Coping Mechanisms for Food Insecurity in Small-Scale Rural Farming Households in Some Selected Local Government Areas in Kwara State, Nigeria

Transformative shifts in the global economy, demographic structures, and international systems of communication and transport have collectively contributed to food insecurity and challenges in small-scale farming. This study explored the food insecurity coping strategies of small-scale farming households in Kwara State, Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted, and data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 320 conveniently selected respondents. This sampling technique was considered appropriate given the homogeneity of the target population and the paucity of information on the population of the sampled communities' inhabitants. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques (Frequency and Factor Analysis). The study revealed that 92.5% of the farming households are food insecure. To cope, households adopt several strategies, including reducing food consumption, selling food assets, borrowing money to purchase food, and consuming less preferred foods. Some households also engage in farming practices that mitigate food insecurity, such as mixed cropping, the use of fertilizers, crop rotation, irrigation farming, and expansion of farm size. Of the many factors which contributed to food insecurity, the study established that the socio-physical, bio-edaphic and production/input variables are the most significant. The study also established that, the food insecurity coping strategies of farming households are clearly a response to the need to improve the socio-economic conditions of rural communities. The study concluded that smallholder farming households in Kwara State were faced with food insecurity, and it recommended that government should increase farmers' access to integrated climate-adaptive irrigation and agricultural practices, such as mixed cropping and improved seedlings, among others