Food Security: An Analysis of Maize Production Pattern Before and After the Boko–Haram Period in Mubi North Local Government Area, Adamawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

Lack of food has been identified as one of the constraints faced by most people in the study area. The study was conducted in Mubi North Local Government Area of Adamawa State. It analyzed maize production pattern before and after the insurgency in the area. One hundred and sixty (160) registered maize farmers were selected using purposive and simple random sampling techniques and were served with a well – structured questionnaire through which primary data was generated for the study. Specific objectives of the study were to: describe the socio – economic characteristics of the respondents, identify production of maize pattern before and after the insurgency in the study area, and estimate cost of basic inputs used in maize production before and after the insurgency and identify maize production challenges that militate better out-put and good returns. The study concludes that maize production is control by small scale poor resource farmers before and after the insurgency in the area who are faced with dwindling resource capacity that further limited their out –put. 44% of the maize farmers before the insurgency produced 1 – 5 tons, and 63% after insurgency produced less than 1 tons, which is as a result of inaccessibility and high cost of production inputs such as fertilizer and tractor machines. The result revealed a reduction in farm size, use of in inorganic fertilizer and tractor respectively after the insurgency. Similar, it shows that, use of herbicides has increased after the insurgency due to reduction in use of tractor and oxen plough as a means of land preparation. The findings has raised the following salient points: further utilization of chemical herbicides might cause environmental pollution and health risk in the area, food insecurity of the households in the area could be aggravated due to observed increased in prices of herbicides, inadequate access to inorganic fertilizers and tractors, hence the study recommends that; non – governmental organization should intervene by providing supports in areas of inputs, capacity building on alternative fertilizers and appropriate tools, government should intensify security outfit to checkmate insecurity and insurgency in the area, farmers should form cooperatives and association to pool their resources together and pursue common goal (s),that might improve their out-put, productivity, food security, livelihood and minimize poverty on a sustainable basis.