Household Food Security Response to Climate Change Extreme Events in Taraba State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined the response of household food security to climate change extreme events and socio-economics characteristics of the household in Taraba State, Nigeria. The primary data used in this work were collected from a random sample of 450 households. Data were collected using questionnaire containing the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) module, which served as interview schedule. Data were collected on the household socio-economic characteristics, climate change extreme event happenings in the area and, food security conditions.Descriptiveand inferential analytical tools were employed in analysing the data. The results show that 92 percent of households in Taraba were food insecure, and 8 percent had high or marginal food security.  Very low food security status was found to correlate with having a household head who is a farmer, less educated, divorced, and also with households with low household income and expenditure; large household size; and ownership of little or no plot of land.  Results showed that households in Taraba were faced with the problems of climate extreme events.The Chi-square result showed thatgreater proportion of the households that experienced climate change extreme events had very low food security status. In simple terms, there were more extreme event affected households (more than three times the non-affected ones) in the very low food insecure category. Good weather forecast system was recommended and that government should make effort to enlighten the citizens on the dangers of these extreme event and proffer ways of improving the environment.

Keywords:  Food security, climate change extreme events, HFIAS categories, socioeconomic characteristics.