Issues relating to food availability, accessibility, affordability, and utilization remain paramount for Nigeria’s policymakers and academics. In Nigeria, per capita calorie intake has fallen below recommended levels over the past two decades, and the Global Food Security Index ranked the nation at 91 out of 109 countries evaluated in 2015. Smallholder farmers, who contribute largely to Nigeria’s agricultural landscape and food production, have great potential to improve the nation’s food security situation. In particular, past studies have found that the sustainable intensification of maize cultivation can ensure equitable income growth and food security among poor farming households. However, many of these Nigerian maize farmers face socio-economic and institutional constraints that hamper their productivity.
In a new publication in Social Indicators Research, IFPRI Research Analyst Adebayo Isaiah Ogunniyi and his colleagues utilize data from 250 maize farming households in Ogun State, Nigeria, to investigate factors determining household food security and provide recommendations to enhance agricultural production.
Findings from their analysis show that 23.2 percent of households were food insecure, with 1.8 percent of households being severely food insecure. Food insecurity was found to be higher among female-headed households than male-headed households, and larger households were more food insecure than smaller households. Among the significant factors contributing to food insecurity for Nigerian maize farmers were the value of output sold, education, credit access, and participation in government safety net programs.
Based on their analysis, Adebayo and colleagues advocate for greater efforts to enhance the productivity of land through improved production practices through methods such as improved agricultural technologies and extension services. Additionally, Adebayo and colleagues encourage policymakers to consider systematic developments to education systems as well as promote farmer participation in safety net programs.
Learn more about these findings through Adebayo’s full publication in Social Indicators Research, “Socio-economic drivers of food security among rural households in Nigeria: Evidence from smallholder maize farmers”.
Adebayo Isaiah Ogunniyi is a Research Analyst in the Development Strategy and Governance Division (DSGD) at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), based in Abuja, Nigeria.
