ABSTRACT
The
research proffers an analysis of food security and poverty status among
households in Ehime Mbano.
It
elucidates the nature of food security and poverty status, portrays the
challenges of food security and poverty and provides measures to enhance food
security alleviate poverty.
INTRODUCTION
Food
security is a concept that has evolved during the 1990s far beyond a traditional
focus on the supply of food at the national level. This concept has been given
general definitions in time past but in recent times, there has been a
divergence of ideas on what food security really means. food security is defined as access by all people at all times
to enough food for an active and healthy life. The committee on world food
security defined it as physical and economic access to adequate food by all
household members without undue risk of losing the access. However, the
definition adopted by the countries attending the world food summit of 1996,
and reconfirmed in 2002, accepts the USAID’S concept which has three key
elements viz; food availability, food access and food utilization. However, a
fourth concept is increasingly becoming accepted namely, “the risks that can
disrupt anyone of the first three factors” There are therefore four major
elements of food security. They are food availability, food access, food
utilization and not loosing such access. Availability, access and utilization
are hierarchical in nature. Food availability is necessary but not sufficient
for food accessibility and access is necessary but not sufficient for
utilization. In a larger sense, two broad groups of factors determine food security.
These are supply side factors and demand side factors. The supply-side factors
are those that determine food supply or food availability. In other words, they
are determinants of physical access to food at national, household and
intra-household levels. The demand side factors on the other hand are factors
that determine the degree of access of countries, households and individuals to
available food. They are, in other words, determinants of economic access to
food or determinants of entitlement to available food.
CHAPTER 1
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE
STUDY
Food insecurity or lack of access to
nutritionally adequate diet in a household or country can take various forms.
For example, chronic food insecurity exists when food supplies are persistently
insufficient to supply adequate nutrient for all individuals. Transitory food
insecurity occurs when there is a temporary decline in access to adequate food
because of instability in food production, food price increases or income
shortfalls.
We
may distinguish between national food security and household food security.
This distinction is necessary because an aggregate supply of food, from
domestic sources or import or both, are prerequisite but certainly not a
sufficient condition for a food secure situation in a country. In other words,
adequate availability of food in Nigeria on a per capita basis does not
necessarily translate to sufficient and adequate food for every citizen. Food
security at household level is a subset of the national level and it requires
that all individuals and households have access to sufficient food either by
producing it themselves or by generatingsufficient income to demand for it. The
research intends to profer an analysis of food security and poverty status
among holds in Ehime Mbano.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The problem confronting the research is an
analysis of food security and poverty status among household in Ehime Mbano.
1.3 RESEARCH
QUESTION
1
What is the nature of
food security?
2
What is the challenge
of poverty status among household on
food security?
3 What
is the challenge of poverty on food security in Ehime
Mbano?
1.4 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
1
To profer an analysis
of food security and poverty status among household
2. To
determine food security and poverty status among household in Ehime Mbano
1.5
SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
The
study shall project the level of food security and poverty among household with
a view to profer measures to mitigate and eliminate food insecurity and poverty
among households.
1.6
STATEMENT
OF HYPOTHESIS
1 H0 Poverty
level among household in Ehime Mbano is low
H1 Poverty
level among household in Ehime Mbano
is high
2 H0 Food
security in Ehime Mbano
is low
H1 Food security in Ehime
Mbano is high
3
H0 Effect
of poverty on food security in Ehime
Mbano is low
H1 Effect
of poverty on food security in Ehime Mbano
is high
1.7
SCOPE
OF THE STUDY
The research is an analysis of food
security and poverty status among households in Ehime
Mbano
1.8
DEFINITION
OF TERMS
FOOD SECURITY
Food
security is defined as access by all
people at all times to enough food for an active and healthy life. The
committee on world food security defined it as physical and economic access to
adequate food by all household members without undue risk of losing the access.
However, the definition adopted by the countries attending the world food
summit of 1996, and reconfirmed in 2002, accepts the USAID’S concept which has
three key elements viz; food availability, food access and food utilization
FOOD INSECURITY DEFINED
Food insecurity or lack of access to
nutritionally adequate diet in a household or country can take various forms.
For example, chronic food insecurity exists when food supplies are persistently
insufficient to supply adequate nutrient for all individuals. Transitory food
insecurity occurs when there is a temporary decline in access to adequate food
because of instability in food production, food price increases or income
shortfalls.