Strategy for Ensuring Food Security in Taraba State, Nigeria

Strategy for Ensuring Food Security in Taraba State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

The study identified strategies for ensuring food security in Taraba State. Specifically, the study was designed to identify the determinants of food security; examine the production patterns of food by farmers, identify the factors responsible for food insecurity: and determine the strategies of ensuring food security.

The study was carried out in Taraba State of Nigeria in the year 2011. The population of the study comprises all heads of households in Taraba State. A multi stage sampling technique was used in the selection of respondents.

Two agricultural zones were selected using a simple random technique. These were Zing and Bali zones and they were selected using simple random sampling techniques and the process gave rise to the selection of four communities/cells per zone bringing the total number of communities/cells sampled to eight (8).

From each sampled cell, a list of farmers was obtained from the farmers’ association and from the list of farmers’ households. Fifteen (15) heads of households were sampled using simple random selection techniques.

The total number of respondents for the study summed up to one hundred and twenty (120). A set of interview schedule and questionnaire were used for data collection out of which 117 were found analysable.

Frequency, percentage scores, mean scores, and standard deviations were used to analysed the data collected. Results from the study showed that majority (79.5%) of the respondents were males.

The age limit of respondents shows that 56% were between the range of 20-29 years and the mean age was 32 years.

The educational level of the respondents reveals that the farmers have enjoyed one form of education or the other with about 53.0% having OND/NCE as their highest educational qualification.

Further results show that 65.8% of the respondents were single while 31.6% were married. The mean household size of farmers was 7 persons. The mean years of farming experience of the farmers was 8.4 years. The majority (59.0%) of the farmers had 1-5 years of farming experience.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title page – – – – – – – – – – i
Certification – – – – – – – – – – ii
Dedication – – – – – – – – – – iii
Acknowledgment – – – – – – – – – iv
Abstract – – – – – – – – – – v
Table of Contents – – – – – – – – – vi
List of Tables – – – – – – – – – – viii
List of Figures – – – – – – – – – – ix

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study – – – – – – – 1
1.2 Statement of Problem – – – – – – – – 1
1.3 Purpose of the Study – – – – – – – – 2
1.4 Significance of the study – – – – – – – 6

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 The Concept of Food Security – – – – – – 7
2.2 Trends in Food Production in Nigeria – – – – – – 9
2.3 Determinants of Food Security – – – – – – 16
2.4 Food Security Strategies – – – – – – – 22
2.5 Government programmes and policies on food security – – – 30
2.6 National budgetary allocation to agriculture – – – – – 41
2.7 Factors Affecting Food Security – – – – – – 43
2.8 Conceptual Framework – – – – – – – 48

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

3.1 The Study Area- – – – – – – – – 52
3.2 Population and sampling procedure- – – – – – – 55
3.3 Instrument for Data Collection – – – – – – – 55
3.4 Measurement of variables – – – – – – – 56
3.5 Data Analysis – – – – – – – – 58

CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Socioeconomic Characteristics of Respondents – – – – 59
4.2 Food Security Status in Taraba State – – – – – – 65
4.3 Factors responsible for food insecurity in Taraba State – – – 71
4.4 Strategies for ensuring food security in the state – – – – 73

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Summary of Findings – – – – – – – – 76
5.2 Conclusion – – – – – – – – – 76
5.3 Recommendations – – – – – – – – – 78
REFERENCES
APPENDIX

INTRODUCTION

Nigeria has suffered from food insecurity and poverty as indicated in a recent estimate that put the number of hungry people in Nigeria at over 53 million, which is about 30 percent of the country’s total population of roughly 150 million; and 52 percent live under the poverty line (Ajayeoba, 2010).

These are matters of serious concern largely because Nigeria was self sufficient in food production and was indeed a net exporter of food to other regions of the continent in the 1950s and 1960s (Ajayeoba, 2010).

He stated that things changed dramatically for the worse following the global economic crisis that hit developing countries beginning from the late 1970’s onward.

The discovery of crude oil and rising revenue from the country’s petroleum sector encouraged official neglect of the agricultural sector and turned Nigeria into a net importer of food. By 2009 for example the Federal Ministry of Agriculture estimated that Nigeria was spending over $3billion annually on food imports.

Although agriculture contributes 42 percent of the GDP, provides employment and a means of livelihood for more than 60 percent of the productively engaged population, it receives less than 10 percent of the annual budgetary allocations.

Underfunding in this regard is central to the crisis of food production, and food security in Nigeria (Ajayeoba, 2010). This explains the persistence of poverty.

According to the author, the loss of food sovereignty and the dependence on food importation is also making the country quite susceptible to fluctuations in global food crisis. This is why Nigeria was also strongly affected by the global food crisis in 2007/2008 leading to food insecurity, thus a need for food security.

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