Acta Scientific AGRICULTURE (ISSN: 2581-365X) Volume 4 Issue 8 August 2020 Research Article Socio-Economic Factors of Cooperative Farmer’s and their Food Intake in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State Oluwasanya OP1*, Nwankwo FO2, Aladegoroye OR1 and Ojewande AA3 Received: March 31, 2020 1Department of Cooperative and Rural Development, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Published: July 30, 2020 Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria © All rights are reserved by Oluwasanya OP., 2Department of Cooperative Economics and Management, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, et al. Awka, Nigeria 3Department of Banking and Finance, Osun State University, Osogbo, Nigeria *Corresponding Author: Oluwasanya OP, Department of Cooperative and Rural Development, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria. Abstract The study analysed effect of socio-economic characteristics of cooperative farmers’ on their food intake in Yewa North Local Gov- ernment Area, Ogun State with a view to providing policy information toward enhancing the nutritional status of Nigeria. Hunger and malnutrition in developing countries like Nigeria requires the improvement of goals to lower the rate of frequently malnourished individual. There is problem of food and nutrition security in the world today. The data was collected through multistage sampling to obtain useful data from 112 households. It was revealed that 76.8% of the household farmers had average income below N30,000 per month. The household farmer’s expenditure was N4,961.24 and per capital average expenditure was N925.605. This showed that poverty level is very critical and needs urgent attention in the study area. On this note, it was recommended that appropriate, attainable and practicable programme should be done to alleviate poverty and enhance income among rural farmers and that there Nigerians most especially food insecure and vulnerable individual. should be a redistribution of income to favour low income earner so as to benefit the identified poor and likewise be extended to all Keywords: Low Income Earner; Household; Food Intake; Cooperative Farmer Introduction nutritious meal. This problem is so acute in Nigeria and must be Nigeria is one the most vulnerable nation as to poor food intake dealt with urgently, if the country will at peace. Akinyele [1] argued among her citizen. Food problem is so chronic that an average man that Nigeria is still characterized by high reliance on food imports. could not eat three square meals with his family. This situation is so That malnutrition is widespread in the entire country and rural bad that some people turn to beggar so as to put food on their table areas are especially the most vulnerable to chronic food shortage, and this is because stable job among the people is not circulating malnutrition, unbalanced nutrition, erratic food supply, poor qual- and those who got job large number of them is poorly paid in the ity foods, high food costs, and even total lack of food. essence some live less than one dollar per day and could not afford Citation: Oluwasanya OP., et al. “Socio-Economic Factors of Cooperative Farmer’s and their Food Intake in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State”. Acta Scientific Agriculture 4.8 (2020): 58-65. Socio-Economic Factors of Cooperative Farmer’s and their Food Intake in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State 59 The problem of food and nutrition security in Nigeria has not tive of development policy and also a measure of its success. A na- been adequately and critically addressed, despite various ap- tion without food security may collapse and eventually, there will proaches at addressing this menace. Ojo [2] observed that the be unrest and as a result many may constitute nuisance in the com- protein consumption was put at 5gm/caput per day which is far cry from Food and Agriculture Organization recommended level status and equally causes undesirable socio-economic limitation munity. Thus, insufficient food has negative impact on the health of 35gm/caput per day. The reasons attributed to this by most in terms of low income, high infant rate, child abuse, low life ex- researchers are the low level productivity of resources employed - consumption are two equal things. Hence, inadequate food causes pectancy and human productivity. Poverty and insufficiency food try [2]. The situation is different in developed countries where the arising from the inefficient allocation of resources in poultry indus protein intake per capital is about 90g with more than 65g of it economic adversity in the nation that is vulnerable. Insufficient from animal source. For several reasons food consumption is of in- - food intake and poverty are intricately linked. Suffice it principal terest to the Nigerian economy. First, the volume of food consumed quate food consumption has negative impact in the world over the socio-economic problems have been afflicting to say that inade by rural farming households by far represents a large proportion of years, particularly in Nigeria. The case is worsening in Nigeria and aggregate from output. This being so, the pattern of food consump- can be traced to number of factors, ranging from inadequate access - to endowment such as employment, education, health care facili- tal agricultural output produced. Second, the quantity and quality ties, good food, proper sanitation system, good water supply, poor tion exerts a decisive influence on the level and composition of to of food consumed by households affect their health and economic infrastructure development, inadequate access to capital and land, credit facilities, lack of access to market for the good and service general level of economic activities and productivity. that the poor produce so as to offer them for sale, also inadequate well-being and these in turn have significant repercussions on the or non-involvement of the poor in the design of the programmes Despite, government efforts to increase food production through for poverty allocation. This is nothing but denial of choices and op- the introduction of special agricultural projects in conjunction with portunities for living a tolerable life and causes the vulnerable live the World Bank and other related Agricultural Development Proj- without fundamental freedoms of action and choice. Therefore, a ects (ADPs) such as; Agricultural Development Projects (ADPs) in practicable and dependable policy should be put in place to curb 1975, Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) in 1976, Green Revolution this acute food problem in Nigeria. in 1980, Directorate for Food, Road and Rural Infrastructure (DFR- RI) including development policies, like Structural Adjustment Pro- Objectives of the Study gramme, Better Life Programme and Family Support Programme, The broad objectives of this study was to examine the impact of yet the Nigerian economy still pose the problem of under-nutrition socio-economic factors of cooperative farmers and their food in- and malnutrition to average Nigerian consumer. Food consump- take in Yewa North Local Government Area, a typical rural town in Ogun State, Nigeria. intake causes weakness in physical ability, cognitive/intellectual tion is the key element of life quality and strength. Insufficient food development especially the children, emotional and spiritual bal- The specific objectives were to: ance, metal stability, and life expectancy [3]. Hence, policy that • Examine the socio-economic characteristics of cooperative will enhance proper food intake should be put in place and strictly farmers in the study area; implemented. • Determine the rural farmers per capital food expenditure by their income group; Problem statement • - The Nigerian food insecurity situation is still described as ap- take in the study area; and palling despite a number of efforts geared towards addressing the Assess the influence of socio-economic factors on food in • Evaluate their consumption pattern. problem proved abortive [4]. Food security is a fundamental objec- Citation: Oluwasanya OP., et al. “Socio-Economic Factors of Cooperative Farmer’s and their Food Intake in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State”. Acta Scientific Agriculture 4.8 (2020): 58-65. Socio-Economic Factors of Cooperative Farmer’s and their Food Intake in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State 60 Research Methodology model is a statistical model proposed by James Tobin [6] to de- Study area scribe the relationship between a non-negative dependent variable , and an independent variable (or vector) xi assuming that there The study was carried out in Yewa North Local Government i is a latent variable which linearly depends on the independent one Areas (YNLGA) in Ogun State Nigeria. The Yewa LGA was formerly у trough a parameter (beta) that determines the relationship be- Egbado North Local Government Area. Its headquarters at Ayetoro tween the independent and latent variables. According to Verbeek (7º14’00’’N and 3º02’00”E in the north-east of the Area), came into [7], Tobit regression is usually the best model when the dependent existence via Local Government edict No.9 of 1976. This area shares variable is continuous and has a constrained range, represents a boundaries with Imeko/Afon Local Government in the north, Yewa positive variable. This statistical model has previously been used South Local Government in the south, the Republic of Benin in the in studies such as Trabelsi., . [8], Hussainey and Al Najjar [9], west and by Abeokuta North and Ewekoro Local Government areas et al but also the pseudo R squared