Assessment of Food Security Situation of Tiv Farming households in Nigeria

• Published in: Journal of agricultural extension 2015-06, Vol.19 (1)
• Main Authors: Dooshima P Ivanda, Edwin M Igbokwe, Michael Olatunji Olaolu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Food security; living conditions and strategies; Tiv farming families
• ISSN: 1119-944X; 2408-6851

The fact that several households are engaged in farming does not translate directly to them being food secured, this is because of the food security entails all people at all times having both physical and economic access to sufficient food to meet their dietary needs for a productive and healthy life. The study therefore, assessed the food security situation and living conditions of Tiv farming households. Respondents were drawn from farming households in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa States. Data was collected from 315 heads of households using interview schedule, and the data were analysed using means and food security index. The study found that enhanced ICT use (M=2.47) and increased competition (M=2.40) were perceived conditions that were found to be attributed to their agricultural operations. The analysis of food security situation shows that majority (64.1%) of these households were food secured. This could be because of those strategies for ensuring food security is working for majority of the families. Also on the strategies put in place to ensure households’ food security were the use of high yielding crop varieties (M= 1.60), mixed cropping (M=1.53) and use of early maturing crop varieties. Therefore the study recommends that governments in these states should support various extension agencies involved in the dissemination of these technologies that enhance the food security of the farmers.