Vulnerability Analysis of Rural Households to Food Insecurity in Ondo State, Nigeria

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VII, Issue II, February 2020 | ISSN 2321–2705

Vulnerability Analysis of Rural Households to Food Insecurity in Ondo State, Nigeria

Sina Basil Johnson and Folorunso, Awoseyila
Department of Agricultural Extension and Management, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract:- This study examines the vulnerability of rural households to food insecurity in Ondo State, Nigeria. Primary data were collected from two hundred and forty (240) rural household heads through a multi-stage random sampling procedure using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression model were employed to analyse the field survey data. Results from the study showed that the mean age was 52 years, indicating that the respondents were still fairly young. Majority (77.5%) of the respondents were male households with 62.5% married. More than half (51.0%) of the household heads were uneducated and 62.5% of the respondents had less than 2 acres, while 58.8% were food insecure. The estimated logit regression results revealed that marital status, household size, dependency ratio and proneness to sickness increase the probability of rural households falling into food insecurity while education, cooperative membership, farm size decrease same at 1% and 5% level of significance, respectively. Result from the study also showed that majority of the respondents eats less preferred food as one of the coping strategies employed to cushion the effects of economic shock in the study area. Based on the findings, the study concludes and recommends that policies that are meant to increase educational level, cooperative membership and farm size in order to reduce food insecurity should be put in place.

Keywords: Vulnerability, food security, logit regression, Nigeria

I. INTRODUCTION

Nigeria is an agrarian country with a land area of 910,770 square kilometres (World Bank, 2018). Agriculture is a critical sector that has the potentials to cushion the effects of vulnerability of rural households to food insecurity. Not less than 36.6% of Nigerianlabour-force engaged in agriculture. Nigeria is richly blessed with diversity of natural resources including vast areas of arable land (Millennium Development Goal [MDG], 2013). The contribution of agriculture to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) was so significant in the past. Food production was highly sufficient between 1950 and 1960s with excess being exported to other countries until the advent of global economic crises of 1970s. The 2016 economic recession in Nigeria exacerbated Nigeria’s food situation the more. Nigeria food import bill on foodstuffs increases on daily basis.

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