Land-Income-Nutrition Nexus: Implication for Food Security of Rural Households in Nigeria

Abstract: The produce cultivated by farm families are consumed and or sold in the market to generate cash which is used to meet other household needs. But the farm families also have to make food purchases at higher prices to supplement the short fall that may have occurred over time. This presents a Land-Income-Nutrition cycle; the study investigates the interplay of this nexus with socio-economic characteristics of farm families. A multi-stage random sampling technique was used to select a total of 74 farm families from villages. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. The results show that farming and related activities (poultry production) are the major sources of income. Land use in the area consists mainly of sole cropping, mixed cropping, crop rotation. Average monthly income from farming is N27,135.00, and N17454.04 is spent on food monthly. The per caput calorie intake shows a short fall of 1353.33Kcal less than the international recommendations. The regression analysis shows that family size, income, food expenditure and source of farm land influence the daily calorie intake of farm families; the influence is not necessarily direct or linear. Improved market access through good roads and improved post harvest technology are recommended.