HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY: DETERMINATS AND COPING STRATEGIES AMONG SMALL SCALE FARMERS IN JIGAWA STATE, NIGERIA.

Abstract

This study analyzes household food security, determinats and coping strategies among small scale farmers. Multistage random sampling technique was used to obtain a sample of 184 respondents. Primary data were collected using structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, logistic regression and food security index. Results revealed that rural farming households head were predominantly male (71.7%) and most (79.9%) were married with one level of education or another (67.4%). The mean age for the households’ head was 42 years and the mean household size was 10 persons per household. The mean for farming experience and annual farm income of the respondents were 21.9 years and ₦52,238 respectively. A Logit regression model made up of nine regressors was specified. Households size (P<0.01), farm size (P<0.05), farm income (P<0.1), educational level of the household head (P<0.01) and household head access to credit facilities (P<0.05), were found to determine the food security status of the farming households in the study area. Using the recommended calorie required approach 30.4% and 69.6% of the households were food secure and food insecure respectively. The perceived coping strategies in cushioning the effects of food insecurity include consumption of less preferred food, reduction in quantity and quality of food consumed, borrowing money to buy food, sales of some assets. Based on the recommended energy level of 2,710 Kilocalories per person per day, it could be concluded that the study area is food insecure. The study therefore recommends that formal education be promoted by government and other stakeholders as a means of improving food security, farmers should be encouraged by government and nongovernmental organizations to increase their food crop production by providing subsidized farm inputs, increase in access to credit facilities, enlightenment programmes on health education and birth control measures should be directed at the farming households, this is to reduce the large family size observed in the area which could have effects on household food security, food insecurity coping strategies adopted by the households can only minimize its impact therefore household heads should adopt more sustainable approaches such as, engaging in income generating activities such as petty trading and other off-farm activities.