419. Rice Marketers in Nigeria.Docx

Invited paper presented at the 6th African Conference of Agricultural Economists, September 23-26, 2019, Abuja, Nigeria Copyright 2019 by [authors]. All rights reserved. Readers may make verbatim copies of this document for non-commercial purposes by any means, provided that this copyright notice appears on all such copies. Food security status of rice marketers’ households in Niger state, Nigeria: a gender-based analysis *ENIOLA OLUWATOYIN OLORUNSANYA1.YAKUBU MOHAMMED AUNA2, AYOTUNDE.OLUWATUNBO OLORUNSANYA3, ARE KOLAWOLE4 AND ALIMI FUNSO LAWAL1 1Department of Agricultural Economics, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State, Nigeria 2Dept. of Crop Production Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger, State 3Dept. of Animal Production, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State, Nigeria 4Dept. of Political Science, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State, Nigeria *Author of Corespondence : [email protected] Abstract: Food insecurity is presently a global threat to human existicence. Therefore, a gender based economic analysis of rice marketing for food security was carried out in Niger State using 430 representative rice marketers’ households. The survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics, food security indeces and logistic regression model. Results show that the rice marketers are mostly females (74%) with mean age of 39 years and a mean household size of 7 members against 41 years for male marketers and 8 household members. The mean years of schooling are also 4 and 8 years for female and male marketers respectively. Furthermore, the average per capita daily calories available in the study area are 1980.36Kcal and 2,383Kcal for male and female marketers’ households respectively. Using the recommended calorie requirement of 2470Kcal, 138 rice marketer’s households were food secure and 282 were food insecure. The identified determinants of food security status for all households include gender of the marketers, years of schooling, adjusted household size, and net profit.. Improved rice marketing system, manageable household size as well as improved literacy level are required for attainment of food security in the state. Keywords: Rice marketing, gender analysis, marketing margin, marketing efficiency, marketing performance. 1.Introduction Over the years problems of food insecurity have been a global phenomenon and its major causes are climate change, uncontrollable increase in world’s population, changing human tastes, water scarcity and farming households’peculiar problems (Breene, 2017). Nord et al., (2009) defines food insecurity as the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways without resorting to emergency food supplies, scavenging, stealing, or other coping strategies. It does mean not being food secure and it could be a chronic or transitory problem. In chronic food insecurity, there is a continuous inadequate diet and nutrition caused by households inability to acquire food either by purchase or own production (Food and Agricultural Organisation) (FAO), (2008). On the other hand, transitory food insecurity results from a temporary decline in household income or a combination of factors such as seasonal fluctuations in food availability, food prices and income, which themselves may result in seasonal fluctuations in individual nutritional status (FAO, 2008). A household with problem coping with seasonality in food availability, food prices and income are considered as fragile, while households that can weather such periodic crisis are considered as resilient (Agboola, Koroma, and Ikpi, 2004).The focus of the world leaders for decades now has been ensuring food security for all. For instance, the world leaders pledged to eradicate extreme hunger and poverty by 2030 (United Nations Development Project (UNDP), 2017). “Food security on the other hand exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, nutritious and culturally adequate food to meet their dietary needs for active and healthy life” (FAO, 2002). It includes ready availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods and this connotes assured ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways. This rests on the premise that food security depends on availability, accessibility, adequacy and acceptability of food. Availability of food could only be achieved when supply of food grows at par with food demand through either domestic production or importation or combination of the two. The population growth rate in Nigeria in 2017 was 2.28% against the total GDP growth rate of -0.52% per annum (National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), (2017). This has resulted into annual food deficit running into several million metric tonnes and skyrocketing import bills with a continued drain on the country’s foreign exchange reserve (Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) 2016). The effect of the shortfall in the supply and demand for food is felt mostly by low income, resource poor rural dwellers which results in hunger and malnutrition. Despite great efforts to transform Nigeria’s agriculture and huge investment by private and government organisations over the years, rural poverty and food insecurity have persisted. This suggests a need to reconsider current agricultural production, processing and marketing systems to identify new ways of improving them. Tremendous improvement in rice production, processing and marketing will bridge the gap between supply and demand of rice in Nigeria and preserve foreign exchange earnings through reduction in importation and increase in export (FMARD, 2016). The gender connotation to the attainment of food security is also of importance globally and in Nigeria particularly. Gender roles and expectations are often identified as factors hindering the equal right and status of women with adverse consequences that affect life, family, socioeconomic status, health and access to production resources (Mason et al., 2015; Olorunsanya et al., 2012 and Kassie et al., 2012). In each of these areas women worldwide are mostly affected. Thus gender issues cannot be over-emphasised in challenges facing food security in Niger State. Women are important in attainment of food security especially in most developing countries where rural women are involved in small-scale agriculture, supply of farm labour, and provision of food for their households (FAO, 2011). Some of the current aims of national agricultural policy for Nigeria are: (i) attainment of food security, (ii) increase in agricultural production and productivity, and (iii) expansion of exports for foreign exchange earnings and reduction of food imports to protect local production and preserve foreign reserve (FMARD, 2016). The federal government is also developing the value chain of some important agricultural commodities such as rice, cassava, sorghum, cacao and cotton through agricultural transformation agenda and agricultural promotion policy (FMARD, 2016). Although rice is cultivated in almost all the ecological zones in Nigeria, nevertheless import still accounts for a large percentage of rice consumption due to preference for the foreign rice and low supply from the domestic market. In 2016, the estimated demand for rice in Nigeria was put at 6.3 million metric tonnes while domestic supply was only 2.3 million metric tonnes, the short fall was met through importation (FMARD, 2016). This supply-demand gap in rice production in developing countries is as a result of high population growth rate, rapid urbanization and shift in consumer preference in favour of rice (FMARD, (2016); Macauley, (2015) & Sect et al., 2013). Nigeria has huge expanse of potential land area for rice production but only a fraction is under cultivation. Presently an agricultural household in Nigeria holds an average of 2.6 plots at an average of 0.5 hectares in size (NBS, 2016a). If rice must be used as food security crop in Niger state, a multi-faceted approach must be adopted. This study therefore carries out an economic analysis of rice marketing in Niger state for the attainment of food security in the state. The study also measures the level of food security status of the rice marketers’households based on gender as well as identifies the determinants of food security among rice marketers’households in the state. 2.0 Methodology 2.1 Research Location Niger State is an agrarian state located in the north central zone of Nigeria between latitude 8020'N and 11030'N and longitude 3030'and 7020'E. The landscape consists mostly of wooded savannas and includes the flood plains of the Kaduna River. The state is populated mainly by the Nupe people in the south, the Gwari in the east, the Busa in the west, and Kamberi (Kambari), Hausa, Fulani, Kumuku, and Dakarki (Dakarawa) in the north. Agricultural production and marketing are the major occupation of the people of Niger State and the major crops grown include rice, groundnuts, millet, cowpea, cotton, yams, shea nuts, maize, tobacco, oil palm, cola nuts and sugarcane. Fishing and animal husbandry are also important in the state (Britannica Online Encyclopedia, 2011). The state is stratified into 25 local government areas namely: Agaie, Agwara, Bida, Borgu, Bosso, Chanchaga, Edati, Gbako, Gurara, Katcha, Kontagora, Lapai, Lavun, Magama, Mariga, Mashegu, Mokwa, Munya, Paikoro, Rafi, Rijau, Shiroro, Suleja,

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