Empirical Analysis of The Factors Promoting Food Insecurity Among Farming Households in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Esheya Samuel Esheya

Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, National Open University of Nigeria, Kaduna Campus, Kaduna State, Kaduna, Nigeria.

Authors’ Contact Detail: E-mail Address ✉: sesheya@noun.edu.ng

Accepted September 08, 2023

Food insecurity, hunger, malnutrition and undernourishment are on the rise in Nigeria and Ebonyi State in particular. This study analysed the factors promoting food insecurity among rural farming households in Ebonyi state of Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select three hundred rural farming households for the study. Frequency and percentage distribution, Likert rating scale and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) multiple regression model were used to analyse data. Findings show that the majority of the respondents 55.2% had no formal education while 93.7% had no access to formal loans. Results also show that factors such as poverty (mean = 3.7), poor crop yield (mean = 3.6), illiteracy (3.5), lack of improved crop/livestock varieties (mean = 3.4), lack of governmental support (mean = 3.3), high cost of farm input (mean = 3.2), pests/disease attack (mean = 3.1) and socio-political crises (3.0) play a critical role in promoting food insecurity. The result of the multiple regression analysis revealed that the coefficient of multiple determination (R²) was 78.2%, while the adjusted (R²) was 64.5%. Thus, it was recommended that government should provide adequate security and farm incentives such as grants, subsidized inputs, loans, improved crop/livestock varieties and modern farm equipment for the rural farming households to enable them to overcome food insecurity in Ebonyi state in particular and Nigeria at large.

Key words: Analysis, Factors, Promoting, Food, Insecurity, Food insecurity, Multiple regression analysis, Farm household.

Full Text PDF(210 KB)