Adopted Coping Mechanism in Combating Food Insecurity by Farming Household in Kano State Nigeria

Abstract

The study examines strategies employed in combating food insecurity among farming household in Kano State, Nigeria. A total of 240 respondents were selected using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected and analyzed using a schedule questionnaire and descriptive statistics respectively. The result showed that Majority are male (91.3 %) and 52.5 % with education attainment below secondary school education. The mean age of the respondents is 44years with an average of household number of 6people and an average income of 100, 708 Naira on a monthly basis. The study revealed an insignificant percentage (5%) of respondents as food secured while 95% were food insecure. According to ranking of coping mechanism adopted by the farming household, the most widely use include fasting and praying, withdrawal from personal savings, reduction in meal intake, reduced spending on non-food items and borrowing from friends and families. It is thereby recommended that more effort should be made towards increasing the farmer’s productivity through availability of farm input at reduced cost, effective training on improved farming techniques and proper post-harvest handling.