmer’s food security status, denoting that the less a farmer participates in market(s), the less likely that he will be food secured. Market distance was found to hamper market participation. Consequently, it is recommended that innovations that enhance farmers’ participation in markets that can be instrumental in raising their ability to produce more for the market and invariably ensuring food security. Infrastructures that build and strengthen local food security and accessibility networks should also be encouraged like the construction of road networks to ease costly transportation and invariably increase farmers’ income earning opportunities.