Effect of Cassava Products Consumption on Food Security of Farming Households in Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

Cassava is widely known as a food security crop and about 80% of Nigerians consume cassava products, at least once a day. Nevertheless, food insecurity is still a critical issue among farming households. Consequently, we evaluated the consumption frequency of cassava products and assessed the effect of consumption of cassava products on food security among farming households. Random sampling technique was used to pick 200 farming households for this study. The analytical tools are descriptive statistic, food security index and binary logistic regression. The study revealed that the commonly consumed cassava products by the respondents were Garri, cassava tuber and Fufu. Among cassava based foods, Garri was the most frequently consumed staple. Furthermore,
28% and 72% of the respondents were food secured and in-secured, respectively. The regression analysis indicated that household size, household income, quantity of Garri consumed, quantity of Fufu consumed, quantity of other cassava products consumed and access to credit facilities were the critical factors explaining food security. In addition, eating foods that are less preferred, eating more of Garri and Fufu were the most effectual coping strategies adopted by respondents in cushioning the effects of food insecurity. Government should encourage production of cassava and other leguminous crops by given incentives such as soft loans to farmers. Farmers should also be encouraged to consume cassava products with other protein rich foods. In addition, processors should
produce more of Fufu, Lafun and Garri products. Moreover, policies and strategies that raise household income and lowers family size should be enhanced to reduce food insecurity.