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Effects Of Tenure And Land Use Factors On Food Security Among Rural Households In The Dry Savannas Of Nigeria
Bamire, AS
Abstract
Defining food security in terms of availability and access to sufficient food to meet
dietary needs for a productive and healthy life, this paper assessed the effects of
property rights to land on household food security in the Savanna zone of northern
Nigeria. The paper analyzed household expenditure profile, examined households’
tenure and land use factors, determined the effect of these factors on household food
security status, and predicted/classified households into food security groups based on
these factors. Primary data were generated from a cross-section of 180 farming
households during the 2006/2007 production season, using pre-tested structured
questionnaire. Data were collected on tenure and land use characteristics, input-output
relationships, cropping patterns, land improvement techniques, and on household
expenditure and income. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were
also conducted. Secondary data were obtained from Local Government secretariats
and the National Population Commission. Data were analyzed using descriptive
statistics, probit regression and discriminant techniques. Results showed that the
customary tenure arrangement is the most important way by which farm households
gain access and manage land in the zone. On the average, households cultivated less
than two hectares of land with less than two years of fallow. Inorganic fertilizer was
the most commonly used land improvement technique by all households, but at rates
below recommended dosage due to scarcity and high cost. Only 25% of the
households were categorized as food secure and 75% as food insecure. Expenditure
on food accounted for over 30% of total expenditure and was significantly higher for
the food secure households. Probit estimates revealed that age, farm size, use of land
improvement techniques, membership of association, and access to extension service
were significant determinants of households’ food security options, while these
factors except age were identified as the most powerful discriminators and predictors
of household’s food security options using discriminant analysis, with 92.7% of the
sampled households correctly and satisfactorily classified. This suggests that
meaningful land intensification through proper management and effective extension
service is the likely development pathway in the study area. In addition, the
classification of households can support policy making strategies that target specific
groups for government and non-government programme implementation.
Keywords
land, food, households, savanna, Nigeria
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