Influence of adopting climate smart practices on household food security status in Southern Nigeria
This study examined the influence of adopting climate smart agricultural practices on food security of farm households in Southern Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was used to select farmers across five states in Southern Nigeria. Household food security (HFS) was assessed using the United States Department of Agriculture’s HFS survey module. Data were analyzed using frequency distribution, percentages, mean and Ordered Probit model. The household food security status revealed that 26% of the households were highly food secure: while 29%, 23.2% and 21.8% have marginal, low and very low food security respectively. Ordered Probit of household food security results revealed that households that adopted agroforestry (β =0.3269, p<0.05) and use of organic compost (β =-0.2925, p<0.05) were significantly more likely to be food secure. The study therefore recommended public sensitization by extension agents, better participation from farmers and favourable policy from the government to encourage continuous use of climate smart practices should be put in place as their use tend to have a positive influence on the household food security status in Southern Nigeria.
Keywords: Climate-Smart Practices, Food security, Farm households, Nigeria
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