ANALYSIS OF FOOD SECURITY AND COPING

STRATEGIES OF RURAL FARM HOUSEHOLDS IN

MALUMFASHI L.G.A., KATSINA STATE, NIGERIA

Undergraduate Project Submitted To

FEDERAL UNIVERSITY DUTSIN-MA

October, 2023

By:
ABUBAKAR ABDULRASHID
(AGR/2018/6614)

Supervised By:
MLM UMAR MUHAMMAD IBRAHIM
 Introduction

 Nigeria's agriculture was historically vital for employment, food sufficiency, and
export earnings, especially before the era of crude oil.
 Current Agricultural Significance
 The agricultural sector remains pivotal in Nigeria's economy, contributing over 70%
of informal sector jobs and 24.18% to GDP (Q1 2020).
 Challenges Faced
 Nigeria grapples with significant food security challenges, with 67.1% living below
the poverty line and high levels of poverty, hunger, and malnutrition across regions.
 Agricultural Potential
 Nigeria possesses vast arable land, but over 90% of agriculture is rain-fed, and
smallholders account for 80% of farm holdings.
 Importance of Food Security
 Food is a fundamental human need, and the country faces a growing food crisis
with potential national repercussions.
 Introduction

 Problem Statement
 Nigeria's agricultural production and food security efforts have been inadequate, especially among
rural farmers, who suffer from under-nutrition and poverty. The country heavily relies on food
imports despite its production potential.
 Economic and Demographic Challenges
 Nigeria's population growth (3.2%) amid sluggish agricultural growth, economic recession, high food
prices, and changing climate patterns make addressing food security urgent.
 Research Gap
 While some studies address food security nationally or regionally, there's a lack of understanding at
the household level in specific states like Katsina.
 Objective
 This research aims to analyze food security and coping strategies among rural farm households in
Katsina State.
 Key Research Questions
 I. What are the socio-economic characteristics of rural farm households in Katsina?
 II. What is the contribution of food crops to the food security of rural farm households?
 III. What is the expenditure pattern of rural farm households in the study area?
 IV. What is the food security status of rural farm households?
 V. What factors determine food security for rural farm households in the study area?
 Methodology

 Study Area
 Location: Katsina State, Malumfashi Local Government
 Coordinates: Latitude 11° 48' N, Longitude 7° 37' E
 Land Area: 674 km²
 Population: 182,920 people (NPC 2006)
 Climate: Rainy season from late June to September, annual rainfall
650 mm, temperature range 24-35°C, 49% relative humidity, 200 mm
evaporation per year
 Soil Types: Entisols, Inceptisols, and Alfisols, characterized by low
organic matter, cation exchange capacity, and nutrient content
 Agriculture in the Area
 Predominantly farming population
 Crops: Millet, sorghum, maize, rice, cotton, cowpea, groundnut
 Livestock: Cattle, goats, sheep, fowls
 Methodology
 Sampling Procedure
 Multi-stage sampling
 Purposeful selection of two villages per local government area
 Selected villages: Yanmama and Agagiwa
 Five farmer groups chosen from each selected village
 Random selection of ten respondents per household
 Total of 100 rural farm households surveyed
 Data Collection
 Primary data collected using structured questionnaires
 Interpretation in Hausa language for ease of data collection
 Analytical Techniques
 Descriptive Statistics
 Include frequency distribution, percentage and mean
 Applied to address Objectives (i), (ii), and (iii)
 Multiple Linear Regression Analysis
 Factors considered: age of household head, education level, credit obtained, gender, household size, farm income,
non-farm income, marital status
 Food Security Index
 Aimed at Objective (iv)
 Construction of food security index
 Estimation of daily consumption
 Categorization of households as food secure or food insecure
 Results
Age distribution of household heads
Age Frequency Percentage
21-30 30 7.7
31-40 64 16.4
41-50 141 36.1
51-60 103 26.4
61-65 42 10.8
71-80 10 2.6

Distribution of marital status of household heads

Marital status Frequency Percentage
Single 11 9.17
Married 99 82.50

Widow 10 8.33

120
Total 100
 Results
Educational level of household heads
Educational level Frequency Percentage
No formal education 43 35.8%
Primary 38 31.7%

Secondary 38 31.7%
Tertiary 19 15.8%
Total 120 100%
Distribution of farming experience of household heads
Years of farming experience Frequency Percentage
1-5 years 25 20.8%
6-10 years 28 23.3%
11-15 years 19 15.8%
16-20 years 29 24.2%
21-25 23 19.2%
 Results
Distribution of cooperative membership of household heads
Cooperative membership (years) Frequency Percentage
Cooperative membership
Non member 48 40%
Member 72 60%
120 100%
Member (n=120)
1-5 years 17 23.6%
6-10 years 34 47.2%
11-15 years 14 19.4%
16-20 years 5 6.9%
21-25 2 2.8%
>25 years 0 0%
Distribution of farm size of household heads
Farm size (hectare) Frequency Percentage
Less Than 1 15 12.5%
1-3 70 58.3%

4-6 35 29.2%
 Conclusion

 The study examined various aspects of food security and coping

strategies among rural farm households in Katsina State, Nigeria.
 Farm size was found to be a crucial factor, with 58.3% of
respondents operating on farms ranging from 1 to 3 hectares.
 Approximately 29.2% of households had farm sizes between 4 to 6
hectares, indicating a moderate landholding.
 A smaller proportion, 12.5%, operated on farms of less than 1
hectare.
 These findings reflect the distribution of farm sizes among the 120
rural households surveyed in Katsina State.
 Overall, the study highlights the diversity of farm sizes among rural
farm households, emphasizing the importance of considering
landholding patterns when addressing food security and related
challenges.
 References

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