Food Poverty in Nigeria: Implications for Life Expectancy

Abstract

Food poverty and its effect on life expectancy has over the years attracted greater research attention from many researchers given the attendant negative effects it has on the growth of an economy.This present study investigated the implications of food poverty on life expectancy in Nigeria between 1985 and 2018. It employed the multivariate ordinary least squares, stationarity and cointegration techniques which minimize the possibility of estimating spurious regressions while at the same time, retaining long run information. The independent variables used in the study were total labour force, capital formation, agricultural output (proxy for food poverty) and food items importation. Research findings show that while total labour force, capital formation and food items importation had positive effects on life expectancy in Nigeria, food poverty exerted a negative impact on life expectancy in Nigeria within the period under study. The study recommends, among other things, that the government should through the ministry of agriculture map out policies that will help to further improve the performance of the sector. This will help increase the availability of food items in Nigeria and therefore reduce the incidence of food poverty which will further improve life expectancy in Nigeria.

Keywords: food poverty, life expectancy, poverty, food security.

DOI: 10.7176/JESD/11-2-11

Publication date: January 31^st 2020