ASSESSMENT OF THE LEVEL OF HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT AND FOOD SECURITY AMONG MAIZE-BASED FARMING HOUSEHOLDS IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study assessed the human capital development and food security status of maize-based farming households in Kwara State, Nigeria. A three-stage sampling procedure was used to select 178 maize-based farming households, while primary data were collected using structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, human capital index (HCI) and a food security measure. The results showed that 85.4% of respondents were males, with a mean age of 39 years, indicating that most farming household head were in their productive age. Education attainment was generally low to moderate and household sizes were relatively large. Access to credit and extension services was limited. The human capital index revealed that 50% of households had low human capital, 40.4% had medium and only 9.6% had high human capital. Furthermore, 63.5% of households were food insecure, 16.3% were moderately food secure, while only 20.2% were food secure. The finding concludes that inadequate human capital development and food insecurity remain important challenges among maize-based farming households in the study area. The study recommends the need to strengthen farmers’ education, skills, training and health, alongside interventions that improve household access to adequate food, which important for improving household welfare and food security.