RURAL HOUSEHOLDS’ FOOD INSECURITY AND COPING STRATEGIES DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN ENUGU STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Food insecurity is a challenge in developing countries, especially in the rural areas of Nigeria. It remains a global challenge and continues to be a major public policy in Nigeria and other developing nations. Despite these, COVID-19 set in and posed a serious threat to food system and security globally. This study, therefore, assessed the level of food security among the rural farming households and how they cope with the situation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data for the study were collected primarily from 200 farming households with the use of questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics, food security index and Likert scale. The findings showed that the level of food insecurity was very high during the pandemic as 69.5% were food insecure with a high concentration among those with large household size. The widely adopted coping strategies during COVID-19 pandemic among the rural farming households were eating less expensive food (=2.7), reducing rational consumption (=2.68), allowing children to eat first (=2.56), engaging in additional small scale productivity activities (=2.27), skipping meal within a day (=2.26), buying food on credit (=2.05) and borrowing money to buy food (=2.01). The study recommends effective and urgent policy measures which will support rural households’ food availability to boost their food security status. Also, enlightenment of the rural households on the important of modern family planning on their food security status is needed.