Food Security and Nutrition of Smallholder Farming Households in South-East Nigeria: Evidence from Imo State

Abstract

Smallholder farmers play a significant role in rural economic growth, as they contribute a large portion of the workforce in the rural areas. Consumption of less diverse diets and inadequate access to sufficient food poses a danger for their health. We assessed the food security status and nutrition of smallholder farming households in Imo State, South-East Nigeria. We identified sources of food availability of the households, determined the food security status of the farming households and also determined factors affecting the food security status of the farmers. This study used survey data from 195 smallholder farming households in Imo State, South-East Nigeria. Household dietary diversity score (HDDS) and binary logistic regression model were employed to estimate the food security status and the determinants. The results show that the farmers engaged in different farming systems, including crop production, livestock production and mixed farming. The farming households relied on their farm production and food purchases to meet their energy and dietary needs, with food gifts supplementing the food available to some households. We found that male-headed households were more food secure than female-headed households. The number of food insecure households were relatively higher than the percentage of households that were food secure. The age of the household head, education, sex, household size and market-orientation significantly influence the food security status of the farming households. It is recommended that farmers should engage in diverse farming systems as well as market orientation to enhance the nutrition and food security of their households.