Food Security Status Of Women Rice Farmers In Shiroro Local Government Area Of Niger State, Nigeria

The study assessed the food security status of women rice farmers in Shiroro Local Government Area, Niger State. The study was based on a multi-stage sampling procedure used in selecting 120 women rice farmers in the study area. Information pertaining the farmers’ socio-economic characteristics, production activities, household expenditure and food security coping strategy were elicited using questionnaire/scheduled interview. Data for the study were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequency counts, percentages, range and mean), food security index, farm budgeting techniques and logit. The findings of the study revealed that an average proportion (53.3%) of the women had no formal education, were married (78.3%) with mean age of 36years and average household size of 5 persons. The cost and return analysis showed that the total revenue from rice production was ₦412,567.92 per hectare, while the gross margin and net farm income per hectare were ₦338,803.8 and ₦255,358.67 respectively. Food security index revealed that 62% of the respondents were food secure and this was influenced by education (β = -0.08, P<0.05), household size (β= -0.86, P<0.01), experience (β = -0.09, P<0.05) and access to credit (β = -1.50, P<0.05). The study therefore concluded that most of the women rice farmers were food secure. Thus, to ensure food security in the study area, the study recommends that financial institutions as well as cooperatives should make it easy for women to access loans to boost their production and enhance their food security status. In addition, policies geared towards reducing the birth rate should be enacted to control household sizes.