EFFECT OF ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONTECHNOLOGY (ICT) ON FOOD SECURITY STATUS AMONG FARMING HOUSEHOLDS IN BEKWARRA LOCAL GOVERNMENTAREA OF CROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA

ICTs do not directly ensure household food security but play a vital role in enhancing rural livelihoods by providing timely information that empowers productive decisions. This study examined the effect of access to ICTs on food security among farming households in Bekwarra Local Government Area, Cross River State,Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used in selecting 151 respondents. Descriptive statistics, food security index, and Binary Logit regression model were used for data analysis. The result shows that 69.5% ofthe respondents had a household size of between 1-10 members and 60.3% of the respondents were male. The mean age of respondents was 41.27 years, with 64.2% married. The mean per capita monthly foodexpenditure was ₦12,314.29, with a food security line of ₦8,209.53, it was further revealed that 66.2% of households were food insecure, while 33.8% were food secure. The relationship between access to ICT and food security among farming household revealed that Access to Radio, Access to television, Access to mobile phone and years spent in school were positively significant to the respondents food security status; while age and household size were negatively significant to the farming household food security status. The study concluded that access to ICT affects food security, with respondents adopting various coping strategies. It was recommended that ICT devices such as Radio, Television, mobile phones and internet services should be made accessible for farmers to improve their information sources on production in order to improve food security.