DETERMINANTS OF FOOD SECURITY STATUS OF RICE FARMERS IN FLOOD PRONE AREAS IN YOBE STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined the determinants of food security status of rice farmers in flood prone areas in Yobe State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used in selecting 425 respondents. Data were collected using structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results revealed that majority (88.8%) of the respondents were male with mean age of 36 years.  Majority of the respondents (86.4%) were married, and 39.3% had primary education. The mean household size, farm size, farming experience, monthly income and distance to market of the respondents were 7 persons, 1.3 ha, 9 years, N74,811 and 10.9km respectively. The result indicated that about 13% were food secured and 41% were severely food insecured, both moderate and mildly food insecured happened to be 23% each. The factors that influenced food security status were age (P<0.05), household size (p<0.01), educational status (p<0.05), monthly income (p<0.05) and cooperative membership (p<0.05). The study concluded that educational status, monthly income, and cooperative membership play critical roles in enhancing food security among rice farmers in the study area. Conversely, larger household sizes and older ages reduce the likelihood of achieving food security. The study recommends that government and stakeholders enhance farmers’ knowledge through adult literacy and vocational training, provide subsidized inputs, credit facilities, and market access to boost income, and promote cooperative membership and family planning awareness to improve food security.