Economics of Rice Production and its Effect on Household Food Security Status in Abaji Area Council of Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract— This study examined the Economics of Rice Production and Its Effect on Household Food Security Status in Abaji Area Council, Abuja, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 200 rice farmers, and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Net Farm Income analysis, Food Security Index, and Tobit regression model. The socio-economic results showed that the mean age of farmers was 43.6 years, with an average household size of 6.7 persons and mean farming experience of 11.8 years. About 74% were married, 58% had secondary education, and 69% belonged to cooperative societies, with an average annual income of ₦218,000. Profitability analysis revealed that rice production was viable, yielding a Net Farm Income of ₦323,142.96, Return per Naira Invested of 3.39, Operating Ratio of 0.19, and Gross Ratio of 0.30, showing efficient resource use. Food security results indicated that 62.5% of households were food secure, while 37.5% were food insecure, with a mean Food Security Index of 1.79. The Tobit model identified education level, farm size, farm income, access to credit, cooperative membership, and farming experience as significant at the 1% and 5% levels, while age and extension contact were significant at the 10% level. Marital status was not significant. Major constraints included inadequate access to credit (78%), high input costs (74.5%), poor irrigation (64%), and pest infestation (60.5%). The study concluded that rice farming is profitable and contributes positively to household food security despite key production challenges.