Determinants Of Rural Households’ Food Security Status In Ijebu East Local Government Area, Ogun State, Nigeria

Food security is a critical issue and a top priority in the policies of developing countries. The study assessed the determinants of food insecurity among farming households in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria. Multi- stage sampling technique was used to select 215 farming households and data were collected using structured questionnaires. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Foster-Greer-Thorbecke (FGT) and Probit models were employed to identify the determinants of food security status of selected households. The study revealed that an average farmer was 49 years old with a mean household size of six persons. However, the majority of them were married (74%) and headed by a male (89%). The study revealed that 86% of the households were food insecure. The food security severity and depth were found to be 0.018 and 0.0035 respectively which implied high inequality of distribution among food insecure households. The study also revealed that the significant factors affecting the food security status of the farmers included the age of the household head (0.0634, p<0.10), household size (0.5159, p<0.01) marital status (1.194, p<0.01) and farming experience (-0.1328, p<0.05). The study concluded that the majority of the sampled households were food insecure and age, household size, marital status and farming experience were significant determinant variables of household food security. The study therefore recommended among other things that appropriate stakeholder selection to support, educate and sensitize young farmers on appropriate agricultural technologies as their participation tends to improve the existing household food security situation.