Can food calorie be an index for poverty in a rural economy? An extrapolation from farm households in Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

AbstractThe study assessed poverty in rural areas of Ogun State, Nigeria through the food energy (calorie) intake approach. A sample of 60 households (comprising of 346 members) were selected using a multistage sampling technique and were interviewed with the aid of well‐structured questionnaire. Data were analysed using nutrient estimation techniques, cost of calorie method and poverty index. The estimated food poverty line was 64.72 naira. The incidence, intensity and severity of poverty were consistently higher among female‐headed households and households that lack access to credit facilities with values 0.290, 0.359, 0.160 and 0.313, 0.371, 0.160 for the poverty measures respectively. Incidence of poverty reduces with educational level and age of household heads, but the corresponding intensity and severity were higher for households whose heads are between 46‐ and 55‐year brackets and those who have secondary school education. All measures of poverty decline with farm size. Multipronged strategies involving improvement of educational level of household heads, improved access to agricultural land and credit facilities, as well as fair distribution of resources towards women, among others, are recommended for poverty and hunger reduction and for sustained agricultural production.