FOOD SECURITY STATUS AND COPING STRATEGIES ADOPTED BY FARM HOUSEHOLDS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN NIGER STATE, NIGERIA
Publication Type: Journal Article.
Publication Year: 2026
Author(s): Alhassan, A. M., Olorunsanya, E. O., & Baba, K. C.
Journal Name: (IJAEMD)
ABSTRACT
This study examined the determinants of household food-security status and the coping strategies adopted by farm households during the COVID-19 pandemic in Niger State, Nigeria. A multistage random sampling technique was used to select 300 farm households from the state’s three agricultural zones. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression. The results showed that the age of the household head, household size, farm size, and farm income were associated with household food-security status. Farm size had a positive and statistically significant effect on the likelihood of being food secure, while age and household size were negatively associated with food-security status. Farm income showed a negative and statistically significant association at the 10% level, indicating that higher reported farm income was associated with lower odds of being food secure in the estimated model. Findings on coping strategies showed that households predominantly relied on consumption-based responses. Eating less expensive food (mean = 2.71), reducing consumption rations (mean = 2.66), and allowing children to eat first (mean = 2.55) were the most widely adopted strategies. Additional strategies included small-scale production, meal skipping, buying food on credit, backyard livestock production, and borrowing money to purchase food. In contrast, mortgaging or selling domestic assets, eating wild fruits, eating once a day, selling labour power, and collecting leftover food at social functions were less frequently adopted. The study recommends improved access to productive agricultural resources, livelihood diversification, agricultural credit and extension services, and strengthened social-protection programmes to enhance household resilience to future shocks.
Keywords: Food security determinants, coping strategies, COVID-19, logistic regression, Likert scale, farm households