Analysis Of Labor Use And Food Security Among Rural Maize Farmers
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Analysis Of Labor Use And Food Security Among Rural Maize Farmers
ABSTRACT
The study investigated the relationship between labour utilisation and food security among rural maize farmers in Odede, Ogun state.
The study especially attempted to measure farmers’ labour utilisation and food security.
The study included all farmers in Odeda Local Government Area, Ogun State. A two-stage sampling procedure was used to select the respondents’ maize crop farmers within the study area.
Twenty-five maize farmers were randomly selected from each village, and one hundred and twenty (120) maize crop farmers provided complete information that was used for the final analysis.
A well-designed questionnaire was created to extract information from respondents, and the data gathered was analysed using descriptive statistics, the food security index, and the probit regression model.
According to the study’s findings, maize farmers in Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State use hired and family labour in varying proportions.
Furthermore, using more family labour increases rural maize farming households’ ability to be more food secure, whereas using more hired labour decreases rural maize farming households’ ability to be food secure.
Based on this, the study recommended that credit facilities be made available and accessible to farming households, that governments and non-governmental organisations encourage youths to go into farming in order to relieve pressure on white-collar jobs, and that awareness creation on family planning be made because it will go a long way towards reducing rural farming household size because there is a tendency to be food insecure with large household sizes.
Chapter One:
Introduction
1.1 Background of Study
Food is defined as any nourishing material consumed, sipped, or otherwise ingested by the body in order to support life, generate energy, stimulate growth, and so on. It is an essential requirement for mankind’s survival and economic activity, including food production.
Food must be available, accessible, and effectively used for food security at the national, regional, and local levels. It is a fundamental requirement of life. Food is recognised as the most basic source of nourishment, and proper food intake in terms of quantity and quality is essential for a healthy and productive life (FAO, 2005).
It is arguably the most significant product that connects rural producers and urban consumers (Rengasamy et al. 2003). Food accounts up a significant portion of the average Nigerian household budget.
Various foods serve as significant vehicles for delivering nutrients into the body and promoting health, necessitating the consumption of necessary nutrients in appropriate proportions.
These include carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and oils, vitamins, and minerals (Omonona, Agoi, & Adetokunbo, 2007). The need for food ranks first in the hierarchy of needs since it is necessary for healthy living. Thus, food security is critical in every given country.
Africa’s large geographical area of 3 billion hectares includes 1.3 billion ha of agricultural land, of which only 252 million ha (19.36%) is arable. Sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, teff, African rice, and maize are all cereals originating in Africa, where they are also produced in abundance.
Maize has replaced these traditional cereals. It is planted on 34.08 million acres in Africa and produces 70.08 million tonnes (FAO, 2015). Maize is an important staple crop across a wide range of agro-ecological zones and farming methods, and it is consumed by people of various food preferences and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Africa is home to 22 of the world’s 22 countries with maize as the primary source of calories in the national diet. Maize accounts for almost
According to the final report of the 1996 World Food Summit, food security exists when all people have constant physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that fits their dietary needs and food preferences for an active, healthy life. It is a condition that affects food supply and availability.
A farming household is considered food secure when the three criteria of food availability, accessibility, and affordability are met in the requisite amount and quality (World Bank, 2001).
At the 1974 World Food Conference, the term “food security” was defined with a focus on supply. Food security, according to them, is the “availability at times of adequate world food supplies of basic foodstuffs to sustain a steady expansion of food consumption and to offset fluctuations in production and prices” .
It is also a scenario in which all people have constant physical, social, and economic access to adequate, safe, and nutritious food that satisfies their dietary food preferences for an active and healthy life (UNFAO, 2001).
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