AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES AND FOOD SECURITY: AN APPRAISAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL FACTORS IN ABRAKA REGION DELTA STATE, SOUTHERN NIGERIA

The study dwelt on “Agricultural Practices and Food Security: An Appraisal of Environmental and Social Factors in Abraka Region, Southern Nigeria”. Farming practices and environmental factors were examined, including information on determinants/ characteristic effects of food security in the area. The questionnaire was the main instrument used for data collection; an in-depth literature review on the subject under consideration was also consulted. Two hypotheses were postulated to guide the course of the study. Hypothesis 1 states that “there is no significant relationship between agricultural practices and food security”. The Pearson product-moment correlation (ppmc) statistical tool was used for data analysis. The computed r-value of 3.259 is greater than the r-critical table value of 3.182 at a 0.05 significance level. Therefore, H0 is rejected, and H1 is accepted. The standard coefficient beta of (.690) indicates that agriculture has a 69% relationship with food security. This confirms a significant relationship between agriculture and food security. Hypothesis 2 also confirmed a significant effect of environmental factors on food security in the area. An R-value of 0.872 is significant, which implies that environmental and social factors have a 70% contribution to food security using the regression analysis. Possible technical and institutional measures towards mitigation and adaptation to minimize the problem of food insecurity to enhance agricultural productivity in the area have been addressed in this study to ensure that food crises are averted both for the present generation and posterity.